Christian Temple on Athenian Hill, Greece

NTUA

Idea projektu

The Temple was designed in the context of the "temple and church analysis and design" in the 7th semester of NTUA Architecture School. The aim was to design a small Christian Temple at an area, close to the university campus, bearing in mind the symbolism and sacredness of such builidngs.

Popis projektu

Between the dipole of the tense topography of the slope and the dense vegetation the temple sacrifices only its scale. It settles on the minimum space, the strict geometry and the fairfaced concrete. It seeks its Delphic relation with the ground, while it lays on it and emerges from it. It hovers over the ground being beared by an extended concrete beam.
The sharp prism is aligned to the symbolic axis of West-East, shaping two main axes in the interior. A horizontal one, highlighting the path to the chancel and a vertical one, aiming at the symbolic sky, through the triangular roof.
Light intrudes from above, being scattered or selectively sharp, in contrast to the solid facades. In reverse, during the night hours, the temple emits light from its interior and captures its dark surroundings. The gaze is magnetized to the top, contributing to the sanctity of the temple.
The temple has a rectangular floor plan, while the visible bearing elements in the interior define the three parts, the narthex, the nave and the chancel. The solid prism, extruded, shapes an open-air entrance space, while its geometry works as a frame for the opposing view.
Functional, Symbolic and Constructive structure shape a vivid triptych, which traverses the main design idea and triggers it.
The structural system, shaped by ripped slabs contributes to the trimerous division of the interior and allows physical light to enter from the top. One of the beams of the lower slab, is extended to a free rectangular column, holding the prism above ground, while it counterbalances the vertical belfry, made from black iron.

Technické informace

The temple's geometry is quite simple. It is a rectangular prism with a wrapped roof shaped from fairfaced concrete. Ripped reinforced concrete slabs are used in order to achieve roof-top openings and a trimeral division of space. The bearing structure is convetional, consisting of columns, pillars and beams, all from fairfaced reinforced concrete, in cases painted with transparent paints.