Sunset Chapel, Acapulco, Mexico. BNKR Arquitecture.

Sunset Chapel designed by BNKR Arquitecture is a beautiful project located in Acapulco, Mexico. The architects had to design a wedding chapel where many couples will celebrate their first day of marriage.

This 120m2 building had to meet two objectives. First, the chapel had to take full advantage of the spectacular views. Second, the sun had to set exactly behind the altar cross.

Two elements obstructed the principal views: large trees and abundant vegetation, and a behemoth of a boulder blocking the main sight of the sunset. In order to clear these obstructions, the level of the chapel had to be raised at least five meters. Since only exotic and picturesque vegetation surrounds this virgin oasis, BNKR architect strived to make the least possible impact on the site reducing the footprint of the building to nearly half the floor area of the upper level.

Raised high above the surrounding vegetation, the stark concrete of BNKR Arquitecture’s memorial Sunset Chapel mimetically embodies the strength and solidity of the massive stones. The main window of the chapel looks towards the port city of Acapulco.

Regular apertures Vertical strips in the open exposed concrete of the walls of the chapel allow shards of light to enter the sacred space, evoking the beauty of heavenly light and transforming the planes of the walls and concrete pews of the interior with gleaming alternations of radiance and darkness. This quality is constantly changing throughout the day and at sunset the chapel becomes burnished and luminous in the fading light - a luminous and breathing form.

The Sunset Chapel’s emphasis on light symbolically points to the splendor of the transition from day to night, and the changing of the seasons turning of the year. The barely-there walls also mean that the building is open to the beauty of the untouched natural surroundings.

'Recomenzar' - A Journey to Sunset Chapel

María Hormigo

Sunset Chapel designed by BNKR Arquitecture is a beautiful 120 m2 project. It is located in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico. The architects had a special job this time, they had to design a wedding chapel where many couples will celebrate their first day of married couple.

This building had to meet two objectives. First, the chapel had to take full advantage of the spectacular views. Second, the sun had to set exactly behind the altar cross.

Two elements obstructed the principal views: large trees and abundant vegetation, and a behemoth of a boulder blocking the main sight of the sunset. In order to clear these obstructions, the level of the chapel had to be raised at least five meters. Since only exotic and picturesque vegetation surrounds this virgin oasis, BNKR architect strived to make the least possible impact on the site reducing the footprint of the building to nearly half the floor area of the upper level.

Raised high above the surrounding vegetation, the stark concrete of BNKR Arquitecture’s memorial Sunset Chapel mimetically embodies the strength and solidity of the massive stones. The main window of the chapel looks towards the port city of Acapulco.

Regular apertures in the open concrete of the walls of the chapel allow shards of light to enter the sacred space, evoking the beauty of heavenly light and transforming the planes of the walls and concrete pews of the interior with gleaming alternations of radiance and darkness. This quality is constantly changing throughout the day and at sunset the chapel becomes burnished and luminous in the fading light.

The Sunset Chapel’s emphasis on light symbolically points to the splendor of the transition from day to night, and the turning of the year. The barely-there walls also mean that the building is open to the beauty of the untouched natural surroundings.

Rehabilitation of Lavapiés Pious School to provide Library and Classrooms

In the year 1763 the Shrine of Our Lady of the Pillar was built by the architect Gabriel Escribano. Over two hundred years later the architect José Ignacio Linazasoro, thanks to a competition, gives life back to the 'Pious School' and its surroundings environment.

After a long process (1996-2004), each part of the programme has its own zone in the building:

• The library is situated in the church as it represents the peace and silence of this space.
• The building adjacent represents is converted into the school building.

It is a project that reaches workss on different scales ranging from urban design to furniture design.

The central space of the church is the library and is emphasized enhanced with the use of hanging lighting which creates a feeling of ritual space.  Each piece of wooden furniture in the library is a piece of the building.

Vertical communications classrooms are provided by the staircases, which is the most significant element. One of the main centers of this building is this piece because it organizes the different spaces. The library and school are arranged around this element which leads you up to an ¿open sky?.

 

Asunción Navarro Margallo

Year 1763, Pilar's Hermitage is built by the architect Gabriel Escribano. Will be 233 years after that, when the architect José Ignacio Linazasoro, thanks to a idea competition, gives life back to the "escuelas pías" environment.

After a long process (1996-2004), each programme has its own zone in the building:
- The library is the church because represents the peace and silence of this space.
- The building adjacent represents the college building.
It will be a project that reaches different scales ranging from urban design to furniture design.

The central space of the church is the library and is emphasized with the use of hanging lights which create a ritual space.  Each wooden furniture in the library is a piece of the building.

Vertical communications classrooms are provided by the staircases, which is the most significant element. One of the main centers of this building is this piece because it organizes the different spaces.

Seattle Public Library (OMA) _ Sara Ortiz Cortijo

The Seattle Public Library was designed by OMA and it was opened in 2004. It is an example of the new typology of libraries that have been designed in the last years. This typology is called "Library 2.0" and it came up from the need of the reinvention of the traditional libraries to adapt to the new technology era. Library 2.0 is no longer exclusively dedicated to books, it is an access point to information presented in a variety of media, all of them equally important.

From the outside, the building has an irregular profile. This is because in this proposal the "form" follows the "function" and not the opposite. We can recognise 5 platforms in which the building is divided. The vertical layering starts with the parking area in the base, the staff rooms, the digital media area, the books display area in the middle layers and the managing area above. Between them there are flexible spaces ¿? interfaces that create new programmatic opportunities. These spaces connect the platforms standing out among them are the living room, which has its own entrance from the street providing a public space for the city, and the mixing chamber, a space where the users can find all the media to search for information about the topic they are interesting in.

One of the most interesting features of the library is the "spiral of books". This spiral rises 4 levels and it is formed by a system of zigzag ramps that communicate the different themed collections.

Structurally, there are two systems that work together: perimeter trusses supported by inclined columns and a grid lattice of diamond-shaped steel that supports the glass covering curtain-wall construction of the facade which provides an interior flooded in natural light enables natural light to in the interior. 

Sara O.
 

The Seattle Public Library was designed by OMA and it was opened in 2004. It is an example of the new typology of libraries that are been designed in the last years. This typology is called "Library 2.0" and it came up from the need of the reinvention of the traditional libraries to adapt to the new technology era. Library 2.0 is no longer exclusively dedicated to books, it is an access point to information presented in a variety of media, all of them equally important.

From the outside, the building has an irregular profile. This is because in this proposal the "form" follows the "function" and not the opposite. We can recognise 5 platforms in which the building is divided: the parking area, the staff rooms, the digital media area, the books display area and the managing area. Between them there are flexible spaces that connect the platforms standing out among them: the living room, which has its own entrance from the street providing a public space for the city, and the mixing chamber, a space where the users can find all the media to search for information about the topic they are interesting in.

One of the most interesting features of the library is the "spiral of books". This spiral rises 4 levels and it is formed by a system of zigzag ramps that communicate the different themed collections.

Structurally, there are two systems that work together: perimeter trusses supported by inclined columns and a grid of diamond-shaped steel that supports the glass covering curtain construction of the facade which enables natural light in the interior.