bruder klaus field chapel by peter zumthor. mechernich, germany.
the design was constructed by local farmers who wanted to honor their patron saint, bruder klaus of the 15th century. the church started as a wigwam made of 112 tree trunks. upon completion of the frame, layers of concrete were poured & rammed atop the existing surface. when the concrete of all 24 layers had set, the wooden frame was set on fire, leaving behind a hollowed blackened cavity & charred walls.
the floor is frozen molten lead.
one's gaze is pulled upwards to the point where the roof is open to the sky & night stars. on sunny days, the oculus resembles the flare of a star that is attributed to a reference of brother klaus's vision in the womb. with no plumbing, bathrooms, running water or electricity along with the charred concrete & lead floors the chapel is a very somber but reflective place to worship.
the architect peter zumthor said, "to me, buildings can have a beautiful silence that i associate with attributes such as composure, self-evidence, presence, and integrity, and with warmth and sensuousness as well; a building that is being itself, being a building, not represented anything. just being."
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