Thomasgemeinde neuhermstein

Competition

Community, Congregation and Youth Centre

Urban Issues: The new community/congregation building is located at the pivot point of a new suburb and an existing residential neighbourhood. The building reacts to the movement of the adjacent street and creates visual connections to both neighbourhoods. Pedestrian connectivity is created from the public square to the main entrance and more informally through the courtyard. Via its location, the bell-tower of the community hall, creates a visual marker for both communities. The youth centre as an individual building is part of the composition, framing the court to the west. The new community centre presents itself as a plastic sculpture with clear programmatic distinctions.

Design/Concept/Program: The central concept for the church is the idea of play with light, in particular the play of light with indirect light-flooded walls. The light walls move light through the spaces and thus transform the space throughout the day. The heavy light wall is hollow and allows for the storage of furniture to support the different functions of the room. The concrete walls will be layered with coloured dyes to intensify the play of light. A reduction of the materiality creates a homogenous exterior façade supporting the main sculptural idea of the project.