Siteplan’s shape results from the junction between both the railway and an Avenue with a Street. The terrain’s morphology had been altered because of landfills produced by the construction of the two roads. As a consequence, the average altitude is now approximately 4 metres higher than the existent street. The necessary distance to the railway and Avenue imposes a situation plan within the North/East limits. At the same time the landfill forces the building to be set away from the access road, gaining an exterior public space.
Project’s idea comes from the need to arrange the surrounding area by the use of a reinforced concrete wall that not only sustains the land but also organizes the exterior spaces. Above the spaces made between “walls” rests a structural wood shell that covers the nave and the entrance. Occasionally the interstices of those walls connect the exterior entrance spaces (North and East), becoming an access gallery at a higher level, across the hole site. The main access is made by the Street, through the churchyard, connecting with the supporting spaces: Mortuary Chapel, Catechism Centre and parking lot at South. The chapel consists of a long space with axial organization and a three-partition structure, corresponding to different formal characterizations manifested in its high ceilings: at the entrance there is a small Mortuary Chapel and a religious font containing holy water; in the centre, the nave with a really high ceiling; at the back, the Altar with a patio, lighted through all its extension. The Parochial Centre, with a multipurpose room and catechism rooms, is located on the East side and is organized around a patio. In terms of construction, there are three materials: reinforced concrete walls; roof covering in wood supported by wood beams; wooden and granite pavements. The straightforward application of the materials, with no special finishing, allows not only the economy of construction but also expresses simplicity, reinforcing the religious rituals’ sense of despoilment.
