Truble Pics + peterzumthor
the design was constructed by local farmers who wanted to honor their patron saint, bruder klaus of the 15th century. the church started as a wigwam made of 112 tree trunks. upon completion of the frame, layers of concrete were poured & rammed atop the existing surface. when the concrete of all 24 layers had set, the wooden frame was set on fire, leaving behind a hollowed blackened cavity & charred walls.
the floor is frozen molten lead.
one's gaze is pulled upwards to the point where the roof is open to the sky & night stars. on sunny days, the oculus resembles the flare of a star that is attributed to a reference of brother klaus's vision in the womb. with no plumbing, bathrooms, running water or electricity along with the charred concrete & lead floors the chapel is a very somber but reflective place to worship.
the architect peter zumthor said, "to me, buildings can have a beautiful silence that i associate with attributes such as composure, self-evidence, presence, and integrity, and with warmth and sensuousness as well; a building that is being itself, being a building, not represented anything. just being."
Thursday, January 27, 2011