#PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS
urban office architecture's new jersey church is formed with concrete and glass
located in englewood, new jersey, this church completed by new york-based firm urban office architecture symbolizes the relationship between man and nature.
led by architect carlo enzo, the scheme serves as peaceful space of worship, by constantly connecting with its natural surroundings through the use of glass surfaces and the landscape areas throughout.
the church instills a contemporary expression – unlike typical designs of spaces of worship – highlighted by the heavy use of concrete and glass which are the main materials utilized to sculpt the geometric structure. a dark timber paneling wraps the only curving form of the building, which protrudes from the front façade. altogether, the building conveys an orbiting presence and a cyclical movement that has been created to ‘bring the experience of a higher being as a subjective decision yet an inevitable one.’
at human scale, the bell tired rises as the tallest form; accessed through a bifurcated bridge through to a discrete and concealed opening. in the space below, the place of prayer is distinctive due to its use of reflection and transparency; a glass envelope as the metaphor of human frailty supported by the structural strength of the cross of christ. the large floating structure supports the glass, while inviting morning light reflected from the floor. above, ‘the chapel of the sky’ gives a heavenly dimension of thought and its connection with the horizon.
‘symbolically the church expresses the idea that in his infinite desire man turns his gaze to the creator as the bond of relentless freedom.’ explains carlo enzo, principal designer of urban office architecture. ‘as the stars would move one’s perception of the firmament about, the eyes of the worshiper is presented the divine image of christ to move the viewer’s gaze up, as a symbol of a life in the presence of a quotidian verticality.’
