meck architekten wraps sculptural munich church in white ceramic tiles

meck architekten’s design for the parish church seliger pater rupert mayer, located in the poing municipality, north-east of munich, takes a sculptural form, topped with a differentiated roof landscape. created as a new landmark for the community, the building emerges from a solid pedestal of nagelfluh, a conglomerate stone typical of the region, on top of which sits the entire structure, wrapped in a distinctive façade of white ceramic tiles that produces a manifold refraction of light due to its irregular geometry.

all images by michael heinrich and florian holzherr

linking the new northern and the old southern district, meck architekten‘s design forms the beginning of a large green corridor running towards the northwest. the church’s irregular roofscape becomes a crystalline city crown for the poing community, on top of which sits a gilded cross and a rooster that looks to the east. inside, the space is flooded with light through various skylights and three large openings that are created as an analogy to the holy trinity. a special treatment on the wall surfaces, together with diffused scattered natural light create an atmosphere of transcendence.

the multi-purpose space offers different places of worship, both for small and for larger groups of visitors. the differentiation between the white crown – the upper part of the structure – and the stone floor and wall base illustrates the idea of ​​heaven and earth, of transcendence and immanence. benches are grouped in blocks around the ceremonial center of the altar, while all liturgical places and stalls are characterized by the spirit of communion and the ‘choreography’ of different ceremonies.

project info:

name: kirchenzentrum seliger pater rupert mayer

architect: meck architekten

lead architects: andreas meck, axel frühauf

team: wolfgang amann (project leader), martina frieling, tobias jahn (project leader), benjamin nejedly, carlos wilkening, stefan zöls

construction management: rudolf + sohn architects

art: carola heine (madonna), ulrich rückriem with alfred karner (liturgical places), juliane schölß (liturgical equipment), jerry zeniuk (patrocinium)