rising from a ruin
mexican architecture studio dellekamp schleich, together with colombian studio AGENdA agencia de arquitectura reconstruct a church, dubbed santuario del señor de tula, in jojutla, morelos, mexico. the original church, along with schools, more than 2,600 houses, and much of the town’s infrastructure had been turned to ruin following an earthquake in 2017. the destruction of the church came along with a loss of over five centuries of its architectural heritage.
the project is part of a larger masterplan to reconstruct the town’s infrastructure, and is also in charge of
the‘parque y centro comunitario el higuerón,’a park and community center. the team notes that the masterplan prioritizes the public over the private, and will build new hope amid the chaos.
images © rafael gamo | @rafaelgamo
the brick vaulting of santuario del señor de tula
the project by dellekamp schleich (see more here) and AGENdA agencia de arquitectura (see more here) is defined by its large roof of brick vaulting, supported by a concrete structure poured on site. the structure is resolved from a structural arch on each side that rests only on the corners. this solution allows the passage of air and the entry of comfortable light for ceremonies, thus avoiding the use of mechanical air conditioning systems and excessive energy consumption in artificial lighting.
open to nature and home to all
dellekamp schleich and AGENdA agencia de arquitectura organizes its santuario del señor de tula with a classical cross basilica plan. contrasting its typical plan typology, the church is redefined in section. the staggering of the floor from the atrium towards the altar produces a slow detachment from the outside world, which allows building a relationship of privacy and seclusion without losing contact with the tropical space of the gardens and nature.
in this way, the space takes shape as an open chapel and generates a threshold space between inside and outside. the ambiguous boundaries allow occupation, multiplicity of uses, and above all the certainty of being everyone’s home.
the nave is enclosed by an array of brick barrel vaults
ruins of the original church still occupy the site
monumental arches echo the memory of the heritage building
project info:
project title: santuario del señor de tula
architecture: dellekamp schleich, AGENdA agencia de arquitectura
location: jojutla, morelos, mexico
completion: november 2021
photography: © rafael gamo | @rafaelgamo
clients: infonavit | carlos zedillo, alejandra de la mora, javier garciadiego, carlos farah + fundación hogares | cristina rubio
lead architects: derek dellakamp, jachen schleich, camilo restrepo ochoa
design team at dellekamp/schleich: francisco eduardo franco ramírez, jose manuel estrada, gustavo hernández, elizabeth molina, sana frini, samuele xompero, santiago sitten, mariana víquez
design team at AGENdA agencia de arquitectura: mariana mejía, camilo toro, hellen winter
structural design: oscar trejo, sergio lópez
installations: ubaldo velazquez
landscape: taller de paisaje entorno | hugo sánchez, tonatiuh martínez, paulina zarate
lighting design: lightchitects | carlos hano
acoustic design: xicotencatl ladrón guevara
construction: serafín adame, eloy cruz, francisco lópez, alexis garicoits hernández, david herrera
vault construction: andres flores castañeda
garden construction: josé apolinar ballesteros rodríguez, ricardo antonio ballesteros amaro
carpentry: bernardo pedro cruz lópez
site supervisors: juan carlos martínez, marcelino delgado castrejon
project management: rafael luna, juan fronjosa, ruth cantera
municipal management: roque gonzález
materials: concreto CEMEX, ladrillera mecanizada
a special thanks to: diócesis de cuernavaca, obispo ramón castro, germán arrieta fuentes
