The Judges Awards

06.5 San Paolo Parish Complex, Italy, by Fuksas Architects

Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas's church is a starkly geometric addition to the Italian city of Foligno. Designed in response to a national competition organised by the Conferenza Episcopale Italiana, this monolithic structure has been hailed as a symbol of rebirth in the city, which was devastated by an earthquake in 1997. Four years in the making, the building is constructed from unrefined concrete, its modernist exterior standing in contrast to the conventional buildings that surround it. A glazed roof and the prism-shaped windows that stud the sides of the building ensure the central atrium is flooded with natural light. Set within this primary structure, a smaller concrete box 'floats' just above the glossy concrete floor, attached by prism-shaped brackets of various dimensions. The 14 Stations of the Cross, by Italian artist Mimmo Paladino, line the church, while the duly monolithic stone furniture comes courtesy of Fuksas Design, as does the lighting and wooden furniture. Enzo Cucchi has produced a minimalist white marble and cement cross for the building's exterior. Adjacent to the main body of the church is a long, low structure containing the sacristy and the pastoral ministry.

Location: Foligno, Umbria
Architect's previous projects: MyZeil, Frankfurt, 2009; Markthäuser Mainz, Germany, 2008; Zénith music hall, Strasbourg, 2008
Interior design: 14 Stations of the Cross by artist Mimmo Paladino; furniture and lightning by Fuksas Design

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