Architect:
Richard Meier and Partners - New York
This church was conceived as a new center for an isolated housing quarter outside central Rome. The triangular site is thrice articulated: dividing the sacred realm to the south from the secular precinct to the north; separating the approach on foot from the housing to the east; and separating the approach on foot from the parking lot to the west. The paved sagrato to the east of the church extends into the heart of the housing complex and provides a plaza for public assembly. Christian symbolism is revealed throughout the complex. The three concrete shells that, with the spine-wall, make the body of the nave imply the Holy Trinity. The pool reflects the role of water in Baptism. The materials in the portico allude to the body of Christ's church while referencing the fabric of the adjacent residential area. "A building with beauty from every side," noted the jury, and "a true focus for the neighborhood. The church reveals spectacular daylight-dappled, dynamic, kinetic, openness in spirit, yet a containment of the eye. The quality of the light is breathtaking."
[tekst www.aia.org - foto's Andrea Jemolo, Scott Frances]
