The 50 year old Retamar School needed to replace their old chapel to increase its sitting capacity and to provide an additional auditorium for 450 audiences.
Our design aims for integration with the existing brick buildings while, at the same time, maintaining its own unique character for the school, highlighted on the exterior by a prominent roof, finished in green zinc.
This new church is designed inside out: The inside space of the oratory, which is the most important element of the project, giving it both its character and “soul”. We were looking for a building, being able to serve a variety of activities. With the large volume of space, the big challenge has been to create a large communal space where each individual has the ability to withdraw into ones inner space to communicate with God.
This was achieved within the larger volume by the use of natural light, an asymmetry in the overall composition and by the selection of materials.
The nave and ceiling are clad in bamboo panels and slats in order to achieve a harmonious transition between the curving roof and the side panels, detailed to allow for acoustic absorption between its slats. In the inside shell of the presbytery the bamboo is replaced by titan with a golden flair with extremely thin layers, which are assembled in a fish scale pattern, while the golden granite is replaced by green granite around the altar to mark the significance and importance of this area.
With the exception of the altar and altarpiece our scope of work extended to cover the lighting of the oratory, all the wooden benches, the inverted granite pyramid for the holy water, the stained glass choir window and the three huge stained glass entrance windows (complete with Latin, Greek and Aramaic texts and abstract drawings in blue tones) which combined create a vivid contrast to the warm colour of the wooden interior.
Moving through the entrance hall, an intermediate space between the new and the old building is opened up with a concrete staircase inserted beneath a large skylight. This acts as a second entrance space leading visitor to the auditorium. On the same floor are three more multipurpose classrooms, rest rooms and technical rooms.
The interior of the auditorium is formalized by contrasting two very different materials - galvanized expanded metal mesh and bamboo panels. The asymmetrically designed screen of the cinema is covered by bamboo sliding panels.
From the outside, a concrete staircase is acting as an amphitheatre. Next to the auditorium, the huge cantilever of the oratory choir gives shelter to the outside scenery, where the school has an additional possibility to perform summer theatre and other festivities.
This interplay between the two main spaces is expressed on the exterior by the dialog between the brick and the zinc reflecting solidity and movement, earth and heaven…
Credits
Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
Colegio Retamar
09/2014
2.195 mq
Hermoso & Heimannsfeld arquitectos S.L.P.
Enrique Hermoso Lera, Karin Heimannsfeld, Mariuca López & David García
Construcciones Ruesma S.A.
Technical Architect: Leandro Núñez; Structural Engineer: Cristóbal Medina; Services Engineer: OFINCO Ingenieros Consultores; Quantity Surveyor: Gabriel Gómez de la Torre; Acoustic Consultant: Vicente Mestre; Religious Advisor: Álvaro González; Lighting ad
Zinc & Titan cladding: Quinta Metálica; Timber cladding: Grupo Gubia; Sacred Art: Talleres de Arte Granda; Acoustic pavement: Gerflor; Stone Cladding: Arte en Mármoles y Granitos; Aluminium and Structural Glazing facades: Schüco; Stained Glass: Cristalerí
Jesús Granada, Javier Orive
Curriculum
Enrique Hermoso and Karin Heimannsfeld have been working together since 1989.
In 2004 they founded Hermoso & Heimannsfeld Arquitectos S.L., an architectural firm geared to achieve high quality and technical products.
Their work is focused on developments for public office, especially cultural buildings and sports complexes where their great skills are demonstrated. The buildings are generally marked by their representative character and functional complexity.
They have also built and designed other unique works such as religious buildings, housing and restaurants or rehabilitation work for private clients seeking a more sophisticated product or simply higher value and worked as well for the Comunidad de Madrid, the German and the Canadian Embassy in Madrid.
Apart from a teaching experience of more than 20 years they have travelled worldwide to keep in permanent touch with the pulse of time and latest architectonical achievements.