Description

The reconstruction and remodelling of the Heilig-Geist-Kirche (Church of the Holy Spirit) in Olpe is a model example of how a change in pastoral direction can bring about an “open church” for a changed society. The post-war modernist ensemble comprised a large church building with an open weekday chapel, a low building with rooms for the parish and pastor and the church tower mediating between the sacred and secular parts. The current form is the product of an invitated competition for eight architectural offices, which had two main objectives: to reduce the church space from 450 to 150 seats and to adapt the parish rooms to diocesan requirements.

Schilling Architects demolished the central part of the building housing the open chapel and parsonage so that the tower now stands apart from the main church building. The resulting open space serves as a passage to the town and is used for community activities. A part of the church has been refunctioned as a spacious foyer while the liturgical space itself is now placed within the reduced volume of the church like a raft separated from the outer walls by a parapet in the form of a bench around its perimeter.

Jury statement: The design makes a virtue out of necessity, perfecting the ensemble of the Heilig-Geist Kirche so that it benefits both the community and the parish while also clarifying its architecture.

Originally published in Bauwelt 36.2016, pp. 22-29, abridged and edited for Building Types online, translated by Julian Reisenberger

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