house for... friars
a contemplative dwelling for franciscan friars
This friary encompasses a distinctive architectural design that integrates the monastic typological language of juxtaposed individual and shared spaces. Characterized by a cellular structure initially designated for individual occupancy, the formal manipulation of the totemic object has led to the creation of interior chambers, where shared religious spaces now exist. The act of carving out these spaces from the pre-existing cellular structure has resulted in a vertical aesthetic on certain facets, diverging from the building’s predominant cellular appearance, and visually signalling collective spaces. Furthermore, deliberate alterations to the cellular grid have facilitated circulation around cell clusters through point-loaded vertical circulation. Ground-level inversions have been implemented to predetermine vertical circulation points and provide building access. Situated atop the Morro do Pai Inácio mountain in a rural desert area of Brazil, the placement of the building has influenced its design, with the mass situated atop a cliff being carved by the cliff outline, seamlessly integrating with the natural landscape. This architectural endeavor amalgamates religious and cellular typologies, resulting in a structurally and functionally encompassing edifice that echoes the unique nature of the Franciscan friars’ mission and lifestyle.
Friar Lawrence starts his day with prayer.
He falls from the bed and smells the fresh air.
He washes his body and brushes his teeth,
then puts on his robe like a darling sheath.
It’s two in the morning for rooster’s sake,
The sunrise is late for the friars awake.
They flow in packs down the rattling stairs,
Onto the chapel for overly conscious affairs.
Prayer and song fill their hearts with joy,
How beautiful it is that their voices fill this tectonic void.
Doctrina may have locked them in place,
But morning bells moved them into breakfast’s buttery embrace.
They moved through the kitchen, fast and efficient,
As to not overshadow God’s great omniscience.
Sit and chat over a plate with grapes,
The refectory shines with the sun light’s glaze.
Onto the chapter house and the cloister,
Work has started, and they all share like brothers.
The garden is lush and the friary clean,
The messages sent, the most efficient machine.
Off they go, to the town to meet,
Sick and elderly, to preach against defeat.
The kids are taught and brought to joy,
Time to go back to the tectonic void.
Lunch is here and so are prayers,
Jesus is King and no human compares.
They take a siesta back in their cells,
Then back to town to fill some empty shells.
“It’s nighttime”, says the moon,
Time for nightly prayers and vespers to make one swoon.
Dinner warm and full of steam,
Cards at the library, though only godly schemes.
Dear god in heaven up above,
Thank you for filling up my day with love.
I lay in bed as time goes by,
This is my nightly prayer, for Jesus Christ, let his holy name shine.
House for Friars is a project with two distinctive programmatic settings: individual and shared spaces. With a celular structure which, in its regular state, would house only the individual ‘cell’ program, the formal operations of the totemic object gave form to interior chambers which carved from the pre-existing cellular structure, where the shared spaces exist. Such shared spaces are religious in nature, although they vary in specificity. These chambers are the chapel, library, chapter house, and refectory, with adjacent kitchen and infirmary.
These spaces, through the process of being carved out from the structure, develop a more vertical language on some faces, contrasting the otherwise celular appearance of the building.
In addition to the programmatic change introduced by the carving of the shared spaces, strategic inversions of the celular grid allow for circulation around clusters of cells via point loaded vertical circulation. On the ground level, another inversion pre-determines vertical circulation points and provides access to the building. The cells from the ground up to the shared spaces are thick walled voids which house either stairs, when possible to provide access, or crypts for the dead friars.
All of these operations are happening within the totem until the occurrence of the site. As the object is placed atop of this mountain in a rural desert area of Brazil, called Morro do Pai Inácio, the part of the mass that is perched atop of a cliff gets carved by the cliff outline, extending the natural feature through the building.
House for Friars is a friary for Franciscan friars, a typology which requires living cells and compact shared spaces, as well as a cloister and garden. Friars live most of the time outside the friary; their life mission is to preach, and therefore, the hours of the day that are not spent in prayer, are focused on spreading the gospel. Because of this, Franciscan friars are not stationary (though there are exceptions) or tied to a particular place, like monks or nuns are. They take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in service to society, and thus are dependent on charitable support. They might remain in a location for a while, but the nature of their mission is moving.
The purpose of the friary, is then, to provide a quiet and secluded place for prayer, rest, and meals, while they perform their mission in a given place. But Much like the tourists who climb Morro do Pai Inácio and leave within a few hours, a given group of friars will eventually leave, maybe after months or years at station, and then another will arrive. The dwellings of House for Friars, then, are not permanent placements, but instead dependable shelter which is gifted to the brotherhood for the use of many missions.
House for Friars ain’t black; it relies on the abstractions of the bricolage to draw a concrete relationship between religious typologies, specifically chapels, and celular typologies, particularly apartments, in order to arrive at its programmatic use. It also relies on abstractions from the form of the totem to arrive at initial formal operations which then snowball into the creation of the structural mass and the chambers. The result of these formal operations is twice ain’t black. The totem ain’t black, but so is the mass removed from within it.
As a result, House for Friars, which is composed of the totem, the totem removed, and the abstractions from the bricolage… ain’t black. Three times.
