PROJECTING CHURCH IN TIRANA Student: Supervisor:
Klaudia Llupo Branko Belacevic
This thesis is initiated by an elaborate research on the history of worship architecture, focusing on the needs of Evangelical churches, which differs from those of the Catholic and Orthodox typology of sacred space. This typology of worship space takes into account not only the ornament that is part of the spatial composition but also the fact that protestant churches are more related to the configuration of conference rooms and gathering areas than the usual sacred typology. The configuration offers hiddenmessages based on concepts of belief. The basic element that was decided for the church was the light, an element which cannot be touched but its presence can| 134
be easily felt during an event. The church will have two basic elements: the space where people gather and the surrounding functions which are transparent, allowing total visibility for everyone who is passing through the space to observe any ongoing activity. This sense of openness and permeability gives an open atmosphere to the space putting the gathering itself in the epicenter. This topic can be an initial step towards understanding the role of architecture in the development of sacred space which functions as a physical bridge between human andthe divine, fulfilling a fundamental human need for the spiritual.