The chapel project was requested following the completion of a housing complex, with the desire to have a quiet place where the community could gather, pray, and turn their attention to God.
The construction consists of two volumes: the access body, which represents a covered space intended for circulation but also for staying, to admire the landscape, being placed at a considerable altitude compared to the rest of the complex and the village of Dragoslavele. And the main volume, enclosed, suspended on a wooden structure, with the two volumes connected by a metal access point.
Read more
The choice of location – at the top of the hill, further away from the other buildings in the complex – supports the main idea of tranquility and isolation. Additionally, the shape of the volume, in plan resembling an egg, creates that intimate space, of medium size (25 sqm), where one feels protected and hidden, for a time, from the rest of the world.
To achieve its purpose, I chose an interior design free of excessive decorative elements that could distract attention. The interior space, narrower at the entrance and more spacious toward the prayer area, invites and helps you to focus on the only centrally placed element – the „light cross” – to meditate on its profound meaning.
Stepping inside, you reach the center of the chapel, where there is a skylight through which natural light enters in the form of rays – a symbol of the encounter with God, of the pouring of His Light over man – a moment that leads to self-examination and the recognition of one’s fallen state and, ultimately, to the awareness of the need for His Cross, found before one’s eyes.
In terms of materials, the interior is divided into two registers: the lower one, clad in wood, and the upper one, finished with plaster. On the exterior, I chose cladding with shingles and plaster.
The structure is made of wooden frames and beams, with metal foundations inserted into the ground.
