© Carlos Berdejo Mandujano
The chapel is characterized by simplicity and openness, allowing natural light and materials to take center stage, evoking a sense of spirituality and otherworldliness without the need for religious images or icons.
感谢 Apaloosa Architecture Studio + Walter Flores Architect 对gooood的分享
If it is aimed at individual users, religious projects often seek an intimate spiritual connection; If it is aimed at community users, its function is focused on celebrations. This shared function entails the creation of a simple, multi-purpose, almost malleable concept, in which the protagonist is the consumer's intention to connect with a higher being, or this connection. The connection between the user and the higher being is often based on the vertical orientation, and the layout of the project achieves these goals.
▲项目概览 © Carlos Berdejo Mandujano
This chapel is an amenity of the Villa Escondida hotel complex, located in a small town called La Garza in Chiapas, an area dominated by agriculture. The religious project seeks to establish a direct connection with users through a 500-metre-long walkway; The choice of this distance for the chapel is intended to be relevant to the experience of this path. "It is within reach, but it cannot be touched", leaving a private space between the user and the higher beings.
▲私密的神圣空间 © Carlos Berdejo Mandujano
The maintenance of these areas requires a great deal of attention, which is why the walls of the chapel are separated from the ground, barely connected to the altar, or even without a tangible canopy, instead of a glass dome that allows natural light to pass through and attenuate until it does not significantly affect the ground, which in turn absorbs this natural light and does not require additional treatment due to its darker hue that is easy to clean.
▲墙壁与地面分离 © Carlos Berdejo Mandujano
Thanks to its privileged location, the building provides a place of rest and shelter for the pilgrimage of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which departs from Villa Coso and travels to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas. Often exhausted by heat stroke, lack of food, and extreme fatigue from long journeys, these pilgrims find respite here under the protection of large trees and chapels.
▲玻璃顶棚 © Carlos Berdejo Mandujano
The versatility of the building allows it to hold not only Catholic Masses but also various religious ceremonies, as it is designed without specific symbols that would make it impossible to associate it with any particular faith. The chapel is characterized by simplicity and openness, allowing natural light and materials to take center stage, evoking a sense of spirituality and otherworldliness without the need for religious images or icons. It is the light and materials that penetrate the walls that give this space a sacred atmosphere, like an immaterial deity that envelops those who seek refuge and contemplation.
Project drawings
▲Floor plan
▲Elevation
202378 m2Location: Kilometer 2.5, La Garza – Villaflores road, Finca La Escondida. Villaflores, Chiapas, mx.Photo: Carlos Berdejo Mandujano