Since the bombing of the Second World War, this prominent site across from Leipzig’s city hall has been empty. The new church now fills the entire triangular site and the clear edge it creates is the prelude to future development of the unused land adjoining it to the west.

The new bell tower, in combination with the city hall tower opposite it, forges a gateway on the six-lane Martin Luther Ring. The church sanctuary, in contrast, is oriented to Wilhelm Leuschner Platz; its tall wall helps frame the outdoor space. The presbytery is in cut into the building massing between these two high points. Although the building makes a monolithic impression, it is open and inviting.

Above the entrances to the presbytery, bridge-like cantilevering building components, which take the form of wall-like beams, span between the two ends of the site. The durable building ­envelope is one component of the complex sustainability concept for a self-sufficient church.