Miami Chapel in Florida by Fernando Romero Enterprise [FR-EE]
Fernando Romero won the 1st. prize, a pleated-textile cloak for holy-demotic figure of the Lady of Guadalupe. Designing of Miami Chapel Catholic community presuppose to realize the identity of multicultural devoted groups and efficiency for implementing it as a delegate chapel.
The Corporation invited to design a Chapel devoted to the Mexican Virgin, Our Lady of Guadalupe. FR-EE chose to merge in other Latin American cultures as well, by representing all 27 Latin American Virgins.
The 27 Virgins placed around Our Lady of Guadalupe’s figure within a crispy framing , creating 27 small sanctuaries, each one containing a monument of the 27 Latin-American Virgins. In a single mime, the extrusion of this floor plan results in an organic, crispy form; resembling the pleats of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s cloak.
The main entrance of Miami Chapel distributes to the main congregation space, ambulatory, confessionals and community service area in the level below.
At the rear, a reserved area contains the sacristy, preparation and changing rooms, offices, small library and working spaces for the priest and personnel.
The iconic shape performs an acoustic filter and dramatizes the ecumenical atmosphere, outlining its identity in the metropolitan area of Miami.
The structure of the Chapel stands out of its context, and twisting towards the corner over the altar.
A skylight at the top filters natural light into the holy space, projecting the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the presbytery, in such a way to “stress the connection with the sky” and “represent the contrast between earth and heaven”.
Project info:
Project Name: Miami Chapel
Project Location: Miami, Florida
Architect: Fernando Romero Enterprise [FR-EE]
Competition: 1st. Prize
Program: Cultural
Area: 3500 SQ.M.
Date: 2012-2013
Collaborators: None
Status: Ongoing
