STUDIO DMTW: Church / Church - New Våler

Anul/Year: 2012Status: Competition/ConcursClient: Consiliul Parohial Våler/Våler Parish CouncilProgram: Biserică/Typology: ChurchLoc: Våler, Norway /Location: Våler, NorwaySurface area: 1.000 sqm/Size: 1.000 sqmTeam/Team & credits: Marc Anton Dahmen, Maximilian Schmitz, Bettina Lemoine, Mint Penpisuth Wallace

After the church burned down in 2009, the community of Våler needed a new church. The Våler Parish Council therefore organized an architectural competition. The new building was to accommodate 350 people and be located next to the ruins of the old church.In general, compared to the design of a secular building, where the main focus is on functional and programmatic aspects, a church has additional features that need to be taken into account.

We therefore considered the following two major factors. First, classical Christian symbolism plays an important role in determining the form. Secondly, the atmosphere within the church should be designed for a place of recollection, prayer and meeting.

We use the basic elements of Christian symbolism, the circle, the square and the cross. Thus, formally, the perimeter of the church in a spatial as well as a lyrical sense is a circle. The circle symbolizes unity, absoluteness, perfection and divine order. It is a symbol of the Heavens and the Whole. Each point is at an equal distance from the center.

For man, the circle acts as a soothing and comforting thing. We all have our family, friends and community circle.

The circle defines the atmosphere of 'togetherness'. It also provides the setting for all the secondary functions, thematically divided into three distinct groups: the public spaces, the private rooms of the pastor and his acolytes, and all the technical and storage rooms.

The circle shape is emphasized by the realization of a ring made of equal-sized elements. Depending on the internal use and connection to the outside space, the elements are made of precast concrete, U-shaped glass or translucent U-shaped glass.

In the middle of the circle is the square-shaped church hall. In contrast to the circle, the square expresses, for earthly existence, the points of static perfection and therefore immutability. It is the human cosmos with its limitations and is the symbol of order and stability. It borders chaos. Its absolutely uniform structure speaks of justice.

With the square as a projection on the ground, the space transforms its contours towards the surface of the roof, which forms a cross. The vertical line of the cross symbolizes the relationship between God and man, and the horizontal line of the cross connects the relationship between people.

The roof area slopes to the east to literally place the cross over the altar. This is the only visual interface to the outside of the church interior, creating a place of peace and shelter, which is enclosed at the sides but open to the sky to let in light. The square shape of the church hall provides flexibility for the community, serving, beyond its basic function, as a meeting place during various activities.

After the fire of the church in 2009, the Våler community needs a new church building. For this reason the Våler Parish Council invited architects for an open architectural competition. The new building should accommodate 350 people and provide many secondary spaces. The new building is to be placed next to the ruins of the old burned down church.In general, compared to the design of a secular building, where the focus primarily lies on the programmatically and functional aspects, a church has additive characteristics which need to be considered. Therefore the design of the new church Våler derives from two major factors. First, the classical Christian symbolism plays a large role in the shape. Secondly, the atmosphere within the church should be designed for a place of rest, worship and communal gathering. The deliberate use of openings, to separate from the outside and the play of natural light are of great importance.

The basic elements of Christian symbolism, the circle, the square and the cross, are reflected in this draft. So in term of forms, the perimeter of the church in the spatial as well as in the lyrical sense is a circle. The circle symbolizes unity, the absolute, the perfect and the divine order. It is a symbol of heaven and the All-One. Each point has an equal distance from the center. For humans, the circle acts as something warm and comforting. We look forward to our circle of family and community. We have a circle of friends. The circle emphasized an atmosphere of "togetherness".

It also provides the framework for all secondary functions, divided thematically into three distinct groups: the public spaces, private rooms for the pastor and his acolytes and all storage / technicals rooms. The shape of the circle is underscored by the realization of a ring of equal sized elements. Depending on the internal use and its contact with the outside space, the elements consist of precast concrete, U-shaped glass or U-shaped translucent glass. Within this circumscribed circle and in the middle of the secondary functions is the church room. Its outline is described by a square. Unlike the circle, the square stands for the earthly existence, points to static perfection and consequent immutability. It is the human cosmos, with its limitations and the epitome of order and stability. It curbs the chaos. Its absolutely uniform structure speaks of justice.

With the square as a projection on the ground, the space transforms its outline to the roof surface which forms a cross. The vertical beam of the cross symbolizes the relationship between God and man. The horizontal beam of the cross links the relationship between people. The roof area tilts to the east to place the cross literally over the altar. It is the only visual interface to the outside of the church interior, creating a place of peace and security, which is enclosed towards the sides, but opens to the sky to let the daylight enter from above. The square shape church room offers flexibility to the community beyond its actual function serving as a gathering place during various activities.