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Ruins of Crumbling Church Salvaged with Geometric Addition

20 Dec

[ By Steph in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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A faceted glass structure clings to the ruins of a stone church in Santpedor, Spain, filling in a gaping hole that was created with the demolition of an adjacent convent. Built modestly by priests between 1721 and 1729, the hermitage of Sant Francesc started to crumble long ago, and by 2000 the roof had sunk and the vaults of the nave and chapels had partially collapsed, leaving it looking as if it the rest of it would come down at any time.

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But anyone brave enough to step through the doors would have found an interior that was still stunning in its cavernous arched spaciousness, daylight streaming in through massive holes in the ceiling. That hint of promise, along with its historical value, is what led to the intervention by architect David Closes (photographs by Jordi Surroca.)

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Closes transformed the church with a stunning modern addition and interior renovation that integrates the character of the ruins into the new elements, creating contrast and preserving a perspective of the church’s past. Sant Francesc is now home to a multi-functional cultural center and auditorium.

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Smooth concrete and timber enhance the aged qualities of the stone in the new interiors, with partially-collapsed areas and holes simply filled in with windows to show off rather than correct the damage that was done to the structure over the centuries.

[ By Steph in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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Stairs to Nowhere: Half-Finished Fire Escape Inside a Church

08 Jul

[ By Steph in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

Fire Escape Church Sambre 1

A mass of reclaimed, weathered wood of all shapes and sizes rises up to the cathedral ceiling of the Church of St. Peter the Puellier in Mairie d’Orleans – but don’t expect these stairs to go anywhere. Built by French artist Sambre, ‘Escalier de Secours’ (Fire Escape) brings a sense of chaos and disproportion into a space typically considered sacred.

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Installed in the heart of the church, the staircase consists of a framework covered in randomly applied wooden slats, nailed on with no apparent rhyme or reason. Intentionally oversized, the stairs are much to large for any human to walk up, requiring a hands-and-knees climb to ascend.

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The work invites visitors to discover the twelfth-century church, which is the oldest remaining intact in Orleans, in an entirely new and self-guided way. Looking up through the nest-like wooden mass from the ground floor, you catch only glimpses of the church’s vaults. Visitors can choose from a variety of paths to make their way through the space, metaphorically exploring the many options available in life.

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Sambre is known for large-scale, seemingly haphazard sculptures and architectural installations made of reclaimed wood, including spheres and labyrinths built inside gallery spaces and warehouses.

[ By Steph in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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Word Worship: Church Converted to Awe-Inspiring Bookstore

24 Sep

[ By Steph in Architecture & Offices & Commercial. ]

Converted Church Bookstore 1

This stunning 15th-century Dominican church is dedicated to much more than just one book – it contains thousands of them, in fact, stacked row upon row in a modern three-story addition. Located in The Netherlands, ‘Waanders In de Broeren‘ opened to the public in July, offering a large selection of tomes as well as an assortment of retail goods.

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The new converted church bookstore is highly reminiscent of Selexyz Dominicanen, a similar concept in Maastricht, Holland with a multi-level black volume sitting lightly within the church’s arches and vaulted ceilings. Where that structure was darker and more dramatic, this one is light and bright, complementing the original colors of the church.

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The three additional floors were placed in the side wing of the church, between the original pillars. The central axis was left open so visitors can still appreciate the grand scale of the building, with views of the organ and a modern stained glass window.

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A central staircase routes customers through the merchandise display area a half-level at a time, ending right under the renovated church arches. Inspiration for the furniture was taken from Dom Hans van deer Laan, a Dutch architect who was also a monk. The addition is not secured in any way to the original architecture, so it can be easily removed without damage

[ By Steph in Architecture & Offices & Commercial. ]

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Abandoned Church Becomes Brilliant Urban Art Installation

20 Feb

[ By Steph in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

Abandoned Church Art 1

A languishing, yellowed church in Washington D.C. underwent a dramatic transformation in every shade of the rainbow, with street artist HENSE using it like a massive urban canvas. The church is in a downtrodden area with the potential to become the city’s next arts district, and this project represents the hope for a more colorful future.

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Dramatic and abstract, the project turns the former Friendship Baptist Church at 700 Delaware Avenue into an oversized mural just across the street from an abandoned lot set to become the site of a new art museum. Atlanta-based Alex ‘HENSE’ Brewer was commissioned to cover the church with paint.

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The project not only brightens the neighborhood and gives it a sense of a new identity, it also draws attention to a structure that has been abandoned and overlooked for many years. Like many other abandoned building art projects, 700 Delaware Ave forces people to acknowledge urban blight in the hopes of encouraging action.

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“Taking an existing building like the church and painting the entire thing re-contextualizes it and makes it a sculptural object,” HENSE told Design Boom. “We really wanted to turn the church into a three-dimensional piece of artwork. With projects like this one, we really try to use the existing architecture as inspiration for the direction of the painting.”

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See more photos at Design Boom.

[ By Steph in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

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Church Bells To Doorbells: 8 Churches Turned Into Homes

19 Feb

[ By Marc in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

Church-House-Renovations-Montage

Churches are some of society’s most stylistically beautiful buildings. A large amount of building design comes down to functionality and affordability, so churches, built for a spiritual purpose rather than a materialistic one, tend to include elements that highlight beauty and detail. When these churches grow old, or are purchased, they can then be renovated into amazing houses that uniquely introduce religious elements into a pedestrian environment.

The Church of Living

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The Church of Living is a transformed structure, from church to residence, carefully designed by Zecc architecture in the Netherlands. This firm is no stranger to church conversions, and their design chops are shown to full affect in this example from Utrecht. White walls and modern appliances and motifs maintained the atmosphere of the church, while making it a home worth living in. The small old church touches that remain are what keep this building anchored. For example, the chandelier in the ultra modern bathroom is the perfect example of an old touch balancing out a very modern renovation.

WG Architects, Brisbane

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Willis Greenhalgh Architects, known better as WG Architects, transformed this Brisbane church into a gorgeous home full of light. Built in 1867, this is a heritage site, and thus required a very delicate renovation. The unique elements of an old style church were maintained, while contemporary elements were introduced to bring the church house “up to speed.”

Westbourne Grove Church

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This imposing building, Westbourne Grove Church, was transformed into a modern home with a 2 floor renovation by London-based DOS Architects; the steps taken to complete the process are presented visually on their site here. Design site Abduzeedo provides additional background information about the history of the church, which despite seeming ancient, was built with a Victorian style in 1953. The design team decided to go highly modern in the interior, which contrasts nicely with the old-style stone outside.

Glenlyon Church

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Multiplicity is the two person team of designer Sioux Clark and architect Tim O’Sullivan. Bedecked with awards (for good reason) they hold tightly to their commitment of “creating spaces that are intrinsically beautiful, highly useable, readily enjoyable and environmentally friendly.” Their 2004 conversion of the Glenlyon church into a livable residence pulls out all of the design stops, as it required that they literally create a 2nd story out of thin air. Utilizing glass and the many gorgeous windows, they were able to highly increase the usable space, while keeping the structure in the middle from making it seem too crowded.

[ By Marc in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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