House of the people

Is it possible to turn a church into a place of community not exclusively reserved for sacred contemplation? The church in Vennesla wanted to try.

"It was exciting to design a church that would meet both the ecclesiastical and daily needs of the community.." - Tone Osen, LINK arkitektur

House of God 2.0: a multifunctional church in Vennesla

The new church in Vennesla, southern Norway, aims to be a house of people: it is not only the main venue for church events in the region, it is also used culturally by the nearby school and for club events in Vennesla. The open floor plan of the 1530-m² church building is adapted to suit its multifunctional use.

"It was exciting to design a church that would meet both the ecclesiastical and daily needs of the community. The church will cater to a congregation of all ages and be a key building for the local community", explains Tone Osen, architect at LINK arkitektur. The building has a welcoming feel and is designed to be easily usable by the congregation and staff even during church services.

Specially developed façade tile

The façade of the church had to express the dignified character of the building yet at the same time be durable and easy to maintain. LINK arkitektur spent a great deal of time looking for the right façade tile to fulfil this demand and had numerous samples sent to them. "We wanted the church to be a single, unified form and so chose a light cladding tile for both the roof and the walls", says Tone Osen about the choice of a tile façade.

The unbroken outline of the church required all external corners, edges and transitions between the roof and walls to be seamless and sharply angled. This extraordinary architecture required tiles with unusual profiles to be installed with meticulous precision. Among the many samples, the URBAN tile was chosen. However, even this had to be adapted to the architects' special requirements during the production process. The stringent requirements were taken into account and implemented by Wienerberger.

Changing moods in different lights

The result was a specially developed façade tile with a relief that transforms the façades of the church throughout the seasons and in different light conditions. The special substructure makes it easy to replace individual tiles. This guarantees the greatest sustainability with regard to easy maintenance and ensures long-term recyclability and reusability of the tiles. "The focus was on creating a building that is socially, economically and ecologically sustainable", say the architects.