Chapel

• Client: Private
• Location: Aix-en-Provence
• Status: detailed design
• Team: Michel Schranz, Julien Kiefer, Sarah Resch
• Use: chapel, non-denominational
• Years: Inception 2014, completion to be confirmed

This project is a collaboration lead by a sculptor and commissioned by an art collector and wine maker. The brief is to create a contemplative space inside the hills of a large vineyard. This space could be used for meditation, a celebration or worship but it would not be dedicated to a particular religion. It is conceived as an open shelter without mechanical installations except fresh water and electricity.
We are trying to create a space of importance without a significant tectonic impact on the landscape until it's closer approach. A mound made of rammed earth would blend into the vines & its surrounding hills.
Upon entering the courtyard through an access tunnel the space would change and become intimate & contained. In the centre of this open yard a tall sculpture that is visible from far afield now becomes a more abstract mass and abstractly connecting with the space outside and maybe with the sky. The actual space to congregate is underground with pivoting stained glass screens to the front facing the yard.
We tried to achieve spatial unity that retains the sculpture centrepiece permanently as the main focal point - with reduced effect when the screens are closed. The screens, also designed by the sculptor, will then take over the focus and create a dimly lit space of medieval, archaic character.