Bruder Klaus Field Chapel, designed by Peter Zumthor
Bruder Klaus Field Chapel designed by Peter Zumthor
Photographed by Samuel Ludwig
Key Concept
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| 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
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| 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.
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| Construction Process (openhouse, 2013) |
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| 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.
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| Photographed by David Schönen |
Description of the Geometrical shape.
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Section (CCA Thesis 2017/2018, 2017)
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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.
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| 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
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:
- 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:
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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