M O R S c h a p e l s
"The dead have no existence other than that which the living imagine for them"
Jean-Claude Schmitt
Project : Mortuary Chapels
Author : José Carlos Nunes De Oliveira, Arq.; No Arquitectos, Lda
Collaborators: André Filipe Oliveira, Arq.; Claudia Benítez, Arq. ; Hugo Araújo, Arq.; Juliana Sampaio, Arq.
Localization: Trofa
Area: 370.00 sqm
Budget: Charity Project, Offered By Parishioners
Maybe this state of consciousness left Fr Luciano disappointed with the state of the parish S. Martinho de Bougado’s mortuary chapels. He asked me a rehabilitation of two chapels in the crypt of the church and informed me that they had no money for the work. The lack is a permanence of our days, there is still an non unresolvable issue. The project is a superficial intervention at the level of the interior finishings.
The chapels are located in two marginal rooms of the church, half-buried, without a decent outside reception space, without any identification or any identity. The importance of the characterization of the interior space of the chapels remained neglected according to the importance of the funeral cerimonies. The current state of the spaces is bleak – like caves, almost absent of natural lighting (it's urgent thinking in light!).
I remind the taciturn atmosphere, characterized by the irreconcilable coexistence of rude and hostile finishings, interrupted by mechanical installations over the polar white on the walls and ceilings: doors, baseboard and mouldings made of an unimpressive dark wood in conflict with the brown coloured aluminium doors; A green-dry tile plank; Granite sills and terracotta mosaics on the floor; Pink granite altar and sanded plaster.
As we were aware that was not possible to change all the coatings, due to the financial evidence, we were focused some precise plastic surgeries to mitigate the problem. The intervention seeks to soften the contrasts and reinforce the formal and superficial coherence of the pre-existences:
. The floor and the existing furniture were maintained;
. Walls and ceilings were plastered and dyed a warm grey;
. The plank of tile was concealed with another one in enamelled wood;
. All the carpentries were enamelled of white with range of grey;
. The geometry of the altars was fixed covering with pine boards;
. We designed the lectern, the base of the candle and the pastoral chairs, based on two chairs presidencies of the parochial estate;
. We reconfigured the altar as a massive block of marble Estremoz
. In the rooms, was introduced a perimeter illumination heap, which reconfigures the geometric order;
. Large carpets were introduced in the centre of each space;
. Coffee and beverage space was renewed.
. The rooms were identified and the entrances were pointed out with light and supplementary furniture.
