重塑湖畔教堂

Pilgrims are searching for greater meaning in life and hope to regain spiritual comfort in the mundane world through walking. Today, the church along the Via Francigena has been overrun by thorns, pigeons and other birds, and the site has lost its role as a pilgrimage point. We wanted to transform the ruined church with a contemporary architectural approach that fully respects the site and preserves the functions of religious activities and classical concerts for the original place of worship.
In order to arouse the attention of the pilgrims, we replanned the site of the church. When a pilgrim enters the field, it is like entering a whole new pilgrimage story. They pass through the various parts of the field in an orderly fashion, one story after another, like a continuous plot, which together make up the story of the pilgrimage. We summarize the abstract movement expression that the pilgrim will experience, and finally materialize it into an architectural space.
Therefore, along the central axis of the church, we designed extended nodes at both the start and the end of the church, where pilgrims can choose to worship in the sacred church space, and secular social activities in the extended external auditorium. It can host theatrical or musical performances in the summer as well as culturalevents. Indeed, the toilet of the auditorium was placed in a small structure on the north side, adjacent to the accommodation building.
With regard to the roof of the church, the intention was to preserve its monumentality and recognisability, using as little intervention as possible and highlighting the contrast between old and new. We use frosted glass meshwork to create a sense of upward extension, while providing a visual guide for pilgrims passing by. During the day, when the sun is shining, beams of light fall on the roof frame, casting slanting shadows that add to the mystery of the ritual.
Based on these considerations, the project is therefore conceived as a scene of a pilgrim's retrospectivememory. Pilgrims visiting the church come from via Francigena and pass through the entrance, which serves as a platform to view the external auditorium and the original church. On the other hand, we designed a residential building next to the external auditorium that can accommodate 10 to 15 people and their short-term living.