Retreat center in the building of the former Benedictine Abbey of Santa Maria del Piano

Idea projektu

The idea of the project is to breathe life into the ruins of the long-forgotten Benedictine abbey of Santa Maria del Piano. In Europe, there has long been a practice of converting buildings of former churches to an alternative function. My main task was to place a meditation and yoga practice center in the ruins of the church.
The building of the church of Santa Maria del Piano has a rich history associated with the Benedictine monastic order, so when creating the project, I considered it important to preserve the spirit and history of this place by using the symbols of this order in the decoration of the new walls.
The idea of the project is to preserve the pre-existing silhouette of the temple, compensating for the lost parts of the building, in order to create a holistic image and historical silhouette of the environment. The missing parts of the building grow out of the preserved ruins and are placed inside the volumes, like in a box. The historical walls themselves remain untouched. For the new volumes, materials that are as neutral in texture as possible are used: polished concrete and frosted white glass as the upper outer layer. The interior of the glass volumes is solved by transparent tinted glass with a sandblasted pattern in the form of a Benedictine cross. To solve the new volume roofs, the image of traditional Tuscan tiled roofs was used by creating a pattern of concrete gutters. To create an atmosphere of relaxation and for greater emotional brightness, small glass lanterns are inserted in the roof, creating an image of the starry sky in the interior of the main volume.

Popis projektu

The entrance for visitors to the yoga practice is located between the annex and the bell tower. This decision is due to the desire to minimize the impact on the preserved walls. Thus, we had the opportunity to move from the temple to the annex without additional openings. There is a cloakroom, a waiting area, and a lobby for visitors, from where they can go to the locker rooms and then go to the gym.
On concert days, when a large number of people are expected, visitors can enter the building through the main entrance. Upon entering, we enter a buffer space separated from the hall by rounded walls that duplicate the shape of the altar. There is an information desk, a cloakroom, bathrooms and a store. There is a mezzanine above the entrance area. The Benedictines have always been associated with books, so as a tribute to memory, it was decided to place a small library for visitors on the mezzanine.
After entering the hall, we are greeted by a majestic room with high ceilings, in the middle of which there is a dome from which scarlet light streams. It was decided to place a carillon in the altar part, the bells of which hang chaotically among the flowing fabrics. It is both an art object and part of the therapy for visitors to this center, because, as you know, the sound of the bell heals. Thus, there is a connection between the history of this place and its new function, the retreat center. Carillon music can be used during meditations to restore mental balance. The space of the nave is used as an auditorium, but also, if necessary, chairs can be removed to the storage rooms located on the ground floor of the transepts. The second floor of the left nave can be used as dressing rooms for performances, or as a hall for master classes. There is a recreation area on the second floor of the right nave.
In the side annex, as originally, there is a refectory with a kitchen, and on the second floor there are changing rooms with showers and bathrooms for visitors and a gym.
Fabric hammocks are hung on a wooden frame on the left side of the entrance, where visitors can relax or meditate, and there is an exit from the main hall. There is a bell tower in the abbey's ensemble, and an observation deck is located in it, to which a staircase runs through all the floors. If necessary, rooms can be accommodated in the bell tower.

Technické informace

The new volumes are made of polished concrete, planar glazing made of frosted white glass as the upper outer layer, on which a pattern in the form of a Benedictine cross is applied by sandblasting.