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Where Rwandan soil rises to meet the sky, divine light bridges the gap between heaven and earth and all come together as one.
The chapel of the Crossing marks the meeting of God and mortal. Tutsi and Hutu; local and travel; all gathering together to celebrate the glory of the divine.
Chapel of the Crossing
Client
YAC
Status
Complete - Competiton
Location
Rukomo, Rwanda
Where Rwandan soil rises to meet the sky, divine light bridges the gap between heaven and earth and all come together as one.
The chapel of the Crossing marks the meeting of God and mortal. Tutsi and Hutu; local and travel; all gathering together to celebrate the glory of the divine. On approach of the Cloister the path abruptly splits: a symbolic reference to Rwanda’s past. Progressing along the meandering paths the Chapel appears to rise up out of the earth: as if the mountain itself was reaching up to the heavens. Only in crossing the parvis threshold do the paths combine: people of all walks of life filtering in through staggered vaults to meet and greet one another before continuing their journey toward spiritual revelation. Stepping out through the central atrium the simple glory of the Chapel is revealed: under the crown of the dome an oval light well emits a startling shaft of light outlining the symbolic cross; tracing a vivid path across the nave as the day progresses.
The linear vault tiles draw the eye beyond the light, and down to rest at the altar opposite: the Chapel’s structure giving prominence to the chapel centrepiece from all areas and angles. Views out to the dramatic Rwandan countryside frame the altar and adjacent ambo and celebrant’s area – lined by repetitious timber posts reminiscent of the pine forest of the accent. Behind stepped seating forms over the parvis vaults: a semi-exterior extension of the Chapel’s pews that can be used when enticing weather draws larger crowds. An intrepid pilgrim may discover the concealed view of the full Chapel axis framed by converging vaults, or the precise time of year that the shaft of light forms a perfect cruciform at the Chapel’s symbolic crossing where transept intersects nave.
Converging Forms
CELEBRATING CONNECTIVITY
Rwanadan & Catholic Signifiers
Translation to Form
Intersection of Forms
Extension of Ground
Establishing a Threshold
celebrant
sURROUNDINGS
heaven
hUMANITY
Timbrel Vaults
Built by Rwandans, for Rwandans.
Timbrel (or catalan) vaulting has recently re-emerged as an ecological building technique as it greatly reduces the amount of building material - and thus the cost of constructing large-spanning masonry structures - particularly in countries where labour is cheap and more modern construction materials such as metal framework and reinforced concrete are far from affordable.
Constructed by layering brick tiles over relatively sparse timber framework the vault does not rely on gravity - rather the adhesion of several layers of overlapping tile fixed quickly in place by fast setting mortar. Given the limited framework required, and the fact that the workers can stand safely on the vault itself after a single layer has been set, the vaults can be assembled quickly at low cost. Three to four layers results in a laminated shell almost as strong as reinforced concrete - enabling wide spans and gentle curves. The Maya Somaiya Library recently constructed in India is formed of a single, low-inclined vault spanning 44m - covering 465 square meters of floor space.
Structural Formation & Application
Keeping the library’s span in mind as un upper limit the Chapel vaultspans 33m along the longest axis - 30 on the smaller. Rhino Vault was used to determine the basic shape of the main vault - including assessment of the side and upper openings - to ensure that the form would be buildable. The structural stress assessment (far right) indicated that the regular openings and simple domed form distributes loads evenly to the ground - with no concerning areas of high stress. The parvis vaults incline at a 40° angle along the inner edge to accommodate the 450 rise - 600 platform amphitheatre seating: following a tighter curve over the top, and a steeper decline toward the exterior ground - no challenge to a three layered timbrel vault.
The Northern openings in the main vault are enclosed by simple timber framed ‘shutters’ with woven reed or wicker panels - designed to shut out harsher weather, without needing to completely seal the interior. The tall shutters rotate around the circular posts on copper joints.
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