St. Antonio Church
Igreja de St. António e Centro Social de S. Bartolomeu.
Buildings should be simple and warm.
Seen from the outside, the building appears as an elementary volume formed by its white surfaces. The main space is defined by the spatial continuity that takes us from the street and swifts us to the quartz stone, left naked.
First the entrance portico. Next the courtyard, with two ramps on both sides and the community centre sidewings. In the end, the church itself - unexpectedly transparent due to its glass walls
Another patio creates a stage setting for the church room, composed by the existing stone, air, zenithal lights, water and plants. An exterior space open to contemplation.
The church’s assembly room is almost a square plan. The altar is also a square table. These static and centered forms allow us to feel, although being presided, that this celebration is performed by a group of willing people.
The extreme simplicity of the space, the architectural form and all the objects design, create a sense of “freedom” where the main characters are the people and the events.
Architecture must stage the minimum in the most intense way.
João Luís Carrilho da Graça
