The competition consists on presenting a proposal for the rehabilitation of the facades of the Hispano-American Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Merced in Madrid, conciliating the need for structural strengthening and consolidation with the creation of a contemporary and innovative image, without distorting the character and spirituality of the building.
The concepts of corporeal and incorporeal play a central role in the presented solution, in the way that the corporeal states the human and the incorporeal expresses the divine.
The first concept is built upon earthly materials such as metal or polycarbonate, and the second concept by heavenly materials such as the Sun, the light, the sky and the air.
The incidence of sunlight on a system of translucent polycarbonate tubes, will project patterns on the facades of chameleon shades of blue and white, creating an ambience of light, glare and reflection, which resembles the sky. A heavenly aura that changes throughout the day depending on the intensity and nature of light.
At night the light emerges from the light sources placed along the facade, creating thus a game of light that surrounds the building and an ambience in such a way that it becomes a bright part of the sky dome.
The facade comes to life, conveying a spirit and a soul of its own, inherent to the character of the building itself.