Bruder Klaus Field Chapel, designed by Peter Zumthor

Bruder Klaus Field Chapel designed by Peter Zumthor

Photographed by Samuel Ludwig                                                             



Key Concept
Schwartz and Ford, 2016
‘Materiality, activation of senses, quality of details and the creation of atmosphere within space’;[i] all qualities that Peter Zumthor exemplifies in his built work. The Bruder Klaus Field Chapel, completed in 2007 is located on an agricultural landscape in the rural town of Eifel, Germany. It is a sculpture in the landscape and place of reflection. Located in the middle of a field, the journey starts from afar as you see an irregular five-cornered vertical structure emerge from the ground in the distance, as you approach you are unaware of the ‘complexities of the inner sanctum’[ii]. Greeted by a small triangular opening; giving a hint to the teepee-like structure that is to be revealed within, the visitor is led horizontally into the space which widens and twists to reveal a ‘tear-dropped shaped room’[iii]. This horizontal axis is slowly shifted to the vertical as the ‘projecting ribs’ of the interior form pulls your views upward to the oculus above. Exposed to the air above, the space is primitive and textural; the light highlights the textures of the surface while the exposed nature of the design allows the visitor to be connected to the environment and its elements through the senses. A small recess in the slab below the oculus allows rainwater to pool in the centre of the space until it evaporates, creating a heightened sensory experience. The Chapel is a place for individual experiences and reflection.

                       
       Photographed by Samuel Ludwig

Selected Design Element

Schwartz and Ford, 2016,
The atmosphere of the chapel is a direct relationship to the way it was constructed. Constructed on a concrete slab, a framework of logs - harvested from 112 local trees - were assembled in a teepee-shaped structure with a teardrop opening at the pinnacle which will act as the oculus for the completed form. Concrete, with gravel and reddish-yellow sand from a nearby town, was then laid over twenty-four days by the local farmers, slowing rising from the ground. Each layer is approximately 500mm high, which resulted in a layered nature of the exterior form, reflecting the process of construction, earth’s composition and the surrounding landscape of the layered fields and farmed land. After the layers of concrete where poured a small fire was lit inside the chapel to burn the framework logs over three weeks, leaving behind the impression and lasting mark of the tree trunks on the concrete structure, highlighting the ‘natural materiality of wood and the elemental effects of fire’[iv]. The charcoal reaming on the interior activates the senses and creates an expression that can be touched and smelled.

The model will be of the Chapel as a whole and will adopt the same construction process as used in its actual construction. It will require the use of cameras to reveal the interior quality of the space.  

Construction Process (openhouse, 2013)


Photographed by David Schönen
How is the Key concept reflected in the design studio?
Studying the work of Peter Zumthor through the Bruder Klaus Field Chapel will help me better understand how built form can impact and heighten the intimate sensory experiences that human beings feel through built work.  

I place a high value on creating spaces that link the notion of art with architecture within the projects I am to create. Through the words of Peter Zumthor, “if a work of architecture consists of forms and contents that combine to create a strong fundamental mood powerful enough to affect us, it may possess the qualities of a work of art.”[v] The Field Chapel’s simplicity and form blurs the line between art and architecture through creating a powerful sensory experience celebrated through the manipulation of light as well as the strength in tactile architecture.

It allows me to acknowledge how architecture can use the patterns in the existing landscape and human experience, together with structural techniques to create a holistic response to the environment and situation. The Chapel also helps me consider the way I could incorporate the tectonic aesthetic of the construction process in a design to tell a story in the final design outcome rather than just a being mere form of construction. 
Photographed by David Schönen

Description of the Geometrical shape.

Section (CCA Thesis 2017/2018, 2017)
The Chapel is a monumental form within the sparse landscape; from the exterior it is an irregular five-cornered shape which stands twelve meters out of the ground, made up of twenty-four 500mm high layers of hand poured concrete, creating a similar look to rammed earth. Each side varies in length, from 7.8 meters to 3.2 meters and the smallest side is the edge the visitors enter the building. A 3-meter-tall triangular door acts as the only entrance and hints to what can be expected in the interior form. The interior consists of burnt concrete, which serves as a memory to the 112 framework logs that where formed to create a twisting teepee-like structure which was then burnt anyway to reveal a textural, charcoal, ribbed concrete wall. At the centre of the room light enters through the oculus above; a small teardrop opening 12 meters above the visitor emphasises the scale of the building and creates patterns and movement of light and shadow to dancing on the walls. The organic form of the interior is in direct contrast the rigid exterior form, however the use of concrete throughout unifies the experiences.  
Floor Plan (Schwartz and Ford, 2016,)



[i] Schwartz, C. and Ford, E.R. (2016). Introducing architectural tectonics: exploring the intersection of design and construction. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, pg.358
[ii] Andreas Rossmann. (2008). “Feldkapelle Bei Wachendorf = Field Chapel near Wachendorf,” Detail 48, no. 1–2, 14.
[iii] Schwartz and Ford, 2016, pg.362
[iv] Ibid, pg 369
[v] Zumthor, P. (2006). Thinking architecture. 2nd ed. Basel: Birkhäuser, Cop.
 

Proposed Scale: 1:50

Proposed Material and technique:
  • Timber Dowels: cut to size on the band saw
  • Basswood sheet: The internal plan and oculus will be laser cut to allow timber dowels groves to stand up on when erecting.  
  • Glue: to hold timber dowels together
  • Hydrocal: Used for casting the concrete external form
  • Formwork plywood: To create the 5 cornered external shape for the Hydrocal to be poured between the shape and the teepee timber dowel structure.
  • Steel rods: Inserted into the concrete to add support
  • Foam: Placed inside concrete whilst forming to make the model lighter and cheaper as less Hydrocal will need to be used.


Budget: $83.00
  • Timber Dowels: $26 ($2.60 per 2.4m)
  • Basewood: Leftovers from past projects
  • Laser cutter: $15 for 30mins
  • Glue: $5
  • Hydrocal: $22
  • Formwork plywood: $11
  • Steel rods: $4
  • Foam: Scrap pieces

Time Commitment: 18 hours
1hour - Laser cutting/setting up files
2hours – Planning timber dowel lengths and cutting to size
6hours - Assembling the ‘teepee’ structure
2hours - Creating 5 cornered formwork box  
4hours (24x10mins pours) – Casting
2hours - Burning timber
1hour – Final touches




Bibliography
Phaidon. (2009). Sacred Stories - Bruder Klaus Field Chapel | Architecture | Agenda | Phaidon. [online] Available at: https://au.phaidon.com/agenda/architecture/articles/2015/february/04/sacred-stories-bruder-klaus-field-chapel/ [Accessed 28 Jun. 2019].

Sveiven, M. (2011). Bruder Klaus Field Chapel / Peter Zumthor. [online] ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/106352/bruder-klaus-field-chapel-peter-zumthor [Accessed 27 Jun. 2019].

CCA Thesis 2017/2018. (2017). Case Study 3: Bruder Klaus Field Chapel. Architect: Peter Zumthor. [online] Available at: https://ccathesis2018work.wordpress.com/2017/08/01/case-study-3-bruder-klaus-field-chapel-architect-peter-zumthor/ [Accessed 30 Jun. 2019].

openhouse. (2013). a burnt out box: architecture: bruder klaus field chapel: peter zumthor: mechernich-wachendorf, germany. [online] Available at: https://openhousebcn.wordpress.com/2013/09/09/openhouse-magazine-a-burnt-out-box-architecture-bruder-klaus-field-chapel-peter-zumthor-mechernich-wachendorf-germany/ [Accessed 30 Jun. 2019].

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