REUSE THE LAKE CHAPEL SAN GIOVANNI IN VAL DI LAGO (Competition project)

Project description:

The pilgrims' road leads us to the ruined Chapel of San Giovanni in Val di Lago, so can we bring this abandoned place back to life? 

Our solution is based on the bipolarity of the process of regeneration "preserving - developing" and "developing - preserving" in which we used an adhocracy approach to the process of regeneration of the historical environment through the artistic contrast of old and new, as a dualism of detail and background, order and chaos.

The architecture is based on non-visualization and separation of new architecture from the old building. To achieve that, we decided to use frosted glass for the main volume of the chapel, which has a cut cylinder form that is tending upward to dissolve into the sky. Such a composite material will become a faceless texture that will devisualize and dematerialize the superstructure during the day, and at night it will emit a soft glow due to frosted glass and will not only be a place of attraction for pilgrims, but also a transparent screen for events inside. The use of glass expresses a modern interpretation of the new building of local ruins. During the day, the old Italian renaissance architecture “solo”, while the mirror of the new volume makes the visual perception of the old walls sharper and brighter. At night, the abstract background of the "new" space on planar glass becomes the main detail of the architectural ensemble, presenting new scenarios of interaction with space.

The center of the pilgrims itself creates an annular direction of the procession around the church with a pronounced entrance group along the main road. Such a structure is created by a ray direction from the center of the octagonal church along its faces. The internal structure of the building has a clear division into rooms, as well as side galleries for passage, which also serve as a barrier to the intersection of the environment of housing, recreation and church. The main volume of the building is made of wood of local species, and zigzag parasitic elements contrasting with them are made of frosted glass to ensure the unity of the complex. Thus, these volumes create the dynamics of space and direct the viewer's gaze to the main element of this symmetrical composition - the Chapel.

The inner space of the church has a smooth descent to the center of the tower for the passage and listening to concerts. The main idea of ​​the interior design of the chapel is to create the illusion of dissolving in space-time. Thin threads with teardrop-shaped metal and glass pendants hang from the walls and internal support structures of the tower, framing the entire space. Due to the reflection and light transmission of the material of the pendants, the viewer creates a feeling of subtle uncertainty, which isolates the person from the outside world, and allows him to fully focus on his thoughts and feelings.

Thus, the new architecture is standing on the threshold of the visible and invisible, creating space for dissolving in it, combining reality and illusion. In architecture, we move away from the superficial and formal stylization and falsification of old architecture in favor of the contrast of old and new as part of the creation of an overall composition of architecture, design, light and feelings, transforming not only the building, but the environment.

Our project receives special mention for innovative proposals on architecture competition on the reuse of the Lake Chapel

Project title: REUSE THE LAKE CHAPEL SAN GIOVANNI IN VAL DI LAGO (Competition project)

Student name: Alena Kokueva, Silviya Al Ubed

Location: Italia, Viterbo, San Lorenzo Nuovo

Ig account: @art_in_moving, @sel_obed, @anc.atelier

Year: 2022

University: YSTU (Yaroslavl state technical university)