Located outside the small village of Alberite, the Shrine of the Virgin of La Antigua stands alone on a hillside, offering wide-stretching views out across the nearby ravine.

Otxotorena Arquitectos designed the structure to accommodate both large parties and individual worship, as the shrine is only likely to attract groups of visitors at certain points on the religious calendar.

A tapered concrete canopy oversails the historic colonnade, which was rescued from near demolition by members of the local community. Concrete supports stand at either end to hold it firmly in place.

"The building volume is conceived considering the idea of framing the archway by building a parallel roof and floor to wrap and protect it," explain the architects.

A secluded chapel is sheltered beneath the roof at the rear of the structure. Behind this, an irregular framework of concrete louvres shades a length of clerestory glazing and overhangs the end of the building to create a small belfry.

Other examples of isolated religious spaces include a stark concrete church on the side of a Chinese mountain and a see-through church in the countryside in Belgium. See more places of worship on Dezeen.

Photography is by Pedro Pegenaute.

Here's some more information from Otxotorena Arquitectos:

Shrine of the Virgin of "La Antigua" in Alberite, La Rioja

The site corresponds to a plot on the outskirts of the town of Alberite. This is a 2.000 people village, very close to Logroño in La Rioja, Spain. The place is located on a gentle hill, overlooking a ravine opened into the road running through it. This was a plot of land given to the Parish by the Town Council for the construction of the shrine of the Virgin.

Above: context plan - click for larger image

First of all, the project aims to fulfill all the program requirements, concerning the nature and typical use given to this type of buildings, which, in its immediate environment, serve both for private devotional practices as well as for popular traditional temple fairs. This is a key ingredient in the way of considering the design, since we are obliged to expect a large influx of people within isolated intervals.

Above: location plan - click for larger image

On the other hand, the design also takes into consideration the characteristics of the place in terms of geometric, orientation and topographical measurements. It is also characterized by the appeal and width of its views.

Above: floor plan - click for larger image

Finally, there is added an absolutely fundamental premise: the need to incorporate a preexisting stone archway in the design. This archway was rescued from a previous demolition in the town and it was preserved by the locals. This way, it is intended to re-use the archway and to put more value on it. It was obviously called to assume a main role in the shape and perception of the building from the beginning.

Above: sections - click for larger image

When applying this set of arguments, however, we can remark some of the closely related choices chained to outline the design process:

a) The basic choice of the creation of a relatively wide outdoor space, which provides the interior of the shrine with some anteroom, protects the visitors from sun and rain and frames the view.
b) The attention given to the impact the building will cause in the landscape, even noticeable at long distances, that consists on a horizontal gesture correlative to the extent of the slope overlooking the ravine it faces.
c) The care given to the relationship between the few spaces created, both external and internal, as well as the hierarchical location of the entrances to the site and confined spaces of the chapel.

Above: sections - click for larger image

The building volume is conceived, in any case, considering the idea of framing the archway by building a parallel roof and floor to wrap and protect it.

Above: elevations - click for larger image

For its construction we are to use a single material, concrete, for immediacy and simplicity reasons, considering its suitable conditions of abstraction, continuity, stability and robustness.

Above: elevations - click for larger image

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by Otxotorena Arquitectos appeared first on Dezeen.

The Forest Chapel sits in the garden of an existing wedding centre and Hironaka Ogawa wanted to make a direct reference to the surroundings. "I took the trees in the garden as a design motif and proposed a chapel with randomly placed, tree-shaped columns," he explains.

The sprawling steel columns are dotted randomly around the interior, creating irregular arches for the bride to walk beneath. "I intended to create various looks by rotating the columns and placing them throughout the space," adds Ogawa.

Each steel column comprises eight components, which are fixed together in a cross formation.

A length of glazing skirts the outer walls, letting natural light filter in at ankle level. Two tall windows also puncture an angled wall at the back of the building, directing sunlight around the altar.

Wooden pews provide traditional rows of seating for guests.

The Forest Chapel was completed in 2011 and was one of the nominees in the civic and community category at the World Architecture Festival last summer.

Other wedding chapels we've featured include a cylindrical registry office in China and a shimmering golden chapel in England.

Photography is by Daici Ano.

Here's a statement from Hironaka Ogawa:

This is a new chapel built in the garden of an existing wedding facility which is surrounded by trees. The building looks like a simple white box floating in the air to be in harmony with the existing facility. On the other hand, I took the trees in the garden as a design motif and proposed a chapel with randomly placed, tree-shaped columns using angle irons.

In detail, I gathered eight angle irons composed of four 90 x 90 x 7mm L-angle irons and four 75 x 75 x 6mm L-angle irons to create a cross-shaped column. I intended to create a column that branches out up above depicting gentle curves of a tree. I applied two different curves for both size L-angle irons and created two types of tree-shape columns.

I intended to create various looks by rotating the columns and placing them throughout the space. The tree-shaped columns serve as decorations as well as important structural elements that receive the building's vertical load and wind pressure.

Each tree-shaped column is placed a decent distance from each other by their branched out, angled irons. It is also rational for the building structure.

The forest in nature also consists of trees that keep certain distances from each other under different conditions. The distances and shapes of the columns' branches made by rigid angle irons creating the silence and tension that is appropriate for a place like a wedding chapel where people make their vows.

Above: site plan

Above: floor plan - click for larger image

Above: section - click for larger image

Above: east and west elevations - click for larger image

Above: north elevation - click for larger image

Above: south elevation - click for larger image

Above: column detail

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Hironaka Ogawa appeared first on Dezeen.

As a Roman Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary, the Lady of Guadalupe is a popular image in Mexican culture and the architects explain how they were invited to design a Catholic Church devoted to her image.

The proposals show a billowing concrete structure with an undulating skirt of 27 clearly defined pleats.

Above: the Lady of Guadalupe and all 27 Latin American virgins - click above for larger image

Inside the building, small sanctuaries will be framed within these pleats, each containing an effigy of one of the other 27 Latin American virgins. "We preferred to open the proposal to other Latin American cultures as well, having represented all the 27 Latin American virgins," said the architects.

Above: concept - click above for larger image and key

A twisted tower will provide a spire over the chapel's altar and will feature a stained-glass skylight decorated with an image of the Lady of Guadalupe.

Above: plan concept - click above for larger image and key

The architects intend this image to project down onto visitors sat in the sunken assembly hall, to "stress the connection with the sky" and "represent the contrast between earth and heaven".

Above: exploded axonometric diagram - click above for larger image

Additional rooms will be located beneath the seating areas and will include a sacristy, offices and a small library.

Above: sky connection concept - click above for larger image and key

FREE is best-known for the design of the anvil-shaped Museo Soumaya in Mexico, which opened last year.

Above: stack ventilation scheme - click above for larger image and key

See more places of worship on Dezeen, including a cross-shaped chapel in Brazil and a stark concrete church in China.

Above: roof light section - click above for larger image and key

Here's some more information from FREE:

Miami Chapel, Florida, USA

Designing a congregation space for the Miami Catholic community requires an understanding of the identity of a multicultural group and the ability to translate it into a representative building.

Above: traditional plan comparison - click above for larger image and key

We were asked to design a Catholic Church devoted to the Mexican Virgin Our Lady of Guadalupe. FREE chose to incorporate other Latin American cultures as well, by representing all 27 Latin American Virgins.

Above: masterplan - click above for larger image

The 27 Virgins are accommodated around Our Lady of Guadalupe’s figure, creating 27 small sanctuaries.

Above: long section - click above for larger image

In a single gesture, the extrusion of this floor plan results in an organic, corrugated form; resembling the pleats of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s cloth.

Above: short section - click above for larger image

The vertical shape stands out of its context, and the volume is rotated towards the corner for more visibility.

Above: car circulation diagram - click above for larger image

A roof light at the top filters natural light into the congregation space, projecting the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the presbytery.

Above: pedestrian and bicycle circulation diagram - click above for larger image

The main entrance distributes to the main congregation space, ambulatory, confessionals and community service area in the level below. At the rear, a reserved area contains the sacristy, preparation and changing rooms, offices, small library and working spaces for the priest and personnel.

Above: structural analysis - click above for larger image

The iconic shape performs an acoustic filter and dramatizes the ecumenical atmosphere of the church, outlining its identity in the metropolitan area of Miami.

Above: facade texture - click above for larger image

Competition 1st. prize
Program: Cultural
Size: 3,500 m2
Date: 2012-2013
Collaborators: None
Status: Ongoing

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by FREE appeared first on Dezeen.

Despite being located within the rectangular confines of an old classroom, the chapel has curved walls and not a single corner.

Architect David Herjeczki explains how he was inspired by the thick black outlines of poché-style plans. "The design is conceived as a 'heavy' space deliberately set apart from, but fully formed within, the host classroom building," he said.

Recycled strips of timber were mixed with wood harvested from olive trees around the campus to create the uneven finish of the chapel's timber ceiling.

"The choice of such recycled wood is consistent with the poor and primitive sensibility of the chapel, but materially it provides a rich contrast to the fundamental nature of the space," said Herjeczki.

A narrow skylight creates a band of light across the ceiling at one end and illuminated glass blocks create brightly coloured windows in the curved interior walls, but offer no views to the rooms beyond.

Other chapels we've featured include one in a school for friars in Portugal and one constructed by students in Istanbul.

3D diagrams - click above for larger image

See more stories about chapels »

Building plan - click above for larger image and key

Photography is by Ryan Gobuty, Gensler.

Floor plan and alternative layout

Project details:
Client: Biola University, La Mirada, CA USA
Design: David Herjeczki, Gensler Los Angeles

Conceptual section

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by Gensler appeared first on Dezeen.

The triangular profile frames the interior of a double-height funeral hall, which is lit from above by a long narrow skylight.

"To do justice to its significance within the cemetery complex, the funeral is clearly marked with a gabled roof," said architect Peter Strobel. "This creates an interior that feels dignified and solemn as well as simple and appropriate to its purpose."

Glass walls allow guests to look out from the hall to two private courtyards, which are enclosed behind the stone facade of the building.

Strobel explained how the walls "block off the cemetery from the street, enclosing it as a place of peace and contemplation."

Other rooms in the building are arranged in a single block that runs alongside the chapel, providing a series of smaller meeting rooms and waiting areas.

Other memorial buildings we've featured include a boulder-shaped mausoleum in Mexico and a chapel with a copper roof in Finland.

See more chapels on Dezeen »

Photography is by the architects.

Project Details:

Competition: 10/2008 - Bayer & Strobel Architekten with jbbug Landschaftsarchitekten
Project start: 06/2009

Start of construction: 01/2011
Completion: 05/2012

Client: Stadt Ingelheim am Rhein
Architect: Bayer & Strobel Architekten

Co-worker: Christian Köhler
Landscape architect: jbbug Johannes Böttger Büro Urbane Gestalt

Structural engineer: Ingenieur-Gesellschaft Tragwerk Angnes + Rohde mbH
Mechanical services: Planungsbüro Stoffel

Ground floor plan - click above for larger image

Cross section one - click above for larger image

Cross section two  - click above for larger image

Long section - click above for larger image

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by Bayer & Strobel Architekten appeared first on Dezeen.