VÅLER CHURCH
Sivilarkitet Espen Surnevik As
Text description provided by architect.
The main challenge in the project was to give the local community a meaningful church back.
As a paradox, the tragic loss of the old church gave birth to a new beginning.
The theme of the new church thereby became resurrection.
Together with the artist, Espen Dietrichson, we worked with different design elements to manifest the theme through the project.
The most important element is the work with daylight coming into the church from different daylight openings.
This symbolizes hope, and that light defies darkness, after the tragic loss of the old church.
The project is cladded in core-pine on the outside, and in birch-plywood on the inside.
This represents the huge pine- and birch woods that surround the site, in which the project wants to belong.
The core-pine is a natural and organic material, which in the Norwegian climate gets its dark patina.
Slowly the pine cladding returns to nature, and every fifty years the cladding will be replaced, and the church will be «reborn» for new generations.
The forms of the building are designed by strict geometric rules.
The plan is quadratic and divided by a diagonal procession-axis going from a small Chappell, placed south, and over to the main church room placed north.
Two towers are showing where the liturgics points are placed in the church. The highest tower is 24m high, and the small tower is 12m. The towers have over lights on the top, making a view from the audience towards the sky.
At the same time, the over lights allow daylight to enter the rooms.
In the site plan, the footprint of the old church is rebuilt to make a memorial. The old church is brought to rest between the graves on the old graveyard.
