San Giacomo Parish Complex
Studio Fuksas. Foligno, Italy
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Name of work in English
San Giacomo Parish Complex
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Name of work in original language
San Giacomo Parish Complex
Prize year
EUmies Awards 2009
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Work Location
Foligno, Italy
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Studio
Studio Fuksas
EUmies Awards 2009 Nominees
Collaborators
Program
Religion
Completion
2008
The building consists of two parallelepipeds inserted one inside the other so as to create three naves. The first, external structure is made of reinforced concrete treated with wax, whereas the second is made of cellular cement and pierced with rays of light from different sources. The lateral naves are crossed vertically by a structure that supports the internal box as well as giving off rays of light that in the poetry of architecture become chains. Therefore light is materialized, both structurally and poetically. The monolithic reinforced concrete exterior of the building counterbalances the weightlessness of the interior, which is outlined in light.
Natural and artificial light are further brought together by the artist Maurizio Nannucci's installation, where verses from the Bible are written in thin neon lightning. The church is entered across a bridge and walkway in order to avoid the use of stairs and to underline the role of the churchyard. The actual entrance consists of a vertical cut on one side of the external parallelepiped, which creates a symbolic split, a point of contact with the interior.