Temporary chapel for the Deaconesses of St-Loup – Localarchitecture

Nov 2008

Uploaded by Nico Saieh — Filed under: Religious Architecture ,Selected , Fabric, Switzerland, Wood

▼

Add this to My Bookmarks:

share by email

share by email

Architects: Localarchitecture & Danilo Mondada
Location: Hôpital de St-Loup, Switzerland
Project year: 2008
Structure: IBOIS – Hani Buri, Yves Weinand
Client: Deaconess Community of St-Loup
Photographs: Milo Keller ©2008

In the summer of 2007, Localarchitecture and architect Danilo Mondada were awarded the contract to renovate the mother house of the Deaconess Community of St-Loup. The commission involves the complete renovation of a historic building, including the community’s main chapel.

It was immediately apparent the mother house would have to be closed for the duration of the building works, in other words for 18 months starting from the summer of 2008. Instead of settling for a standard solution, like renting a tent or containers, the architects suggested building a temporary chapel to accommodate religious worship during the construction period.

Localarchitecture, which has a special interest in timber construction and new structural solutions, has made its name with several works exploring traditional and contemporary wood construction techniques. In this instance, the architects suggested working in partnership with Hani Buri and Yves Weinand from the IBOIS laboratory at the EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), whose ongoing research into folded structures seemed particularly interesting and appropriate for this project. The team developed a structure using timber panels, which makes it possible to cover large areas with fine sections. The shape was generated using computer software that calculates the load-bearing structure, determines the dimensions and transmits this information to the machine that cuts out the 6-cm thick timber panels.

Built directly on the ground, the new chapel blends subtly and delicately with the landscape. The structure, which lies along the axis of the east-west valley and is open at each end, lets in plenty of natural light. Interpreting the traditional layout of protestant churches with their variations in width and height between transept and nave, the design creates a space whose horizontal and vertical dimensions vary via a series of origami-like folds, which give rhythm to the interior and exterior of the building. The folded volume generates a wide horizontal space at the entrance, before closing in and rising up to become vertical towards the centre of the chapel. Each fold in the facade reflects the light differently and thus emphasizes the progression and elongation of the volume. The structure punctuates the interior space, while creating an atmosphere conducive to reflection.

Transparent plastic panels in the gable side facades, covered with fabric, allow natural light to enter the chapel. The frame of columns and diagonals resembles the structure of a stained-glass window.

The wooden chapel in St-Loup is the first full-scale structure that incorporates design and structural analysis based on computer method of generating novel geometrical forms, but it is also a bright example of the spatial reinterpretation of a traditional religious space in harmony with its environment.

situation plan

ground plan

elevation 01

elevation 02

elevation 03

section details

Cite:
Saieh , Nico . "Temporary chapel for the Deaconesses of St-Loup – Localarchitecture" 21 Nov 2008. ArchDaily. Accessed 04 Feb 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/9201>

Comments (19)
Tweets (6)
Links to this entry (9)

Contemporary Art says:

What a lovely building. Too bad it’s temporary! There’s always something especially nice about challenging architecture applied to religious structures. It takes a smart, liberal batch of Deaconesses to embrace such a building. I’m also interested in the architect’s position: is he making decisions in order to foment religious passion? How does his process take into account the religious functions of the structure?

So much to think about!

http://www.contemporaryartdaily.com

# November 21, 2008 at 11:09

oded says:

very nice project!!!

# November 21, 2008 at 12:24

scarpasez says:

This…is good. Such elegance!

# November 21, 2008 at 23:33

gerson says:

no words!
the closest thing to the “MISHKAN” the temple used in the desert during the “EXODUS”
Possible the santification of the temporary, a real holy structure

# November 22, 2008 at 13:24

musser says:

absolutely wonderful.

# November 22, 2008 at 13:54

Taner Şaşmaz says:

This…is good.
Very Nice project
http://www.forumcad.com
Temporary chapel for the Deaconesses of St-Loup – Localarchitecture building very good.
Thanks

# November 22, 2008 at 19:45

Richie says:

Beautiful! They should keep it as a permanent thing.

# November 27, 2008 at 06:02

Yüksek lisans says:

# March 31, 2009 at 12:52

areege says:

wow the approach to the concept of this building is fantastic. i love this.

# May 23, 2009 at 11:41

Jue Yang says:

Monumental. literally -Temporary chapel for the Deaconesses of St-Loup. http://shar.es/WpC8

# June 8, 2009 at 08:29

yare ye says:

Chapel for the Deaconesses of St-Loup: http://bit.ly/e7Lk8

# June 21, 2009 at 22:24

Oldesque urbanbike ! says:

http://bit.ly/O5EZO Chapelle temporaire en bois, un exemple très chouette d’un bâtiment simple pensé par des étudiants de l’EPFL, bravo…!

# June 26, 2009 at 06:07

dude says:

Faux, même si la chapelle est très belle, ce bâtiment a été pensé et développé par le bureau d’architectes LOCALARCHITECTURE en collaboration avec le laboratoire IBOIS de l’EPFL…

# September 27, 2011 at 11:27

BAKOKO says:

Nicest project I've seen for a while: http://bit.ly/8KxrBV – solid timber

# January 22, 2010 at 01:57

sandra barron says:

RT @BAKOKO: Nicest project I've seen for a while: http://bit.ly/8KxrBV – solid timber || That is beautiful.

# January 22, 2010 at 01:59

Kazuaki Tsuchiya says:

Temporary chapel, looks cute: RT @BAKOKO Nicest project I've seen for a while: http://bit.ly/8KxrBV – solid timber