Stephanuskirche

Figure 1. Stephanuskirche (Wronski)

Alvar Aalto is the Finnish architect who is known for his modernist building features. His architecture style is impacted by the concept, “form follow function”. His early interest in painting inspired him to integrate the cubusim and collage into the design (Craven, 2019). The Church of St. Stephen, called Stephanuskirche, is one of his work located in Wolfsburg, Germany. The church site is between the shopping centre and a park. The space could contain 250 seats and extend to 600 as needed. The construction is completed by 1968 and follows the functionalism of the 1930s. The windowless exterior facede facing to the shopping mall utilizes the white natural stone slabs, which makes the comparsion with the transparent mall. The rest structures and walls are simply white-painted concrete. The high ceiling is covered by the round wooden decoration and the roof is slightly pitched. The altar is at the northern end of the trapezodial plan. The freestanding bell tower supported by the nine concrete columns on the east side (Wronski, 2013).

Floor plan (DETMERODE CHURCH (STEPHANUSKIRCHE) AND PARISH CENTRE):

Elevation (DETMERODE CHURCH (STEPHANUSKIRCHE) AND PARISH CENTRE):

Section (DETMERODE CHURCH (STEPHANUSKIRCHE) AND PARISH CENTRE):

Detail:

The sound reflectors

The round wooden structure hanging on the ceiling is made for the sound reflection, which corresponds to his funtionalism. Wood is the material that Alvar Aalto always used in his furniture design. Wood’s plasticity allows the cup-shape and also warms the space. The natural materials with the designed texture and pattern shows his humanism in the architecture.  

The curved walls

At the corner, the wall looks like a folding paper with the elegant natural curves to animate the interior space. Though the wall is made of the concrete, the designed forms and its twists create the natural shades to weaken the material’s heavy feeling. The contrast between the straight window frames and the curve shapes enhance the softness that Alvar Aalto plans to bring to people.

The natural light

The natural light bringing into the interior is comprehensived designed with the purpose. The glass window is designed at two sides of the end of the church. As the sun light comes through the window into the space, the sunlight would light up the aisles and the seating area, and finally accentuates the curved wall in the back.

The asymmetrical design

Through the floor plan, the asymmetrical design has been a strong feature. The middle aisle and the gate is not in the symmetry of the church. In the plan, it looks like the collage of different forms. However, the mixed use of cubic and polygonal forms is one of the modernist aesthetic to address the function. It reflects the function is more important than the symmetrical spatial arrangement.

Reference

Craven J., 2019, Biography of Alvar Aalto, ThoughtCo, Viewed 30 August 2020, <https://www.thoughtco.com/alvar-aalto-modern-scandinavian-architect-designer -177838>

DETMERODE CHURCH (STEPHANUSKIRCHE) AND PARISH CENTRE, ALVAR AALTO, Viewed 30 August 2020, <https://www.alvaraalto.fi/en/architecture/detmerode-church-and-parish-centre/>

Wronski, L., 2013, AD Classics: Stephanuskirche / Alvar Aalto, archdaily, Viewed 30 August 2020, <https://www.archdaily.com/372492/ad-classics-stephanuskirche-alvar-aalto>