Rehuse Italy

Concurs d’idees Rehuse the Lake Chapel de San Lorenzo Nuovo. febrer 2022 | amb Javier Esteve Casañ

C O LL AG E P RO PO ST A

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‘LA IDEA DE UN LAGO’ The starting point of the proposal was the chapel’s geometric shape as the fundamental link, as the urban planning of the new San Lorenzo stemmed from the octagon shape of the chapel. Therefore the main component of the new settlement was created as a reproduction of the old one’s heart, as a result of the forced move caused by the epidemics and frequent floods which hit the plain area.

The town’s square allows us to get closer to the lake through the visual opening introduced by one of the main roads that merges into the square, Via Roma. The other main road, Via Umberto I, guides the union between the two churches, making them face each other, all while they rise above the other buildings making obvious the significance these two have over the town.

The proposal aims to emphasize the tie between the church and the town, all while recovering their relationship with the lake. Water has historically conditioned the situation of this territory. Firstly, water plays a main role in the agricultural grid that makes up most of the area with its irrigation canals system and the network of ditches that run down the roads. Secondly, the lake is characterized as the primary tourist attraction and as a focal point for leisure of the inhabitants of the area.

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floor 0 1:200

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section 1 1:200 Establishing the dissolution of the program the idea is to organize the space in a similar way to how the town organizes itself. That is two bodies facing each other as a way to create a frame that compels the visual towards the Chapel, allowing it to take on the main role, but at the same time generating a space for collective use that complements the different fragments of the program.

In line with the idea of allowing the Chapel to stand out, this shared open space is positioned on a lower level, amplifying its role as the main character, and as a reference to the water ditch concept.

The shared space itself appears as an enlargement of a water ditch that serves the road leading to the chapel, followed by traces of water along the walls of the shared space that carry the rain water down to a pond.

In this way, following two of the chapel’s orientations, the proposal lays out two concrete borders that contain the shared exterior space but also act as a base for two foreign bodies. These two bodies are meant to be able to contain an unobstructed and adaptable space for the established program.

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flexible interior

The material of the new bodies is a steel frame, reminiscent of a scaffold, enclosed with polycarbonate screens and windows. The choice of materials aims to deliver the ideas of lightness and transparency but also the concept of a temporary and shifting architecture, in contrast with the Chapel itself and its intervention, characterized with a more heavy and enduring presence.

At first glance these two bodies may seem foreign to the Chapel, but they are not foreign to the area, as this opposition between an old traditional, opaque stone building, and a new steel frame transparent body it’s common in the agriculture world.

The proposal for the chapel’s roof starts with a layer of concrete designed to protect the top of the walls, but ends up gaining enough height to accommodate a new role. This addition, that is meant to be distinguishable of the existing stone walls, is viewed as more than just a way to shelter the chapel’s interior, but also as a way to bring it to the lake through a lookout point accessible by stairs that lead up to a walkway that ends with a sole opening aimed towards the views.

The end result seems more like a system of pathways that grow wider or get narrower, revolving around the Chapel, and are able to support bodies of program, but they still have enough autonomy left to function by themselves in case the need for the program changes through time.

As for the layout of the two bodies it was taken into consideration the overlap of the different kinds of users the program generates. The space manages to adapt to the needs of pilgrims but also host cultural and educational activities that attract another type of travelers, all merging together with locals.

In order to achieve this the interior space is designed as a large unobstructed room with only two permanent elements, on one hand the restrooms and on the other hand the kitchen. Through these two the layout can be shifted to serve different purposes. As a result of their placement a slight transition from a rather collective experience to more intimate feeling is gained.

one shared space

two areas

common space intimate units