— Fontenay Parish Hall

The extension project for the Fontenay Temple, aimed at creating a parish hall for around 100 people, is grounded in historical research. The existing complex is organized around two main walls that do not touch and define the spatial framework upon which a sloped roof rests. In the 1964 competition, the winning architects had also proposed a location for a parish hall behind the sacristy, indicating its position in the model with a low wall approximately one meter high. They also envisioned vegetation as a structuring and symbolic element, placing three trees in the rear garden as a symbol of the Trinity.

The new parish hall builds on these foundational ideas. It is positioned in the rear garden and partially embedded into the ground to avoid competing with the temple’s volume. The hall is defined by a long wall extending from the bell tower, forming the enclosure of the new space. A second wall begins on the opposite side of the entrance and extends to the sacristy.

The project introduces a third wall, starting at the new access ramp and ending at the parish hall entrance. At the location where trees were initially proposed in the competition, this wall deforms to follow the geometry of the tree canopy, creating a patio. This patio brings natural light into the hall through large curved glass windows. While a system of skylights illuminates the perimeter of the temple hall, the parish hall receives soft horizontal light filtered through vegetation—creating a spatial contrast between the two primary spaces of the Fontenay parish center.