Architects: Roseta Vaz Monteiro Arquitectos: Roseta Vaz Monteiro Arquitectos – Francisco Vaz Monteiro, Filipa Roseta
Year: 2009
Photographs: Joao Morgado
Manufacturers: Geberit, Reggiani, Sika, Technal, Dow Building Solutions, Mediclinics, Saint-Gobain, Abet Laminati, Amkel, BASWA acoustic, Cinca, Hormann, Imperalum, Plaka, Sanindusa, Tarkett, VMZINC, Vicaima
Town: Estoril
Country: Portugal
Boa Nova Church, designed by Roseta Vaz Monteiro Arquitectos in Estoril, Cascais, Portugal, has transformed the area formerly known as the “End of the World” through a community-driven process, resulting in a site that includes a church, community center, primary school, and auditorium. The community sought to establish a new identity, leading to the creation of an iconic church tower. A courtyard connects the site to the city and offers views of a distant valley. The design emphasizes the Void, with a courtyard for gatherings and a nave representing infinite space. The church’s elliptical plan, dome, and deep windows create a sacred space that distances itself from its suburban surroundings.
The site known as the “End of the World” was one of the city’s final slums. The project’s brief was established through a participatory process involving the entire local community to ensure the project’s social and economic sustainability. The final plan included a church, a community center providing jobs and childcare for some former residents, a primary school, and an auditorium.
The local community aimed to create a new identity for the area to overcome its negative stigma. The church’s tower was designed as an iconic reference due to the unremarkable suburban surroundings to the east and south.
A courtyard was designed to the west, connecting to the city’s public spaces and opening to a steep valley with distant seaside views. Today, the area formerly known as the “End of the World” is called Senhora da Boa Nova (Our Lady of the “Good News”).
The design of sacred space revolves around emphasizing the supremacy of the Void. Key conceptual elements included two empty spaces: the courtyard, serving as a community gathering place, and the nave, a sacred space representing the unrepresentable. The intention was for the nave to be introspective, infinite, and irrepresentable. Inspiration was drawn from the works of Bernini, Piranesi, and Rachel Whiteread to achieve this vision.
The church now features an elliptical plan that offers a dynamic sense of scale. An interior dome eliminates the division between walls and ceiling, removing spatial references. Deep windows bring indirect natural light into the nave, isolating it from the suburban surroundings. Curved exterior walls form an anthropomorphic object, enclosing an infinite and irrepresentable void.
Project Gallery
Project Location
Address: Estoril, Cascais, Lisbon District, Portugal
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
