As the center piece of this building complex, the church is designed to attract visitors from around the province and Honduras. It shares some of the same elements found in the local vernacular churches; wood timber roofs, plaster walls and a bell tower. But instead of creating an enclosed volume, the church’s interior space is open to the landscape. By engaging the site and its many qualities it creates a unique spiritual experience. The tower and church structure are visible from the main road running parallel to the river. The approaching pathway circles around the church and hill. Cars and buses can disembark east of the hill, as visitors can walk up the stairs and gentle ramps towards an upper courtyard. Bounded by the school and conference room, the courtyard space flows into the open end of the church.
The church structure consists of two sets of canted walls, oriented along the E-W axis, and a roof structure made from the local pine trees. Like the local vernacular, the walls are clad in stucco. But their form and orientation are tilted to capture light and direct views. The plane of the exterior entry courtyard gently slopes upwards into the church, focusing views towards the sky. The profile of the cross is silhouetted against the tropical skies when entering the building from the east. Once in the church, the floor levels and then slopes towards the main valley to the west. Consequently, the visitor attention is focused first on the sky, then the horizon before ultimately taking in the entire vista of the dramatic landscape. Instead of a wall enclosing the spaces behind the cross and altar, the landscape becomes the backdrop, reminding the visitor that “heaven is on earth.” When weather requires it, a screen made of retractable and rotating wood shutters, slide along a steel track (mounted top and bottom) providing protection from the sun and rain.
The walls are canted in plan and section. The resultant plan geometry creates a variety of sizes for the side altars, each illuminated by indirect light from above. Light bounces off the two sets of canted walls (in section) creating a rich range of light qualities for the side altars. The piers are comprised of two wedged shaped walls, which allow a sliver of direct light to slice through the pier assembly and into the church’s central volume. Given the site’s proximity to the equator, this dramatic light source will enter the space from both the north and south facing walls. The altar podium is slightly raised from the church floor and is supported by the crypts below. The crypts face the setting sun to the west and are visible from the main approach. The altar itself is a simple, centrally located wood table. The lectern is integrated with the bell tower to the south of the altar and cross. These three elements together create a triangular composition as viewed by the congregation. The church can accommodate a range of gatherings, from the intimate to the large. The side altars are suitable for one to twelve worshipers. The church proper can support a full congregation, while special holidays and events can be accommodated by the courtyard to the east, or the west facing slope behind the altar.
As the center piece of this building complex, the church is designed to attract visitors from around the province and Honduras. It shares some of the same elements found in the local vernacular churches; wood timber roofs, plaster walls and a bell tower. But instead of creating an enclosed volume, the church’s interior space is open to the landscape. By engaging the site and its many qualities it creates a unique spiritual experience. The tower and church structure are visible from the main road running parallel to the river. The approaching pathway circles around the church and hill. Cars and buses can disembark east of the hill, as visitors can walk up the stairs and gentle ramps towards an upper courtyard. Bounded by the school and conference room, the courtyard space flows into the open end of the church.
The church structure consists of two sets of canted walls, oriented along the E-W axis, and a roof structure made from the local pine trees. Like the local vernacular, the walls are clad in stucco. But their form and orientation are tilted to capture light and direct views. The plane of the exterior entry courtyard gently slopes upwards into the church, focusing views towards the sky. The profile of the cross is silhouetted against the tropical skies when entering the building from the east. Once in the church, the floor levels and then slopes towards the main valley to the west. Consequently, the visitor attention is focused first on the sky, then the horizon before ultimately taking in the entire vista of the dramatic landscape. Instead of a wall enclosing the spaces behind the cross and altar, the landscape becomes the backdrop, reminding the visitor that “heaven is on earth.” When weather requires it, a screen made of retractable and rotating wood shutters, slide along a steel track (mounted top and bottom) providing protection from the sun and rain.
The walls are canted in plan and section. The resultant plan geometry creates a variety of sizes for the side altars, each illuminated by indirect light from above. Light bounces off the two sets of canted walls (in section) creating a rich range of light qualities for the side altars. The piers are comprised of two wedged shaped walls, which allow a sliver of direct light to slice through the pier assembly and into the church’s central volume. Given the site’s proximity to the equator, this dramatic light source will enter the space from both the north and south facing walls. The altar podium is slightly raised from the church floor and is supported by the crypts below. The crypts face the setting sun to the west and are visible from the main approach. The altar itself is a simple, centrally located wood table. The lectern is integrated with the bell tower to the south of the altar and cross. These three elements together create a triangular composition as viewed by the congregation. The church can accommodate a range of gatherings, from the intimate to the large. The side altars are suitable for one to twelve worshipers. The church proper can support a full congregation, while special holidays and events can be accommodated by the courtyard to the east, or the west facing slope behind the altar.
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