Still in the process of construction, in the first decade of the 21st century, the Iglesia del Santísimo Redentor de Las Chumberas was visited by Barry Bergdoll, then chief curator of architecture at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He was so impressed by the work that Fernando Menis was building that he decided to include the project in MoMa’s permanent collection. Since then, this small church in the peripheral neighborhood of Las Chumberas in the city of La Laguna, on the island of Tenerife, has not stopped receiving recognition and being published all over the world, from Japan to India through China to Germany, Italy and the United States. Now, a decade after that first recognition from MoMa, the building receives the Honor Award, the highest distinction awarded by the jury of the Faith & Form International Award for Religious Art and Architecture. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) thus recognizes the contribution to society and to the culture of the Church made by the Canarian architect on the outskirts of La Laguna.
The example of a neighborhood where the community matters
The construction of the Church of the Santísimo Redentor, extended, like many social works undertaken by the Catholic Church throughout history, over fifteen years, has overlapped with the transformation process of the neighborhood of Las Chumberas, a polygon of 670 homes from the 70s, organized in 42 blocks to which were added shopping centers and industrial buildings. Supported at all times by the Bishopric of Tenerife, promoter of the project, as well as by the sponsors and the neighbors, Menis raised the Church as a necessary welcoming catalyst for the urban and social changes that were taking place in the neighbourhood. In his vision, the new building had to create a place where there was none, and contribute to giving Las Chumberas a greater identity of its own, establishing itself as a reference space in a previously confused urban fabric. The resulting construction is a Church that includes a parish center and a public square surrounded by greenery, that is, a public meeting place that the neighborhood needed.
It is also an example of collective action since the financing of the works has been carried out through donations from various organizations, many neighbors and some businessmen committed to the neighborhood that saw them born and grow (the most generous donation comes from the businessman Ambrosio Jiménez). The unequal rhythm of remittances is in fact what has determined the constructive logic of the project and its subsequent execution: a complex made up of four independent modules plus their surroundings, which has been delivered in phases. The parish center, housed in two of the four volumes of the complex, was completed in 2008 and has been in use ever since while waiting to raise the necessary funds for the rest of the work, which is now ending.
Why is it rewarded? For his innovation in the use of light, concrete and stone
To understand this building that stands out in its surroundings, it is necessary to understand that it is inspired by the geology of the island and resembles an accident of it, which aims to recall the volcanic nature of Tenerife, with its massive “rocks” between whose fractures they slide. light and air. The large unevenness of the plot is saved by a perimeter ramp that gives access to the square and the second floor of the Church, making it universally accessible while connecting the upper and lower parts of the area. The building appears austere, stripped of superfluous elements, leaving all the prominence to the play of sunlight, which reveals the richness of textures of exposed concrete and inspires the meanings of light required by the theology of the Catholic Church.
That concrete is perhaps Menis’s favorite material is not justified only by its virtues, which the Canarian architect knows how to take advantage of and enhance in an ingenious way, but also because concrete has always been a very common material used in the Canary Islands, which that allows working with companies, artisans and local resources according to the principles of sustainable architecture of Kilometer Zero, which Menis claims in his works. In addition, contrary to what is thought, concrete contributes to the sustainability of construction thanks to its great durability, and its isotropic nature that makes it energy efficient, an attribute that is reinforced by the thermal inertia of the thick solid walls.
Finally, in the Church, as in other works of his such as the CKK Jordanki Culture, Music and Congress Hall, in Torun, Poland, or the Adeje Magma Art and Congress Center in Tenerife itself, Menis experiments with the acoustic potential of the concrete, which is unfairly considered acoustically inferior to other materials such as wood, and which, however, Menis manages to demystify. In the Church, the use of concrete serves both for the diffusion of sound, with the technique of pitting the concrete to distribute the sound smoothly, as well as for sound absorption, when the powerfully absorbent lava rock mixed with said material. In this way, an acoustic is achieved that resembles the usual one in the opera, suitable for speech and song, ideally designed for a building that combines ecclesiastical and social functions.
What does it mean to win the Faith & Form International Religious Art and Architecture Award?
It is one of the longest-running architecture awards. The Faith & Form International Religious Art and Architecture Award has been convened annually since 1978 with the aim of honoring the world’s best in sacred architecture and liturgical art of all religions. Prizes are awarded in five categories: Religious Architecture, Interior/ Liturgical Design, Sacred Landscape, Sacred Art and Unbuilt Project. The Church of the Most Holy Redeemer has won the highest award in the category of Religious Architecture. In the current edition of the award, 92 works from around the world have been presented, of which a total of 16 works have been selected, from various cities in the United States, Japan, China, Thailand and Rwanda, with Fernando Menis being the unique in Spain and Europe. The award ceremony will take place on June 23, 2022, in Chicago, within the framework of the National Convention of the American Institute of Architects.
