NPK Neubau Pfarreizentrum
The parish church and the parish centre belong together and form a denominational unit. By positioning the parish centre parallel to the church, this unity becomes visible in terms of urban planning. The cemetery is now respected as a place of tranquillity and the closed façade of the new parish centre provides a uniformly peaceful end to the north. The existing funeral parlour can be inconspicuously integrated into the ensemble by including common building heights. If it is to be renewed in the future, it can easily be integrated into the new building concept for the parish centre as an extension of the western outdoor area.
The architectural concept for the new building of the parish centre is based on the fundamental idea of spatially connecting all important areas with each other and linking them to the outside space in order to give an architectural and atmospheric expression to the idea of communal togetherness.
As a result, all rooms are arranged on a common level and can be flexibly interconnected. This results in open spaces and paths that flow into one another with a strong connection to the outside space. This structure of rooms, paths and green areas i held together by two distinctive roofs, under which the activities and functions are gathered. An elongated, glass ridge turret makes the special significance of the community hall visible to the outside world by day and by night. Two flanking exterior areas in front of the new building provide space for festive activities (extension of the fellowship hall) or for outdoor play and lessons (workroom and youth area). With the division of the building volumes, their proportions, the formal shaping and materialisation of the roof, the new parish centre refers to the identity of its structural surroundings.
The new parish centre in Kriegstetten is an open house that relates to its exterior space and its architectural environment. The existing pathways to the church, the cemetery and the funeral parlour will be integrated into the pathways of the new building, while the previously planned new axes through the cemetery are abandoned. The main access route, which leads into the interior, once again provides a view of St Mauritius Church. There also is a side entrance for visitors as well, who choose to walk along the existing paths of the cemetery after the church service. To the right and left of the entrance visual relationships open up across the outdoor spaces into the greenery. The foyer serves as an internal distributor from which the different functional areas can be separated or connected. To the right is the community hall with kitchen and storage and a classroom, to the left are two further classrooms and ancillary rooms. The floor plan organisation is simple and flexible: towards the cemetery, all ancillary rooms and service rooms are accommodated in the form of a long brace. The classrooms and the hall are oriented towards the entrance and towards the green spaces and outdoor areas.
