contest | church of
san nicolò in trebbia
rottofreno (pc)2010
Large windows ensure natural lighting without the need for artificial light, visually connecting the hall with the urban context, particularly with the dense tree canopy on the north side and the adjacent civic square on the west side. The painted, opaque glass behind the altar filters the midday light, illuminating the liturgical action from behind. Additional light sources are created in the roof ceiling through skylight openings, from which indirect light “falls” onto the main liturgical focal points.
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- © archos studio
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- © archos studio
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- © archos studio
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- © archos studio
© archos studio
"Solidified light" is achieved by embedding several structural frosted glass parallelepipeds, each over 4 meters high, into the ceiling. One of these lanterns, positioned above the altar less than two meters from the celebrant’s head, reinterprets the early Christian ciborium in a contemporary key, flooding the altar with an ethereal light.
© archos studio
The internal atmosphere, with the predominant northern light—white and shadowless—filtered through the full-wall frosted glass and the large beams of light from the ceiling, will create a striking and dramatic effect, resembling a vaporous light.
© archos studio
In contrast, the colored and dynamic light of the sun enters through the south wall, which, from floor to ceiling, hosts the large artwork by the artist— the only dramatic element in the entire hall, set against the backdrop of the altar.
© archos studio
Through the cuts, the slits, the threads of a long narrative, the living mosaic of the transforming city will emerge. A play of images chasing each other between drawings, real and painted silhouettes, between thin gauzes and thick iron wires. The depth of this wall, positioned at the summer solstice, will frame the scene, creating a theater of infinite apparitions. Perhaps a veil where dreams, memories, and plans are hidden and trapped, but also a screen that reflects both what is happening and what is yet to come.