Oratory and Auditorium at Retamar School

Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain

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Oratory and Auditorium at Retamar School

Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain

Firm

Hermoso & Heimannsfeld arquitectos S.L.P.

Type

Cultural › Religious
Educational › Auditorium

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2014

SIZE

10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft

BUDGET

$1M - 5M

Photos

Jesús Granada (19), Javier Orive - Fotografía de Arquitectura (1)

Our design aims for integration with the existing brick buildings while at the same time maintaining its own unique character for the school, highlighted on the exterior by a prominent roof, finished in green zinc.
This new church is designed inside out: The inside space of the Oratory, which is the most important element of the project, giving it both its character and "soul". The big challenge has been to create a large communal space where each individual has the ability to withdraw into ones inner space to communicate with God.
This was achieved within the larger volume by the use of natural light, an asymmetry in the overall composition and by the selection of materials.
The nave and ceiling are cladded in bamboo panels and slats. In the inside shell of the Presbytery the bamboo is replaced by titan with a golden flair with extremely thin layers, which are assembled in a fish scale pattern, while the golden granite is replace by green granite around the Altar to mark the significance and importance of this area.
Moving through the Entrance Hall, an intermediate space between the new and the old building is opened up with a concrete staircase inserted beneath a large skylight. This acts as a second entrance space leading visitor to the Auditorium. On the same floor are three more multipurpose classrooms, rest rooms and technical rooms.
From the outside, a concrete grandstand is acting as an amphitheatre. Next to the Auditorium, the huge cantilever of the Oratory Choir gives shelter to the outside scenery.
This interplay between the two main spaces is expressed on the exterior by the dialog between the brick and the zinc reflecting solidity and movement, earth and heaven...