Kengo Kuma and Associates (KKAA) has begun construction on a much-needed cathedral addition that will add a contemporary feel in "harmonious dialogue" with a 12th-century structure set on the edge of the historic Loire Valley in France.
The cathedral is host to several important polychromatic sculptures from the Middle Ages which will be protected by the new intervention.
With preservation in mind, KKAA’s design will transform the western portal of the Cathédrale Saint-Maurice in Angers into an improved entrance that presents the stone relics in an open gallery with sculptural archways and improved wayfinding from the outside into the bifurcated portal.
Viewed from the western entrance, the addition presents an astounding visual symmetry with the 900-year-old rebuilt Gothic cathedral. The grooved rectangular intervention is a few meters removed from the original structure, cast using stonework processes that were selected by the firm for its craftsmanship and remarkably high quality. Five new arches provide a sensation of depth to visitors of the historic church, which was officially named as a national monument in 1862.
Per the architects: “We wanted to put ourselves in the shoes of the builders of the Middle Ages and to create a regulatory framework, using compasses, thus generating the proportions which lead to unity.”
Father-son duo Vincent and Martin Brunelle of Atelier Martin Brunelle provided the heritage advisory for the project. Construction is expected to be completed in 2024.
6 Comments
I like it. I am not astounded. It is not astounding.
I like it a lot. I’m not astounded either.
Correctly realized. May God continue to work through Architecture.
Not so much realized, as proposed, no?
My respect is to Kengo Kuma per the perspective of Town and Concrete.
This is wonderful.
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