Ecumenical monastery in South Karelia

• Main Author: González Torices, Luis Guillermo
• Other Authors: Taiteiden ja suunnittelun korkeakoulu, School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Arkkitehtuurin laitos, Huttunen, Hannu, Aalto-yliopisto, Aalto University
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: monastery; South Karelia; diploma; church; concrete; hill; Taipalsaari; monks; ecumenical; karelia*
• Online Access: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/100573

The project is located in an island at the southern part of the lake Saimaa that belongs municipality of Taipalsaari. Geographically, the site project is in a religious heritage area, as most of the monasteries in Finland are located in the western part of Finland. The closer it gets to the Russian border, the more enigmatic and representative is the monastery. The complex belongs to the Ecumenical Order, which pretends to merge all the religions derived from the Christianity, Because of the location of the project, the monastery will not be auto sustainable, and therefore it will not have any infrastructure for food production or farming work. However, the complex counts with workshops where monks and nuns can produce handcrafts and spaces for health care. Site cast concrete, has been used as a main material for the monastery's exterior; at the interior, walls and ceiling stand out with brighter and polished concrete in order to bring brightness and clarity to the spaces. Wood and Stone give texture and colour to the floor and interior walls respectively. The site, materials and formal language, has been chosen and designed to evoke serenity and strength to a sacred building which pretends to become gradually a stone in the forest.