a+t architecture publishers

With the appearance of agricultural cultivation, the church and its dependencies occupy a parcel of the public service buildings in a suburb of Copenhagen. As Utzon himself has said, the two pastors of the town came to him saying that the residents of Bagsvaerd had been saving money to build their church for 25 years. The architect didn't doubt that that was a job he couldn't decline.
The main space and the premises are surrounded by a perimeter of high-rise circulations that run orthogonally, covered over there entire length by skylights, so that once you go onto the premises, before reaching the sanctuary, the outside world disappears and the sky peeks in over the white concrete walls, while the grey pillars put rhythm to the sequence.
Two inner patios distribute the premises around themselves. The main hall is crossed by the lateral circulations, which give light to the sides. In the middle, folds of white concrete hang above the altar and above worshippers until reaching the transversal skylight. It is said that Utzon designed the church while teaching at the University of Hawaii and the clouds on the beach were what inspired the movement of the concrete. I think that maybe it was the waves. Materials used are white and grey concrete, glazed porcelain cladding, natural wood and light.

Pictures taken by Javier Mozas.

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JORN UTZON
Bagsvaerd church, 1976
Taxvej 16, Bagsvaerd. Copenhagen