“An embrace joining together two parishes for a common mean” is the leading topic of the project, that includes the new church, the parish center and the parish house. The gesture of the "embrace"is the reference defining the fundamental structure of space and the role of the new parish center as a place of aggregation and inclusion, open to everybody. The aim of the center is to sew very distinct functions in a recognizable architectural uniqueness in the territory, drawing inspiration from the theme of the fence, as in the near monumental castles and in the “cascine”, the typical rural settlements of the area.
Assuming that asacred place should be a site to linger, a landmark truthful and solid for contemplation, a place that should not fear time, the project focuses on the solidity of the matter,in contrast to a contemporary context that soaks us in the ephemeral, in the temporary. Therefore, as in the Romanesque tradition, the use of a single material proposes continuity between interior and exterior, between walls and floor, to design massive and essential buildings, strongly integrated into the landscape.
The internal space of the church combines the traditional axial setting with a more "central-plan" spatiality. The lateral entrance compels the visitors to turn the gaze in a crescendo of perspectives, up to the backdrop, a half-height wall allowing a glimpse of the “cloister” that characterizes the visual background of the presbytery.
The altar is a block rooted directly to the ground, the symbolic “birthplace” of the church. The baptismal font seeks a relationship between earth and sky. The ambo is in a conceptual and physical relationship with the sky, lit by a skylight and hovering on the floor, suspended towards the assembly. Architecture is enriched with the works of the artist GianriccardoPiccoli. The entire complex is made of exposed concrete, suitably textured to restore a surface that reacts with natural light. The color is that of the plowed earth dried by the sun rays.