Hatlehol Church, Hatlehol, Norway

Winning church design to bring congregation closer to nature

Young Danish architects firm Cornelius + Vöge has won an international competition for the design of a new church in Norway. The practise was among 123 competing for the design.

The church is placed in the town of Hatlehol in Aalesund near the west coast of Norway. It will be situated in a beautiful landscape of fjords and mountains which helped to form the theme of the design where nature plays an important role. The church is shaped as abstractions of the rocks and mountains in the landscape, integrated skylights creating cave like appearances. A bell tower rises to form an impressive landmark. The building retains the topography of its foundation land, moulding atop the ground to further integrate with the landscape.

Rocks are integrated within the building as baptistery. And rain water is being collected in smaller ponds around the building blocks and lead through the natural terrain to an existing stream.

Funding for the church and community facilities in Hatlehol has been collected for more than 40 years and finally the project is close to realisation.
source: www.worldarchitecturenews.com
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