Church and cathedral design

RABATANALAB & Francesco Paolo Zaccaro designed this stunning church project in Oppido Lucano, Potenza, Italia. Take a look at the complete story after the jump. From the architects: The lot is located in the north-east/south-east expansion zone of the old urban area. The land is located on two different altitudes and cut by a steep road. The new expansion lines give the site an ideal size of hinge between the old town and the new urbanization. The church will have the task of orienting, disposing itself, as in history has always been, “ad orientem”. With the facade facing west and the apse area to the east, the church appears as an isolated body. To solve the problems related to the practicability and the removal of archit... More

The project was born from the study of the liturgical Christian space evolution and from an attentive look and comprehension of the complex morphology of the intervention site. A base built by a granite wall extends from the surroundings, sustaining the temple. A courtyard separates functionally the Main Hall from the Church, like an exterior antechamber which inspires the users to silence and recollection. At the courtyard stands out the sky, the sound of the magnolia leaves swept by the wind and the running water. A glass door invites anyone who enters the courtyard to be part of the big Christian family. Inside, presbytery and assembly rise up forward God through the large vertical clerestory which draws the passion of Christ on the wall... More

In the international discourse on contemporary architecture it seems to be evident that intervention into historic buildings is always a sensitive issue. This is particularly the case when the project is not only a simple renovation, but there are alterations or additions to the original building – it is always difficult to find the balance between past and present, between the attitude of sheer preservation of a monument and the voice of contemporary architecture. Additions copying eariler times and contemporary impacts that ignore their context are the two extremities to avoid – the desireable solution lies somewhere in between. There is no ultimate recipe, the questions need to be asked and answered in every particular case. 3H architerc... More

In order to accommodate a growing congregation in a developing suburb of Austin, we were selected by this church to design a new 1,200 seat worship hall adjacent to their existing chapel and multipurpose building. The result had to provide the church with more of a presence at the street, but still fit into the area's residential context.  Upon entering the church through 10 foot tall custom bronze doors, parishioners are be able to experience a variety of materials such as wood, stone, steel, fabric and glass, all working together in harmony and highlighted by various clearstory windows to further enhance the spiritual experience for parishioners. More

Churches in The Netherlands are getting more and more unoccupied. In order to preserve a small church in the South of The Netherlands, this church is transformed to residential housing.   The length of the building is divided into 7 parts to accommodate 6 dwellings and 1 commercial office.   The new inhabitants where given the flexibility to change the presented base floor plans to their own wishes and demands. One of the dwellings is designed to create a loft-like living space. The challenge was to create an open continuous floor plan in the existing long and narrow three-level dwelling.   Closed sanitary blocks are carefully positioned in the open space, leaving functional rest spaces. A storage cabinet spans the who... More

This sail sculpture, designed by architect Amandus Vanquaille, was designed for a specific military building dating 1862. The typical architecture of that time does not allow any access to the inner courtyard (called the ‘reduit’ in military terms). The widest entrance was 98cm. At the outside there are moats, ramparts, ditches and fortifications, all built to protect the inner courtyard from intrusion. But how to build a roof over this large courtyard, if anyone can access with building materials or cranes? The answer is simple: making a flexible roof that one can carry in, like a large worm, through the inner corridors and through the narrow porches. The complete membrane roof exists of 8 parts (8 separate vaults) each small enough to be... More