Struck by lightning, perhaps, or whispering prayers, the walls of Sankt Sebastian stand as silent witnesses. This church in Münster, Germany, carries echoes of a past reshaped by bold architectural decisions.
Sankt Sebastian’s story took an intriguing turn in 2009. Bolles+Wilson, a renowned architecture firm, won a competition to redesign the site. The original plan called for demolishing the church’s distinctive oval structure. Instead, a creative solution emerged. The nave of Sankt Sebastian was transformed into a vibrant kindergarten. This adaptive reuse project, completed in 2013, garnered significant attention. It featured interior green play decks, sheltered from the weather.
But the transformation of Sankt Sebastian didn’t stop there. Phase two involved constructing a frame of housing around the kindergarten. This peripheral structure shields the play area from street noise. It also defines the edge of the nearby park. Market forces played a role in the design. Social housing, subsidized by the government, features bright white and pink plaster facades on Hammer Street. Owner-occupied flats boast noble dark brick facades facing the park’s mature trees.
A notable design element is the way the street facade embraces a corner tree with a projecting white sheet. Only kitchen and bathroom windows face the noisy street. Living rooms and balconies are oriented inwards, towards the quiet green space surrounding the kindergarten of Sankt Sebastian.
Unexpected color animates the lift and stair tower. Setback roof apartments add a polychrome touch to the skyline. Large white frames on the park elevation create a grand order and vertical hierarchy. However, the towering trees ultimately command attention. They are the leading actors in this spatial choreography.
The dark bricks reflect the city’s predominant facade material. They also introduce a new color and vertical orientation. While the subsidized housing uses white and colored plaster, the dark brick of the owner-occupied section provides a noble backdrop. This is for the mature trees of the adjacent park of Sankt Sebastian.
Sankt Sebastian stands as a testament to innovative design. It shows how an existing structure can be revitalized. It now serves a new purpose while respecting its history. The transformation of Sankt Sebastian is complete. It demonstrates a harmonious blend of old and new. It serves the community in an unusual but beautiful way.