Chapel in Valleaceron

Designed by Madrid-based architectural studio S.M.A.O., this chapel in Valleaceron that sits atop a hill creatively unifies a variety of landscape elements – the chapel, the dwelling, the hunting pavilion, and the guard’s residence within a single envelope of folding geometries.

The folding concept as the hidden generator that initiates varying emphasis and dialogue on each space and object persists from the project’s most symbolic spaces down to its most private units.

The chapel is slightly oriented off an east-west axis, with an entrance turning point that starts from the residential zone. Because of its unique sense of arrival that encourages a walkthrough experience, the chapel introduces itself as an open-fragmented yet closed-compact sequence of spaces that morphs along with time.

Anchored after the Corbusian “boîte,” its proposed form of a “fold in a box” surfaced a single material that would deem perfect for capturing both the light and shade that its volume demands – golden concrete.

Hence, the entire chapel is indeed made from golden concrete, with an unadorned façade of big glass windows as its sole contrasting element. Simple and straightforward, this allowed an uninterrupted penetration and diffraction of natural light throughout its interiors.

The light then emerges as the second defining material of the project. It was the ideal contrast of mobility, instability, and fragility that attract the starkness and rigidity of golden concrete. Inside, the same minimal approach was followed – simply adorned with an onyx lamp, a cross, and an image on its focal point. No artificial lighting was used in the project, emphasizing a focus on the spatial relationship of the exterior and the interior. Both the exterior and the interior speak the most through silence, further emphasizing the symbolic aspects that surround the project.

A chapel whose function can only be confirmed after repeated glances, it shows how the folded concept of its concrete structure – almost resembling an oversized origami, can be used as an architectural stylistic device that discreetly yet creatively generated varied nooks waiting to be found.