Janvier 2025
Concours
Avec Corentin Devaux et Minh Quang Dang
In the green valleys between the municipalities of Orvinio and Pozzaglia Sabina, the remains of the Benedictine Abbey of S. Maria del Piano are waiting for there resurrection.
The site is today composed by three volumes, the church, the bell tower and the convent.
The convent had a role of creating a whole, as seen in the plan of the ruins in 1911.
A shared space where all the practical functions were located, linking together the church and the bell tower.
Therefore we decided to give back to the convent its important place to restore the identity of the Abbey. At the ground floor, an enclosed communal kitchen and dining area welcomes the visitors.
A vast thermal bath opened to the sky prepares for the meditation. A first floor is created to host a meditation room, only a thin horizontal split creates a subdued natural light and keeps the surroundings silent.
Today the site has no more base. The only traces of a human activity are the stone walls. To create a meditation space, the need to invite the human body was important for us. We offer a base to the Abbey by creating a continuous platform that is the heart of the meditation center. This platform is not only a pedestal for the Abbey but a static space built for the body movement. The new mineral base invites the visitors to touch the stones and feel the materiality of the monument. It is the beginning of a meditative walk. The path makes a loop and starts with a small forecourt at the front of the main facade. The new roof of the convent acts as a porch and invites the visitors. The walk continues around the bell tower becoming the vertical structure of the project. A footbridge brings us to the crossing of the church. The apse and both transept are filed by the abundant vegetation. Stairs in the left transept leads to the nave, here the platform is divided to let the nature continue its dialogue with the ruins and create a calming atmosphere. The nave becomes a space closed by walls but open to the ground and sky.
Stone had the ability to withstand the test of time. So we continued this mineral construction. The convent new facade is made of massive stone blocks shaped as concave arcs to continue the already rich masonry techniques of the Abbey. The continuous base and the new facades are coated using scagliola technique often seen in roman churches. The use of scagliola create a strong red marble effect that contrasts with the beige ang grey existing tones.
This strong materiality, absorbs the atmosphere of the site creating a space that acompanies the walk. These interior landscapes open a way to inner peace.