Chapel in Villeaceron / S.M.A.O.
Architect: Sancho-Madridejos Architecture Office
Location: Almadén, Ciudad Real, Spain
Principals: Sol Madridejos & Juan Carlos Sancho
Assistant – Technical Architect: Martin Pozuelo
Project Leader: Luis Renedo
Collaborators: Luis Renedo, Juan A. Garrido, Emilio Gómez Ramos, Patricia Planell, Marta Toral, Andrey García, Javier Moreno
Project year: 1996-2001
Photographs: Hisao Suzuki
The idea of situating and relating a series of objects in the landscape- Dwelling, Chapel, Hunting pavilion and Guard´s residence- gave the project a dual significance: in addition to the close relationship between landscape, objects and itinerary -between space and objects-, each item had to provide a different response with different emphasis, from the most symbolic to the most silent or private. The unifying thread was to be the concept of the fold: the fold as a hidden generator of different spaces.
The Chapel is developed around the study and manipulation of a focally tensed “box-fold”.
It is set at the top of a slight rights, making it the reference point in the landscape seen from the property entrance 2 Km away at a low point, as well as in different visions from the entire itinerary.
The Chapel has a naked design and lacks artificial lighting. The exterior-interior spatial relationship determines its focus, its meaning. Only a cross and an image at the focal point underscore the symbolic aspects of the project.
The proposed fold in the box, the corbusian “boîte”, gives rise to a single material: golden concrete that captures all the nuances demanded of the volume, from the trapped direct light that bursts in like an additional plane in the spatial composition, to the transmission of the unstable, coloured smell of dawn. Light thus takes on the role of a second material in the Chapel – a material that contrasts with the concrete – fragile, changing, mobile, unstable; dominating or vanishing.
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- elevations + sections
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- axonometric diagrams
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- models 01
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- models 02
Compare simplicty of form and function to the Prayer & Meditation Pavillion in Sudan http://www.archdaily.com/18901/prayer-meditation-pavillion-studio-tam-associati/
In my opinion Sudan definitly wins…
I agree with bo…too many tricks in this one…tipical spanish concrete paella…lot of bullshit talk and in the end you get this very boring space that will eventually appear in one of El croquis issues being sold as spain’s contribution to architectural inovation.
WOW! Lines, edges, planes, angles, light, concrete … one word – Modern. No isms, no ity. I want to pray there.
Will that chapel make me believe in god again? In any case it will make me believe more in human creativity and inventivness. They really created a “spiritual” place. Beatiful. Hence, I would definitely use it to house my personal gym. Wonderful things could happen in that space.
it looks like 2008 torino competition’s(info point) 1st place project, paperbox..
at some point it got too “pointy”, one too many folds i’d say…
like a tadao ando design gone astray.
Chapel in Villeaceron / S.M.A.O.:
Architect: Sancho-Madridejos Architecture Office Location: Almadén, Ciudad Re.. http://tinyurl.com/cpy9uq
Don’t agree with Bo Lucky, the Prayer & Meditation Pavilion in Sudan feels like a public toilet being manicured. Or a prison cell being painted in white.
This space looks higher and has a real interesting philosophical point of view, the fold, which goes back to thinking about mathematics and god, thus Leibniz…
The first one is an easy politically correct white box for new age architects, this one is trying to elevate your mind in time where science and faith need to confront each other in a positive way.
Mathematics and space indeed! If I may reference the Grande Arche in La Defence, Paris … they belong to the “cube” family or the “tesseract”. It is a very rich language for architecture that is inexhaustible, and yearning to be elaborated.
If Architecture is about occupying a space. The architects here have captured a space and crafted a space from it – very clever, and have found Architecture successfully I believe. The architecture is so deliberate in arresting a space to the point that it does not have a path leading to it. The front, entrance side, denote it is not even connected to the ground. It has the genes of Corbusier.
Architecture should not be considered subjectively nor by comparison (embroil in styles). They are disservices to self or otherwise.
http://bit.ly/6qG5f Chapel in Villeaceron / S.M.A.O
The morphology of this chapel in Villeaceron is incredible http://tr.im/kgpK
I do like it, so amazing form. It’s creative, and just the way I appreciate to design!
Goofy
verging on pointless
Good Idea, Brilliant…
Please visit Our web site, http://www.designplusinterior.com.
Thx,
Regards,
Adit
АРИГАМИ ЕПТА.
2 absolutely gorgeous chapels: http://tinyurl.com/nxhudn http://tinyurl.com/q7xgj6
perfect, another idea of simplicity dreamt in imagination, executed with effect. concept to outcome is ideal and results in an architecture without influence, purely space and function. can’t express the praise enough.
thank you Francis and Nath.We are architects.
s.m.a.o
Capela Villeaceron | Espanha | Arqs Sol Madridejos & Juan Sancho http://bit.ly/17U0tH
I’d like to pray there. It reminds me of Pascal Arquitectos’ Casa de Meditación. Especially in the management of light and materiality.
To Archdaily managers, why don’t you apply here the system of comment rating (positive-negative) that is currently used in Plataforma Arquitectura?
whoa.
not a new one, but I still love this chapel http://tinyurl.com/q7xgj6 #concrete #architecture
A Chapel is developed around the study & manipulation of a focally tensed “box-fold” #concretebuilding http://bit.ly/6qG5f
Magnificent! I will be in Spain this October & would like to photograph it.
Can anyone just drive up & photograph it?
Is an appointment needed?
Is it possible to go in?
I would appreciate any information you could email me.
Thank you,
Joel Panish
Capela Villeaceron / SMAO archdaily http://bit.ly/9ifkRs
o my god ))
4:06 PM Jul 7th
A Arte do Origami inspirando arquitetos… http://bit.ly/cM5A2a
12:53 PM Oct 1st
nice http://bit.ly/6qG5f
10:24 PM Jan 29th
http://tinyurl.com/q7xgj6
Chapel in Villeaceron / S.M.A.O.
4:30 PM Aug 26th
Intriguing –> Chapel Inspired from the Fold http://ow.ly/6b8pF