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Richard Meier’s Rome church is one event originally planned to mark the celebrations of t he Jubilee of AD 2000. This was initiated by the Pope in 1994 when he called for a Special Consistory Consistory t o prepare for the Great Jubilee at the starting point of t he third millennium involving the Catholic wor ld as a whole. Meier’s project is the 50th church t o be inaugurated in t he Vatican’s Millennium Project. Each Each church has a community community centr e and they are are built in various parish distr icts throughout Rome. The Jubilee Church commi ssion was the result of an internatio nal competition, and the Vatican’s short list included Meier, Gehry, Behnisch, Calatrava, Eisenman and Ando. The award of the project to Meier was controversial from the outset, in that Meier as aJew would be wor king with t he foremost Catholic client – t he Vatican itself. However, However, the relatio nship and the resultant complex are a triumph of thi s collaboration, and
entirely successful in archit ecture of outstanding optimism. The church, named Dio Padre Misericordioso (God our Merciful Father) by Pope John Paul II, was consecrat ed and inaugurated inaug urated on 26 O ctober 2003 by Cardinal Camillo Ruini in a four-hour service of celebration, music and ritual. This was attended by a huge congregation both wit hin the church itself and externally on the church piazza. The church is in an ordinary 1970s 10-storey housing quarter at Tor Tre Teste, a suburb suburb at some distance from the centr e of the city. Taken together, church and community centre for m a spectacular spectacular new focus in an otherw ise low-key suburban environment, and define both a religious preci nct and a heartening sense of place. Meier has said said that ‘… expr ession of aspirati on, hope and belief, as well as openness and transparency are all aspects of
IN STRUME TRUMEN N T O F LIGHT Richard Meier’s long awaited church in Rome is a beautifully honed giver giver and receiver of light.
C HURCH , ROME , I TALY
the ideas behind the design of this church’. It is a wonderful gift to t he whole community of more t han 25 000 people. people. The fan-shaped fan-shaped site is appro ache ached d dir ectly from the east across a travertine paved entr ance piazza(sagrato ), ), which extends as a base bas e to t he church on the south and west of the precinct. The entr ance is marked marked by several ext ernal features i ncluding a silver cross, and a campanile with exposed bells – the tower marking out both the church to the south and the community centre to t he nort h. The generous entrance hall, defined by a tr ave avert rt ine screen wall, is partly enclosed within by a raised organ loft. Once in the nave, the main altar is immediatel y visible at the west end. Although unconventional, this position is a logical logical result of t he frontal eastern entrance. Plan-form Pla n-form and section section are extr emely clear. Three circles of equal radius create thr ee concrete shells to the south and together with a thick spine wall to the nor th, the main space of the church nave is contained. In a contrasting, plain L plan ar ound a sunken courtyard, is the community centre, on four levels. The centr centr e is separated separated fr om the main church by a linear top-lit atrium. The plan of t he church is essentially essentially tr aditional with nave nave,, altar, side chapel and confessional booths. Introducti on of the three shells transforms the project and implies the Holy Trinity. Natural light is the major t heme, with skylights between each shell and over t he main space, creating ever changing patterns wit hin. Meier has referr ed to this as ‘… a luminous spatial experience … the rays of sunlight serve as a mystic metaphor of the pr esence of God’. Curving in both plan and in section, section, the three shell wall planesare the real tour de force in the whole project. They are sweepingvertical cantilevers formed w ith panelsof beautiful white concrete wit h a finish so fine that i t r esem esembles bles marble. marble. Meier’s descript ion of t he engineering engineering effort involved in erecting the shells as
1 In a nondescript suburb of Rome, the church isa glowing beacon composed of overlapping, shell-like forms. 2 Main east entrance. The concrete shellsare anchor ed by a spine wall.
crosssection
ground floor plan (scale approx 1:500)
longitudinal section
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meetingroom courtyard communitycentre main (east) entrance campanile nave altar sidechapel confessionals organ loft priest’soffices pastoral residence kitchen bedrooms
second floor
3 The calm, luminousinterior. The limited palette of materials(white
‘Herculean’, underlines the t ask involved in the achievement of t he cantilevers. (They are prefabricated post-tensioned concrete panels.) The thr ee shells, shells, or arcs, form a massive instrument of light – t he most monumental monumental gesture of Meier’s whole repertoire – and embody the sacred space at the heart of the church. In contemplating t he design, Meier has referred to both Le Corbusier at Ronchamp and especially to Aalt o and the Church of t he Three Cr osse osses s in Finland. Finland. Aalto’s church at Riola, near Bologna, came to mind i n visiting the Jubilee Jubilee Church. The interio r space and materiality of the main nave and side-chapel ar e serene and beautifully crafted. The limited r ang ange e of materials – travertine, white concrete and light wood – pr edominatesand there is currentl y an absence absence of any decoration. The white concrete shells contrast with the tr ave avert rt ine and slatted wood o f the spine wall; otherwi se the nave isoccupied only by the simple ranges ranges of woo den pews. The white stucco organ loft with it s silver clusters of pipes, and the sculpted white altar, fo rm counterpoints at the two ends. The altar plinths and furnitur e are all formed in t he same same traverti ne as the nave nave floor . Each element element of t he furnitur e is exemplary, and some items such as the casket for communion wafers (a gold gold box in the side chapel) chapel) are quit e exquisite. The only concession conces sion to tr adition is a nineteenthcentury cro ss above above the main altar. At night, the whole church is a giver of light to the outer world and again the three shells,, and the tr ansparent ends of t he shells church, give a spectacular signal of a sacred entity within the community. The community centre has its main main approach from the eastern church sagrato
C HURCH , ROME , I TALY A RCHITECT RICHARD M EIER
thro ugh the central linear atrium. Secondary Secondary entrances are provided from two courtyards. The basement basement holds the major meeting hall (Sale di Riunione) adjacent adjacent t o t he sunken courtyard. Both courts are intended for staging community events associated with the church. Upper levels include the parish priest’s offices and catechism roo ms. The second floor houses the pastor’s pastor’s r esiden esidence ce and the kitchen. The residence incorporates a splendid living room w ith a r aised ceiling and top li ght, and includesa brick hearth and fireplace. It has fine views of the pari sh: housing and the community at large. The western half of t he site includes discreetly placed parking and a landscaped area, within r ising walled ground, planted with ol ive trees. The whole of t he secular secular precinct and the community centre i s in white stucco, with the north elevation enlivened by balconies. balconies. The minimal natur e of the centre is an appropriate contrast to the exuberance of the main church. Although this is Meier’s first church, the parti o f the plan and section section are unique within his wor k, and the beautiful whit e precastt concr ete walls of t he shells a precas resound ing success in the use of materials and str str ucture. This church is truly part of the twenty-fir st century – a new landmark and place of pilgrimage pilgrimage for the faithful. IVOR RICHARDS Architect Richard Meier & Partners, New York Structural engineers Ove Arup and Partners, It alcementi Mechanical engineers Ove Arup and Partners, Luigi Dell’Aquila Lighting consultants FMRS, Erco Photographs Edmund Sumner/VIEW
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4 Detail of organ loft. 5 Both literally and metaphorically, the church isa giver and receiver of light.
