This modern chapel recently won the Special Jury Prize during “Lauriers de la Construction Bois”, awarded at the European Wood Fair in Grenoble. The architect is responsible for Arbresles, a complex of residences and studios, which was built in 2001 in the same location: he took up the challenge of creating a harmonious structure within its natural surroundings. It is a symbolic reflection of the cloth tent, which up to then had been used for the large ceremonies of the Protestant Community of the Deaconesses. The architectural design departed from a certain amount of respect for the local topography and a limited budget. Result: solid simplicity in its shapes and materials, a combination of wood and glass. Looking tall, the new building comprises a place of worship; it entails an organic aspect because of the interconnected wooden beams (each beam was separately arched in a steam bath) and the glass enclosure with triangular peaks, heightened with a roof also made of wooden beams.  A kind of monastery corridor provides the transit between the two. The glass cladding enables the building to breathe inside, while it protects the whole and gives it a balanced and light impression. This way we can relieve the structure as much as possible, extend the span, and decrease the number of steel girders. Light plays everywhere, thanks to the transparent glass or the light filtered through the wooden nave.
In the quest for a natural building with a definite Protestant character, the architect has done the utmost concerning the resistance of the materials. For instance, he uses the curves in the wood as protection against the summer sun. The micro-perforated glass vault provides a good circulation of air.  Out of respect for the environment, Marc Rolinet wanted to realise a bio climatological building regarding design, materials, the optimal use of natural light, and the natural circulation of air.  Thanks to the light structure, a transparent glass unit emerges from the natural scope, where the material resembles an inverted wooden ship. Moreover, the building has the advantage of high quality acoustics, on the one hand, they are a buffer against the intrusive noise of the neighbouring station, and on the other hand, they provide optimal sound quality in the chapel. Thanks to the natural materials and the bio climatological effect of the building, this realisation is part of an HQE development. The slightly rising, triangular shape of the roof provides the chapel with an original look and it reinforces the pure character of the lines.


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