Reuse the Lake Chapel | RAMAC - Architecture

This project is designed not only to revitalize the Lake chapel, but also to reunite nature, human beings, and architecture. Three concepts are approached as one, linked by a unique experience, based on a series of emotions and perspectives. 

First, the church has been restored, and its roof has been constructed using white concrete, in order to emphasize the divine lights passing through the church's existing openings.

Then, the center of the church became the center of a piazza where people can circulate, meet themselves, and contemplate the church and nature.

In order to accentuate this centrality, volumes and spaces immerse themselves in the ground and bow the church so it can emerge. One can feel his connection with God without needing to climb to the sky. Besides, the volumes direct people and show them the road to the church as their center is the center of the dome of the church.

Those five­ volumes are not only sheltering the new functions (Exterior Amphitheater, Baptism Chapel, Stairway to Heaven, Pilgrim’s Accommodations, and Dining Room) but represent also the five houses of the rosary.

The church is now a landmark indeed, but it's also seen as the center of the universe that cracked to create a life around it. In order to emphasize this experience, the volumes are linked through a trajectory in which each point benefits from a different perspective, a different view, and a different state of mind. In this way, the person lives infinite unique experiences:

One can become one with dirt,

Be above it and feel transcendence,

Or be under it and meditate.

These three stages link people, nature, and architecture via a rhythm that represents three alternated sequences: the past, the present, and the future. It's an infinite relationship with God.

As for the sustainability of the project, it's guaranteed not only by reusing the church, but also by reusing rainwater in the pond that supplies the baptismal font, the chambers, and the services.

Besides, existing trees are maintained and their shadows are used to shade benches where people can sit and meditate or just contemplate their surroundings. The connection between humans - nature is nevertheless emphasized by the dominance of virgin lands where people can escalate, walk in the dirt, hike, walk their horses, and enjoy many more nature-based activities.