Spansko Parish, Zagreb
Croatia had until 1991 been under a socialist regime which was reluctant to build religious facilities. By contrast, in the past 15 years we have experienced a boom in building developments for the Church (predominantly Roman Catholic). This has provided the opportunity to rethink, among other issues, the iconography offered by the predominant typology (basilica with tower). Any such attempt is predictably met with resistance given the conservative nature of the institution with a legacy of over 2 millennia.
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The new Parish was to consist of the church and a hostel with additional amenities. It is situated between a pedestrian path along the main axis of the neighbourhood on the one side, and a major road with heavy traffic on the other. The road with multiple lanes, flanked by predominantly commercial facilities of substantial scale, causes a major asymmetry of pace between the pedestrian experience and that of a car ride.
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We created an introvert microcosm to facilitate a necessary buffer between the profane and the sacred. As a substitute for the tower - which would be overshadowed by the neighbouring buildings and therefore simply absurd – we proposed a giant canopy. The canopy was intended as a sign, an umbrella for the community gathering. It was to be a ‘horizontal vertical’.
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