© Tali Kimelman[/caption]
SACROMONTE CHAPEL | MAPA ARCHITECTS
Maldonado, UruguayDescription provided by the architect. Sacromonte is landscape. It is a field of relational forces, of ancient intensity and new impulses that jointly create a new, unprecedented entity. Thus, nature, production, infrastructure and the palpable energy of the site configure a field of stimuli to be discovered; a field of experiences.
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© Tali Kimelman[/caption]
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© Tali Kimelman[/caption]
In this particular setting, the Sacromonte Chapel finds its place among vineyards, lagoons, hills and shelters. Conceived as a landscape amplifier, it blends with its surroundings taking the sensorial experience of nature to a whole new level. Located in one of the highest and unobstructed places of Sacromonte, it can be seen from afar.
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© Tali Kimelman[/caption]
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© Tali Kimelman[/caption]
How should the sacred spaces of the 21st century be? The chapel ponders possible interpretations of this and other questions through its ambiguous relationship with matter, space and time. A peaceful tension reigns when in contact with it. A tension between weight and lightness, presence and disappearance, technology and nature. Enigmatic and mystifying, it leaves its visitors with more questions than answers.
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© Tali Kimelman[/caption]
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© Tali Kimelman[/caption]
Two 9x6 meter wooden planes rest subtly on one another but without touching. From this simple and unique gesture, a new enclosure is born. Neither closed nor completely open, it is a space in itself but it is part of its environment at the same time. Inside, the planes try to protect and sanctify a small portion of the landscape but respectfully deny its confinement. Thus, the concepts of interior and exterior are diluted in a diffuse and ambiguous spatial experience.
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© Leonardo Finotti[/caption]
The chapel started in a factory in Portugal. Once prefabricated in cross-laminated timber and steel, it was transported directly to the landscape of Sacromonte to be assembled in one day. Simple and austere, its design assumes the challenge of conveying a powerful message using the lowest amount of resources possible.
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© Leonardo Finotti[/caption]
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© Leonardo Finotti[/caption]
Almost magically, a floating black metallic box breaks the symmetry in a transcendental act. Light enters through its outer face, a sheet of translucent onyx. Inside it, the Virgin of “La Carrodilla” finds shelter and protection.
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© Leonardo Finotti[/caption]
The chapel coexists harmoniously with nature, letting in winds and storms. In some way, there is a reminiscence of the most primitive of architectures. One that reunites humans, landscape and matter with the eternal.
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© Leonardo Finotti[/caption]
Project Team
MAPA Partners: Luciano Andrades, Matías Carballal, Andrés Gobba, Mauricio López, Silvio Machado
MAPA Project team: Pablo Courreges, Diego Morera, Emiliano Lago, Fabián Sarubbi, Sandra Rodríguez, Rafael Solano, Agustín Dieste, Alba Álvarez, Miquel Castellà, Marcos Gómara, Victoria Reibakas, Sebastián Lambert, Lucy Braunstein, Marie-Lise Hofstetter, Claire Gardan, Helena Utzig, Joao Bernardi
Photography: © Leonardo Finotti , © Tali Kimelman Drone photography: Fabián Sarubbi Structural project: RDA Ingeniería Factory production: Portilame (Portugal) Assembly and installation: MAPA + Cosia y Pombo Transport: Carrión Transportes Equipment: MAPA + Cosia y Pombo Onyx: Laviere Vitacca Cross: Taller Capitán Foundations: Pablo Trucido
