Church in Cologne by Sauerbruch Hutton

The Evangelical Church in the merged Cologne districts of Flittard and Stammheim has decided to demolish the 43-year-old church in Stammheim (the church in Flittard was already demolished in 2009) and build a new place of worship in its place. The design of the new St. Immanuel Church emerged from a competition won in 2009 by Berlin architects Sauerbruch Hutton.
A slightly modified project was presented to the public at the end of January. According to the authors, the core of the entire complex should represent a spacious square planted with trees. The green area will surround the church, chapel, small columbarium, and new bell tower. The bell tower will draw attention from afar. Upon entering from the street, one will ascend a small staircase into a green vestibule, where they will find themselves before the right-angled, eleven-meter-high entrance facade of the church. The lowered facade will lead the faithful into the central space of the church, flanked by a pair of side aisles, thus newly interpreting the classical basilicas. The two lower side sections house the sacristy, social areas, music hall, and kitchen. The central nave measures 17 x 11 x 11 meters. Freely arranged furnishings allow for various configurations. Additional seating will be offered by a gallery located above the entrance area. On both sides of the altar are side aisles, where there is ample space for more visitors or musicians. Behind the altar is a large wall made of colored wooden slats, which forms the back of the church and conceals the organ. Daylight enters the church in two places: rays from the upper skylight fall on the screen behind the altar, and the rest of the church space is illuminated by frosted glazed surfaces above the gallery. Behind the newly planted trees, there will also be a chapel, consisting of a simple space that is entered through a small foyer separating the chapel from the outside world. The back wooden wall of this space will be naturally lit from above. The structure of all three new buildings – the bell tower, church, and chapel – is made of wood, and the outer shell is diagonally clad with wooden boarding. They will gain their unique character through the austere language of forms, their simplicity, and materiality. The surfaces in the interior will remain unrefined, and the wood will simply be waxed.