Rennes isn’t really known for its contemporary architecture. I lived in Brittany’s capital city for a short 12 months, and while the sprawling Saturday produce markets (Marché des Lices) are surrounded by charming 15th century timber frame apartments that all lean a little precariously; and there are grand and romantic 18th century civil buildings and Gallo-Roman ruins from the 3rd century too, the city’s charm as I know it to be is all cheese and wine, quiet green gardens, and cider and cobblestones.
Recently, however, Rennes’ city centre became home to a Jean Nouvel apartment block. And now, Pritzker Prize-winning Portuguese architect has designed a beautiful, light-filled for Rennes’ outer suburbs.
The church at Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande will be the first church built in Brittany in the 21st-century. From the outside, it’s a chalky-white sculptural turret pitched within an enclave of boxy, 60s-era 5-storey suburban walkups. Made up of a cylindrical entrance atrium flanked by two rectangular volumes, there’s a certain alienness to the structure at a glance—though it has been intended to merge with its residential setting.
Like other great , for Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande, Alvaro has played with volume and natural light to create a sense of serenity and peace from within. The parish’s program is spread over two floors, with administrative and social spaces on the ground floor, and a hall for 120 people on the upper floor. Where the building’s rectangular shapes intersect with the cylindrical congregation hall, Alvaro’s geometry creates a series of nooks, each cleverly lit from above.
Floors are paved in brilliant white , which continues upward onto the walls and forms a textural datum around each room. Rows of timber chairs and a timber crucifix add warmth to the space. And separate to the main building are two great bells, hung between two slabs of the same white concrete.
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