Awards:
1969 Alberta Association of Architects - Honour Award
2000 Royal Architectural Institute of Canada - Millennium Celebration
of Architecture
2000 Public Nominations List for Millennium Celebration of Canadian
Architecture
Architect: Douglas Cardinal Architect Ltd.
Client: Roman Catholic Church
Project cost: $300,000
Project size: 13,150 sq. ft.
Photography: Douglas Cardinal
The
whole church complex grows from the main altar. The altar is the
centre of the composition and the most important element in the
church: it symbolizes Christ and is the central element in the celebration
of the mass. The roof is a complex catenary post-tensioned reinforced
concrete shell, constructed with cables and mesh used as the integral
form as well as the reinforcing. It is amorphous in composition,
serving as a canopy over the people and a baldachino over the main
altar. The roof sweeps down over the high wall behind the sanctuary
and low over the main altar, further increasing its dominance. A
skylight bathes the altar with light and conveys to the beholder
that this is the source of life and divine light.
Brick
has been used ingeniously to serve as the formwork for the exterior
walls. Two wythes of brick that taper towards the top were first
laid in five-foot layers, and then reinforcement and concrete were
placed between them. The bricklayers were specifically instructed
to tap the bricks slightly askew to impart a rough-hewn monastic
look to the building. The sculptural forms of the church were a
challenge to the skill and mastery of the bricklayers, as every
brick was carved to shape at the intricate junctions between parapets
and walls. The building demonstrates the fluidity with which brick
can be used as a sculpting tool.
Awards:
The
whole church complex grows from the main altar. The altar is the
centre of the composition and the most important element in the
church: it symbolizes Christ and is the central element in the celebration
of the mass. The roof is a complex catenary post-tensioned reinforced
concrete shell, constructed with cables and mesh used as the integral
form as well as the reinforcing. It is amorphous in composition,
serving as a canopy over the people and a baldachino over the main
altar. The roof sweeps down over the high wall behind the sanctuary
and low over the main altar, further increasing its dominance. A
skylight bathes the altar with light and conveys to the beholder
that this is the source of life and divine light.
Brick
has been used ingeniously to serve as the formwork for the exterior
walls. Two wythes of brick that taper towards the top were first
laid in five-foot layers, and then reinforcement and concrete were
placed between them. The bricklayers were specifically instructed
to tap the bricks slightly askew to impart a rough-hewn monastic
look to the building. The sculptural forms of the church were a
challenge to the skill and mastery of the bricklayers, as every
brick was carved to shape at the intricate junctions between parapets
and walls. The building demonstrates the fluidity with which brick
can be used as a sculpting tool.