Hasta La Ideas

Stained glass panels perforate the exterior wall of this church in Paris by ENIA Architects, creating rectangles of colour on the interior of the double-height nave.

Notre Dame Rosary Church is clad in two contrasting colours of stone.

The church is the first complete building in a phased development which also involves demolition of a nineteenth century church on he site that was originally intended to be temporary, plus construction of a bell tower and parish centre.

The church has an unconventional plan, with visitors entering the  nave via a wide corridor to the side of the central assembly area.

Two staircases connect this space with the first floor balcony, where the choir, organ and some additional seats are situated.

Photographs are by Hervé Abbadie

More stories about churches on Dezeen »

Here is some further information from the architects:

Background

The Les Lilas church was built back in 1887 as a temporary structure (using superficial foundations, plaster, timber), and was recently threatening to fall into ruin.

The Commune of Les Lilas (a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France) and the diocese of Saint Denis (the French ‘department’ where Les Lilas is located) therefore launched an architectural competition in 2005 for the construction of a new church and an adjoining parish centre.

The design development proceeded in close consultation with the Commune of Les Lilas (owners of the church) and the Catholic diocese (assignee of the church and owners of the parish centre).

In order for regular worship to continue uninterrupted, the old church building had to be kept in service during construction, which therefore required a phased programme divided into several stages.

Phase 1 has now come to an end with the delivery of the new church building, which initiates the demolition of the old church building next door. In its place, the bell tower and parish centre will subsequently be built, physically joined to the new church building.

Designed to accommodate a 500-seat church building, a parish centre with living quarters for 3 priests, the parish administration itself, catechisation and other multipurpose rooms as well as an outdoor garden, this ensemble is well inscribed into the wider context of the official urban development zone of the city centre.

The Commune of Les Lilas also aspired to use this ambitious operation to create an exemplary project in terms of environmental sustainability.

Urban Context

This new church is inserted into a very diverse urban fabric which is typical of the old working class areas on the outskirts of Paris. Unlike the relatively discreet version of the church in 1887, this new version seeks to doubly affirm its status as a public facility.

The use of a simple site plan, a generous forecourt, as well as the forthcoming bell tower, gives the building a certain urban quality and an increased visibility on Paris Street, which is a major road in the city of Les Lilas.

Obliged to ensure the uninterrupted continuity of their liturgical services, which meant having to construct the new before demolishing the old, the new church building is situated on the previously empty portion of the site to the south. Its geometry enlarges the forecourt which increases the amount of public space.

As for the pastoral centre, this building angles itself around a garden which is slightly elevated above road level, but which retains a sense of privacy. The two “wings” of the building are set back from Jean Moulin Street and the entry forecourt, where the garden spills out onto. This homogeneous and continuous L-shaped form gives the garden a somewhat inward-looking quality, something which is fundamental to the parish community. However, the garden opens back out to the city at the forecourt, and it is here that the main entrance to the church itself is located, at the crossroads of the forecourt and the pastoral centre.

Church

The facade of the church is uniformly clad in stone, in two different shades which are distinguished from each other. The sombre stone visually establishes the base of the building and reinforces its anchorage in the topography.

On the main façade, a lower section of wall slants back into the building, elongating the forecourt and therefore inviting the visitor to enter.

Architecturally speaking, this project features an unusual response to the brief, going so far as to subvert the traditional organisation of interior spaces in religious buildings: one enters the nave sideways after walking straight alongside it for three-quarters of its length. This spatial effect, its drama increased by using a double-height volume, turns the entrance into a transitory space, somewhere between the intensity of the street outside and the calm of the liturgical space within.

The nave itself is made from a large rectangular plan which expands upwards to create a generous volume, conducive for worshippers when meeting together. For Sunday mass, the congregation assembles around the choir in a square, which reinforces their sense of unity during the service.

Linked to the ground floor by two staircases, a balcony on the first floor surrounds the central assembly area and allows for the possibility of special larger events. This balcony extends right to the choir area, in front of which the organ is situated.

To accompany the worshippers in their contemplation, particular attention was paid to the use of light. This meant trying to create an atmosphere rather than an ambiance, yet maintaining a contemporary feel. Several light fixtures were positioned in line with the orientation of the boundary walls, while the choir area is bathed in indirect light coming from high above, emphasising the feeling of elevation.

To the south, the offset boundary wall allows for an overhead slot of light to penetrate into the space, setting off the beauty of the stained glass panels below. Finally, along this very same wall, the light is so finely elaborated that it appears as yet another building material, sometimes revealing itself in the assembly area in the form of luminous projections. These projections were carefully positioned to allow for direct natural light to reach the prayer areas.

Contemporary Artists

To affirm its status as a contemporary project, equally contemporary artists were invited to take part in order to fulfil the spiritual, historical and aesthetic expectations of the stakeholders. With this in mind, the stained glass panels were conferred to Didier and Alice Sancey, creating history with “The Catechism of the Mysteries of the Rosary”. As for the figure of Christ, this appears on the apse wall as a low-relief by Claude Abeille, subsequently named “The Wall of Glory”.

Technical Data

The first church built in the 21st century in Seine Saint Denis (French ‘department’ where Les Lilas is located),
One of the few churches constructed by the public sector (church contracting owner: The City of Les Lilas),
One of the major centres of the Saint Denis diocese,
New typologies: an elongated narthex (entrance or lobby area to a church), and a nave which is accessed by having to turn around.

Patrons : Lilas Council (Church) – Saint Denis Diocese (Covent School)

• Architect – ENIA Architects (Mathieu Chazelle, Simon Pallubicki, Brice Piechaczyk; Project Ar- chitect: Olivier Rousseau) / associate Architect: Mauro Galantino
• Consultants – IOSIS Bâtiments
• Environmental Consultants – ELIOTH
• Lighting Engineer – Ingélux
• Acoustic Engineer – Acoustique et Conseil
• Quantity Surveyor – ECIB
• Building Surveyor – Véritas
• Occupational Heath and Safety coordinators – Loghabat

Builders and sub-contractors (church building):
• Demolition: Perez and Morelli
• Builder: Faber SA
• Stone cladding: DMG
• Steelwork/locks: La Stab
• Interior joinery/furniture: La Fraternelle
• Bell foundry: Bodet

Intériors – Furniture : La Fraternelle • Fonderie de cloches : Bodet.

Floor area (church): 2000 m2

Key dates: 21 June: Cornerstone ceremony Late 2010: completion of the church End 2011: completion of pastoral centre

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Chapel of St. Lawrence by Avanto Architects	Infinity Chapel by hanrahanMeyers	Church by Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas

Architecture students Felix de Montesquiou and Hugo Kaici have designed the headquarters for a conceptual company that would help customers migrate illegally from Europe to the UK.

Located near the port of Calais in northern France, the N.E.M.O (Northern Europe Migrants Organisation) building would be disguised as a bunker dating from the Second World War.

You can book a ticket for the crossing, with optional extras including fake passports and onboard English lessons, using the project website.

The pair created the project while studying at the Ecole Speciale d’Architecture in Paris.

Here are some more details from de Montesquiou and Kaici:

N.E.M.O. is an entreprise that enables people to illegaly migrate to the United Kingdom.

We propose to design the locus of the organisation, within the architectural vocabulary of the WW2 bunker to camouflage the real function of this secret base.

Located near the city of Calais, where most of the migrants end-up, the facilities are only 42km away from the British coast.

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High Tide Street by James Gardener	Women at War by Charlotte Wilson	Hiding in Triangles by  Schambelan and Fromm

This split-level terraced house has been completed by 05 AM Arquitectura on a narrow plot in Girona, Spain.

The stepped floors and bright yellow shelving of House in Casavells define the individual spaces whilst allowing long views and natural light through the whole house.

The house can be accessed both from the ground floor street level or from the lower ground garden level, where there is also a car port.

Photographs are by José Hevia

For more residential projects on Dezeen »

Here is some more information from the architects:

The terraced house is located in a narrow and long plot situated on the edge of small village.

The house has a contrast in both open sides, in the north, the old village with narrow streets of stone. And in the south, we have the garden, the pool, the sun and the landscape.

Access is possible through the two facades at different levels, but is usually done with the car through the south facade.

The house is defined to answer to the contrast between the features of two sides.

The house has a depressed zone in the middle to have a better relation with the garden and the landscape, and the roof is fragmented to let the natural light pass. With the different levels of the ground and the ceiling we clearly identify the individual character and volume of each space with a different use, into an open space always luminous and linked to the landscape.

In the lower ground floor, open to south and in contact with the garden, we must resolve the usual access to housing with the car, so we propose to have a space with more attributes than a garage with dark background. It is a transitional space between inside and outside of the house, a threshold where they can develop alternative uses.

With the aim to allow a good relation into different spaces, we place middle space on an intermediate level between the level of the basement and the main floor. It’s the place of leisure and study, as a common space between the various activities of the house where we place the library, a desk, and bleachers, with the purpose of being a playground for children, a meeting space or a home cinema.

The main floor is a unique space, with a large opening at its southern end. From this level we can see the multifunctional space of the entry and the garden through the studio located at an intermediate level. This space depressed in the middle of the main floor also allows having views to the landscape.

In this floor we have the main uses, the kitchen, the living room and the terrace. And in the north side also we have the entry from the street of the village.

In the first floor where we have the bedrooms, the slab breaks it into three, leaving two open gaps between them that allow the passage of the overhead light to the ground floor. These three slabs are placed at different heights to qualify and define spatially the different uses that are located in the lower floor.

It is a house that provides solutions to the conditions and take full advantage of the benefits of the place where is located, creating a pleasant indoor space with many possibilities of use, and ways to connect and qualify the spaces.

Project information:
Architects: Joan Arnau and Carme Muñoz. 05 AM arquitectura
Location: Casavells, Baix Empordà, (Girona), Spain
Surface: 303m²

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Roof on the Hill by ALPHAville	House by Studio Architecture Gestalten	Kiri’s House by Atelier Riri

Dutch architects +31 Architects have completed this curvy house boat on the river Amstel in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

The Watervilla de Omval has a kitchen and living space level with the water, with cabins below the water line reached via a split level that houses the bathroom.

The roof of this split leve forms a terrace at one end of the house boat.

The exterior is clad in aluminium while the interior curves are rendered in white plaster.

Photographs are by Colin Morsch unless stated otherwise.

The information that follows is from +31 Architects:

Watervilla de Omval, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

This tautly designed houseboat floats in the Amstel river of Amsterdam.

The design has, unlike most floating houses, a very contemporary design without losing the characteristic appearance of the typical houseboat. The clients get a lot of positive reactions, it evens happens that people who pass by boat knock on the windows and ask if they can enter the boat.

Living on the water gets more and more popular in Holland. The clients/ owners who come to our office always love the typical charms and characteristics of living on the water but don’t like the standard “caravan” appearance of the existing houseboats. More and more people want to live on a contemporary houseboat that has been designed for their specific needs, the houseboat at De Omval is an obvious example of this wish.

The clients wanted a boat with an open floor plan where they could enjoy the views to the water and the outdoor space to a maximum. The distinguished curved line of the facade directly derives from this desire and the restriction that the boat couldn’t be more than three meters above the water.

The living area and open kitchen are located on the waterfront, from here one has a panoramic view at the Amstel and you can enter the floating terrace. Following on from the living area and kitchen the bedroom is located on a split level. The split level introduces an open route to the ground floor of the boat and, at the same time, makes it possible to create a terrace on the south side without exceeding the maximum building height.

To accentuate the round lines of the facade it is carried out in shiny aluminum. The white plastered walls and ceilings follow the curve of the facade creating a seamless transition from the exterior to the interior.

Architect: +31ARCHITECTS, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Project team: Jasper Suasso de Lima de Prado and Jorrit Houwert
Location: Omval 4, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Client: private
Construction: Pieters bouwtechniek, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Alferink-van Schieveen, Zwolle, The Netherlands
Building contractor: Dijkhuis Aannemersbedrijf b.v. / Ardesch, Hardenberg, The Netherlands
Cabinet maker: Forsa meubels, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Key materials: Aluminium cladding by Reynobond and Aluminium Windows by Sapa
Built-up floor area: 197 sqm

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Villa Rotterdam by Ooze	A House in a Church by Ruud Visser Architects	Villa by Knevel Architecten

Japanese architects ALPHAville have completed this terraced house in Takarazuka, Japan with a roof that follows the slope of the site.

The Roof on the Hill is designed within a three by three steel structural grid.

The lowest level houses the kitchen and dining space, with family bedrooms and living spaces on the upper levels.

The undulating roof has slit windows to admit light to each of the levels.

More Japanese architecture stories on Dezeen »

The following is from the architects:

Roof on the Hill

This is a residential house located in a new development site in Takarazuka, Japan. Because of the solid nature of the ground, we decided to make a building only by putting a roof over the sloped terrain without modifying it.

The house, spread on the terraced ground, has 3 meter by 3 meter grid steel frame. It consists of boxes, including a bedroom, a children’s room and a bathroom, and a residual space resulted from the subtraction of the boxes. On top of them is an undulating roof, whose slits allow sunlight to diffuse into the entire interior space.

The interior space is affected by multiple parameters, or the interactions among them. Those parameters are concerned with direction and scale. As for direction, the interaction among the sloped ground, the grid of columns, and the inclined undulating roof of 45 degrees gives the interior a mixed character of order and variation.

Furthermore, multiple scales have an influence on the space thus created. The three-meter interval of the grid, the 800mm difference in level of the floor, and the 300mm height of the roof aperture are combined to create both consistency and heterogeneity in the interior space.

The relationships among different elements compose the simultaneously open and intimate space, like Italian mountain villages, like an interstitial space between buildings.

Project location: Takarazuka, Japan
Design time: May 2009-June 2010
Construction Time: June 2010-December 2010
Use: residence

Building area: 99.87m2
Site area: 232.31m2
Structural system: steel structure

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New Kyoto Town House by ALPHAville	House in Hieidaira by Tato Architects	House in Fukawa by Suppose Design Office