Category

Region

GOD'S PATH

GOD'S PATH

Category
Daylight in buildings - Region 2: Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Students
Jakub Juraszczyk
Maciej Godlewski

School
Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Zawodowa

Country
Poland

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“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”(John 8:12)

ADMISSIONIn our country, Christianity is the dominant religion which currently accounts for 94% of the population. This was not always the case. Before World War II, Poland was much more religiously diversified. It is worth mentioning the Muslim Tatars who reached Poland in the 14th century and the Jews who lived in our country in large numbers before the Holocaust. This is why the facility is located in Łódź, in the Survivors’ Park, in the vicinity of the Dialogue Center named after Mark Edelman. Nowadays, there is a growing number of atheists. Believers are closed to other faiths. It has become the design’s goal to create a place that will allow believers and atheists to experience other religions and cultures.

How is our concept connected with the theme of the competition?Light in architecture has been of great importance for centuries, especially in religious buildings, where it symbolized God. We wanted light to be a guide during the journey that everyone stars upon entering our building. We do not want to confront religions, which is why light has become a connecting factor, not a dividing one.

JOURNEYThe road to God is not easy. Upon entrance, visitors step in to a huge dark space. The light somewhere above will indicate the direction of travel. Visitors will move up on the ramps, visiting three chapels – places of contemplation closely related to a given religion. The order of the tour is not accidental, the design is guided by the dates considered to be the beginning of each religion. The space where the chapels and ramps will be hung will be lit by one skylight from which a beam of light will spread – a symbol of God, which is both the destination and the guide for the journey. The walls of this space have been perforated. The soft light creates an atmosphere and ensures safety without disturbing the role of the main symbolic lighting.The light changes depending on the time of the day and season. The design takes advantage of this feature. It is God who is the connecting factor of the three denominations, so it is the aforementioned beam of light that will penetrate the chapels at different times of the day.

CHAPELSJudaism: Square room plan – a symbol of a man and the foundation of other religions. The space narrows upwards, this is where the skylight is located, bringing light into the interior. There is a Star-of-David-shaped perforation on the wall, which also provides additional lighting.

Christianity: Triangular room plan – the symbol of the Holy Trinity. Entering the chapel, visitors find themselves in the part shrouded in darkness. In the other, bright side, there is a cross-shaped perforation (facing east, as in medieval churches). It was Jesus who died on the cross, who gave us the opportunity to wash our sins and obtain salvation.

Islam: Circular room plan – the symbol of the Eye of the Prophet and a reference to domes in mosques. The walls of this chapel are covered with perforations in the shape of traditional Islamic mosaics. The patterns direct our eyes to the main point – the crescent, which has been located in a way it points to Mecca, a place of pilgrimage for Muslims from all over the world.

DESTINATIONThe purpose of the journey is to realize that monotheistic religions are based on faith in the same God and the pursuit of salvation. People of different faiths are not as different as they might think. Ramps lead us straight to the skylight and allow to climb onto the roof. Visitors find themselves in a cylindrical space, called the “purification room”. It resembles purgatory. Here, for the first time, visitors will be able to look at the sky and choose one of the three crossings. Each crossing, however, leads to the same place (analogous to religion, where the goal is always God) – the green roof, our long longed Eden, where everyone can rest and look to the sky, an infinite source of light.

CONCLUSIONWe believe that the art of presenting a story through architecture requires skill. The problem arises when showing something that cannot be touched or seen, such as the religious aspect of our life. In our project, light has become a tool and allowed to create a space that will stimulate reflection.