The new Protestant Immanuel Church stands in the north-western area of the site in Stammheim, Cologne, surrounded by a stock of old trees. As early as the 1960s, plans had been made to build a church here, but all that was erected was a community centre, which was subsequently demolished.
For cost reasons, the present development was not implemented in reinforced concrete, as foreseen in the competition brief, but in a timber form of construction. The bell tower next to the road forms a conspicuous landmark and is clad, like the church itself and the small prayer chapel, in Siberian larch boarding laid diagonally. A greying glaze finish lends the facades a uniform appearance.
Access to the building is via a low-height foyer beneath a raised gallery. From the foyer, visit-ors then proceed to the nave, experiencing it in its full height of 11 metres. The prefabricated timber panels and columns in the interior were left unclad. Their brushed and white-waxed surfaces allow the grain of the wood to remain visible. The flooring consists of an exposed screed with a shiny finish. In conjunction with the infill panels, the rib-like framework, with 75 x 300 mm columns, forms a rigid load-bearing structure for the roof and walls. By using simple, cost-optimized single-span beams, it was possible to avoid elaborate connections at the rigid junctions between members of the framing.
Behind the altar, the architects have departed from the restrained character of their design with a full-height screen, consisting of 3,800 wooden strips in 27 different colours. The screen is like a curtain suspended in front of the organ. Above the altar is a “window to heaven”, a top light that intensifies the effect of the colours, which become paler towards the top, creating a transcendental aura.
For cost reasons, the present development was not implemented in reinforced concrete, as foreseen in the competition brief, but in a timber form of construction. The bell tower next to the road forms a conspicuous landmark and is clad, like the church itself and the small prayer chapel, in Siberian larch boarding laid diagonally. A greying glaze finish lends the facades a uniform appearance.
Access to the building is via a low-height foyer beneath a raised gallery. From the foyer, visit-ors then proceed to the nave, experiencing it in its full height of 11 metres. The prefabricated timber panels and columns in the interior were left unclad. Their brushed and white-waxed surfaces allow the grain of the wood to remain visible. The flooring consists of an exposed screed with a shiny finish. In conjunction with the infill panels, the rib-like framework, with 75 x 300 mm columns, forms a rigid load-bearing structure for the roof and walls. By using simple, cost-optimized single-span beams, it was possible to avoid elaborate connections at the rigid junctions between members of the framing.
Behind the altar, the architects have departed from the restrained character of their design with a full-height screen, consisting of 3,800 wooden strips in 27 different colours. The screen is like a curtain suspended in front of the organ. Above the altar is a “window to heaven”, a top light that intensifies the effect of the colours, which become paler towards the top, creating a transcendental aura.