Cor Jesu Oratory

Design Brief & The Site

The Cor Jesu is an oratory for the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu. The Cor Jesu is an oratory for the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu. The project site is a 5,500 plus square meters situated at an exposed vantage point across the campus’s grand lobby. It sits at a corner lot among decades-old mango trees that would later influence the relationship of the interior space and exterior space. This Oratory brings together five different chapels within the 3000-student school campus. Its location near the entrance makes it ideal as a catchment of people and a more suitable venue for hosting institution-wide masses which were previously held in the school’s sports arena.

Cor Jesu is a design collaboration between two of the school’s alumni: Kenneth Cobonpue and Buck Sia of Zubu Design Associates. Purposefully designed to be a symbol of Christian faith, the oratory reflects the progressive Ignatian values and underscores the Jesuit mission for education. The name Cor Jesu was actually derived from the Latin translation of the ‘Heart of Jesus’ where the design behind the oratory was inspired from.

Composed of two buildings, the oratory has a capacity of 360 seats while the smaller auxiliary building houses supplementary spaces such as the office, a recollection area, an indoor and outdoor dining area and restrooms. Both buildings are connected through a bamboo portal. Similar to the effect at the oratory building, the bamboo in the portal dapples the light that sifts through the pathway and ‘prepares’ the user for the solemn space ahead.

Cor Jesu is an amalgamation of poetic symbolisms of Christian spirituality manifested in architectural and design elements. While the actual output tells a story inspired from the liturgical arts, the design process behind the scene will tell you that just like the oratory that unites the different Sacred Heart campuses, this building is a beacon of a successful collaboration of people from different fields.