The project comprises the rebuilding of a church of an old lumber town on a lagoon in the province of Campeche in Mexico. Wood from the original chapel and other buildings is recycled to erect a modular structure adapted to local timber construction. Respecting the site, the new church and community center define a square for public use, including cultural and educational programs that complement religious activities. The building ensemble uses passive ventilation; rainwater for drinking and irrigation is collected from the roof and outdoor surfaces; polluted water from the lagoon is cleaned.

Read project feature in 4th Holcim Awards 2014/2015 (flip-book)

A team from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) won the “Next Generation” 2nd prize for “Laguna Chapel: Recycled timber church and community center” in Zoh Laguna, Campeche, Mexico. Andres Soliz sees the key characteristics of the project are that it belongs to the site where it is set; and also that is responds to the site’s social and economic needs, and the local climatic conditions.

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The 12 winning projects of the Holcim Awards 2014 for Latin America focus mainly on adaptability and social performance, and show how sustainable construction is developing multi-disciplinary responses to the challenges facing design and building. A public park above a series of reservoirs in Medellín, a low-impact timber rainforest center in Costa Rica and a pedagogically-aligned school in Mexico were awarded gold, silver and bronze.

To explore the role of memory, both in a spiritual and material sense, is at the core of the project – an investigation strongly commended by the jury. Specifically appreciated is the idea to recycle the wood of previous structures on site to build a new house of worship as well as a community center for the region. The design borrows from tradition without copying historically established forms. On the contrary, a new vocabulary is developed, one taking its cues from new methods of construction and assembly, giving due respect to the tectonic sensibility of the local culture.

The project comprises the rebuilding of a church of an old lumber town on a lagoon in the province of Campeche in Mexico. Wood from the original chapel and other buildings is recycled to erect a modular structure adapted to local timber construction. Respecting the site, the new church and community center define a square for public use, including cultural and educational programs that complement religious activities. The building ensemble uses passive ventilation; rainwater for drinking and irrigation is collected from the roof and outdoor surfaces; polluted water from the lagoon is cleaned.