Relationship of spaces, materials and light. Parroquia del Espíritu Santo by Elisa Valero Ramos
04/02/2024.
[Granada] Spain
metalocus, ADELA BONAS
metalocus, ADELA BONAS
On the outskirts of Granada, about four kilometers from the historic center of the Andalusian city is the Parroquia del Espíritu Santo, designed by the Spanish architect Elisa Valero Ramos.
To address the project, a series of proposals with various structural systems were defined. However, due to the economic limitations of developing it, simplicity was chosen as a solution to reduce problems.
To address the project, a series of proposals with various structural systems were defined. However, due to the economic limitations of developing it, simplicity was chosen as a solution to reduce problems.
Parroquia del Espíritu Santo by Elisa Valero Ramos. Photograph by Fernando Alda.
Parroquia del Espíritu Santo by Elisa Valero Ramos. Photograph by Fernando Alda.
Parroquia del Espíritu Santo by Elisa Valero Ramos. Photograph by Fernando Alda.
Parroquia del Espíritu Santo by Elisa Valero Ramos. Photograph by Fernando Alda.
Parroquia del Espíritu Santo by Elisa Valero Ramos. Photograph by Fernando Alda.
Parroquia del Espíritu Santo by Elisa Valero Ramos. Photograph by Fernando Alda.
Parroquia del Espíritu Santo by Elisa Valero Ramos. Photograph by Fernando Alda.
Parroquia del Espíritu Santo by Elisa Valero Ramos. Photograph by Fernando Alda.
Parroquia del Espíritu Santo by Elisa Valero Ramos. Photograph by Fernando Alda.
Parroquia del Espíritu Santo by Elisa Valero Ramos. Photograph by Fernando Alda.
Site plan. Parroquia del Espíritu Santo by Elisa Valero Ramos.
Floor plan. Parroquia del Espíritu Santo by Elisa Valero Ramos.
Section. Parroquia del Espíritu Santo by Elisa Valero Ramos.
Elevation. Parroquia del Espíritu Santo by Elisa Valero Ramos.
Elisa Valero Ramos seeks to generate an internal order in the project based on the structural system, optimizes the construction techniques used, and, above all, plays with the relationship between spaces, materials, and light, generating an atmosphere that facilitates the creation of emotions between Parish users.
From the main entrance, there is access to a hall that leads to the Parish. Behind the altar, separated by a wall and overcoming the gap with a ramp, is a chapel and various rooms for the center's users, which can be accessed through a secondary entrance located on the opposite side of the main one.
The set generates a special interior perception of the space thanks to the entry of natural light through the sawtooth system of the roof, which with a simple set of glasses achieves, at certain times of the day, a special interior atmosphere.
From the main entrance, there is access to a hall that leads to the Parish. Behind the altar, separated by a wall and overcoming the gap with a ramp, is a chapel and various rooms for the center's users, which can be accessed through a secondary entrance located on the opposite side of the main one.
The set generates a special interior perception of the space thanks to the entry of natural light through the sawtooth system of the roof, which with a simple set of glasses achieves, at certain times of the day, a special interior atmosphere.
Parroquia del Espíritu Santo by Elisa Valero Ramos. Photograph by Fernando Alda.
Project description by Elisa Valero Ramos
Focused on an exquisite execution, she has worked on this project for 14 years to create a magical place for prayer. Located on the outskirts of northern Granada and facing budget constraints, the architect studied various structural systems that were discarded for exceeding the limited budget.
As in every project, in her quest for simplicity in problem-solving, without avoiding the intrinsic complexity of architecture, Elisa achieves an internal order. This comes not only from the system or construction techniques, but also from the established relationship between the space dimensions, the materials, and their way of interacting with light and shaping it. It also comes from the sensations that these relationships stimulate in those who inhabit that space.
More information
Architects
Collaborators
Construction management.- Elisa Valero Ramos, architect; Leonardo Tapiz Buzarra, architect; María López Olid, technical architect; Francisco Torres Ramírez, technical architect.
Lighting.- Ignacio Valero Ubierna, architect.
Lighting.- Ignacio Valero Ubierna, architect.
Builder
Construcciones Calderón S.L.
Area
Built.- 1,106.20 m².
Dates
Project Date.- April 2022.
Start and end date of work.- March 2022, August 2023.
Start and end date of work.- March 2022, August 2023.
Location
Calle Joaquina Eguaras, 22, Granada, Spain.
Budget
€ 1,211,692.78.
Manufacturers
Prefabricated concrete.- Prefabricados Lecrín S.A.
Photography
ELISA VALERO. Elisa Valero architecture
Elisa Valero Ramos born in Ciudad Real (Spain) in 1971. She is graduated from the ETSA (Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura) Valladolid in 1996. She completed her PhD at the ETSA Granada in 2000 and won a scholarship from the Real Academia de España in Rome in 2003. She is the author of five monographies, has worked as reviewer and lecturer and was invited by numerous architecture schools in Europe and by the UNAM in Mexico City. She is currently Professor of Architectural Design at the ETSA Granada.
This is how Elisa Valero describes her work: "At a moment in our culture when noise is enormously dense I have chosen an architecture that acts in silence, serenely and without drawing attention to itself. […] I am interested in living space, landscape, sustainability, precision and an economy of expressive resources. I am not interested in styles. I am more interested in books than in magazines, in consistency than in genius, coherency than artistic composition. And I understand originality as the rediscovery of the true meaning of things. I am interested in architecture rooted in the earth and in its own time. I accept the determinants of architecture as the rules of a very serious and enjoyable game and I try to play it in a coherent, rigorous way. While it is no longer stylish to speak of serving, I believe that an architect’s work is a quintessential service intended to make people’s lives more agreeable—a noble calling that seeks to make the world more beautiful and more human and to make society fairer. Architecture is no place for the nostalgic, it is a job for rebels”.
This is how Elisa Valero describes her work: "At a moment in our culture when noise is enormously dense I have chosen an architecture that acts in silence, serenely and without drawing attention to itself. […] I am interested in living space, landscape, sustainability, precision and an economy of expressive resources. I am not interested in styles. I am more interested in books than in magazines, in consistency than in genius, coherency than artistic composition. And I understand originality as the rediscovery of the true meaning of things. I am interested in architecture rooted in the earth and in its own time. I accept the determinants of architecture as the rules of a very serious and enjoyable game and I try to play it in a coherent, rigorous way. While it is no longer stylish to speak of serving, I believe that an architect’s work is a quintessential service intended to make people’s lives more agreeable—a noble calling that seeks to make the world more beautiful and more human and to make society fairer. Architecture is no place for the nostalgic, it is a job for rebels”.
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