Localworks

Our Lady of Victoria Monastery

Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase

Our Lady of Victoria Monastery 

Localworks

ARCHITECTS
Localworks

QUANTITY SURVEYORS
Dudley Kasibante And Partners

LANDSCAPE
The Landscape Studio

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Aquila Gallery

MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
Equatorsun Consulting Ltd.

CONTRACTOR
Cementers

DESIGN TEAM
Felix Holland, Marco Cestarolli, Chloe Humphreys, Edson Agume, Allan Semakula, Wilson Sendikwanawa, Emma Mugisha, Juliana Achi, Moreen Katusiime, Philip Matovu, Philip Murungi, Sandra Mudondo, Valerie Rubombora

PHOTOGRAPHS
will Boase

AREA
2000 M²

YEAR
2021

LOCATION
Kijonjo, Uganda

CATEGORY
Religious Architecture, Monastery

Text description provided by architect.

Our Lady of Victoria Monastery was originally established in Kenya in 1952. It hosts a community of monks from the Cistercian Trappist order who moved to Uganda in 2008 following post-election unrest in Kenya.

Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase

Localworks’ architectural proposal followed a requirement to double the existing monastery in size and accommodate a growing community of monks.

The design includes a total of four new buildings – Church, Noviciate, Guesthouse, and Gatehouse. All buildings are intricately detailed in clay brick and arranged around three courtyards.

Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase

Design considerations are closely aligned with Cistercian building traditions of creating pure spaces without distractions from a life of prayer and religious devotion.

The church is a long, narrow, and tall barrel-vaulted volume; it is a direct reference to the architecture of monastic churches.

Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase

As traditional as the space is, its structure has been subtly inverted; instead of solid masonry columns with windows in-between, ‘columns of light’ seem to carry this church, connected by arches made of strips of brickwork interspersed with glass bottles.

Besides referring to the monastic architectural tradition of the Cistercians, the design carefully responds to the project’s local context, including material, climate, and culture.

Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase

A lightweight, secondary tropical roof hovers above the church, shading and protecting the building, collecting rainwater, and providing space for photovoltaic panels.

The reinforced brickwork of the church that is embedded with glass bottles makes ‘light arches’ that direct sunlight into the church at midday. Light is played with further.

Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase

Sun catchers in the eastern wall are illuminated in the mornings of solstice and equinox days.

And a rose window casts a circular spot of direct evening light into the church during the late afternoon services.

The other three buildings in the monastery are modest courtyard blocks.

Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase

Inclined plinths made of stacked clay tile strips elevate these buildings above a generally waterlogged environment.

Above, there is a play between solid and perforated brick walls, blurring the lines between walls and openings.

Towards the courtyard, walkway roofs are supported by load-bearing perforated brick screens of varying sizes.

Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase

Material-wise, the design makes use of bricks sustainably fired with coffee husks.

Using brick as a primary material follows the Cistercian principle of ‘material only’.

The brick is available close to the site, ages well, and is easy to handle.

Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase

Building the church buttresses in brick by gradually increasing their thickness and depth towards the ground expresses architecturally the structural distribution of loads and moments.

All new buildings are passively ventilated, with cross-ventilation, ventilated ceiling voids, reflective roofing material, and shaded windows. This ensures a comfortable indoor climate throughout the year.

Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase

The landscape design of this project forms simple, contemplative spaces which facilitate the life of meditation and reflection led by the monks. The cloister garden is purely intended for observation whilst the courtyard in front of the church responds.

To the idea of transparency of the order at the same time as physically creating a protective barrier from the outside world. This contrasts with the guest courtyard design which allows for direct interaction within the garden space.

Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase


Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
© Will Boase


Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
Church Plan
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
Noviciate Plan
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
Guest House Plan
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
Plan - Site


Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
Noviciate Sections
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
Guest House Sections
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
Church Section
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
Church Section
Our Lady of Victoria Monastery
Church Elevations

Localworks
T +256 392 174444
Localworks
The Square, 10 Third St, Kampala, Uganda