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Wires auached to a wooden [rameuiorlc (left) guided the constructioti 01 the undulating walls.

Brick Shell Construction

CHURCH AT ATLANTIDA, URUGUAY. DIESTE

& MONTANEZ, DESIGNERS & ENGINEERS

The f~at -of constructing a building en-tirely of brick -has been achieved in thisparish church near Montevideo. Its struc-tural walls and vaults are of reinforcedbrick; all of its principal surfaces, insideand outside, are of brick. Yet any tendencytoward monotony has been overcome bythe excitement inherent in the structuralforros and the variations oí the surfacepattern and texture.

The firm that designed and engineeredthis unusual building had developed itstechniques oí masonry construction in itswork on industrial shops and gymnasiums,where economy was the overriding con-sideration. They found that with theproper choice of reiníorcement and mor-tars they could build shapes in masonrythat would not have been economicallyfeasible in concrete. The final cost oí thisbuilding, without furnishings, was onlyslightly. higher than the usual cost of

160 Contemporary Masonry

industrial construction in the area.The walls and roof of the church func-

tion as a two-hinged shelI with a meanspan of 53 ft and a height of 23 ft (to thetop of the wall). The intersection of thehorizontal and vertical components alongan undulating line gives the structurehigh resistance to transverse distortion.

The walls _are supported on closelyspaced poured-in-place concrete piles, 6in. in diameter and 1672 ft deep. Theconoidal wall surfaces were generated byrunning steel wires from the straight -lineof the foundation' to 'a directrix made upof parabolic curves, which was supportedon a wooden framework at the intendedheightof the wall. The bricklayers merelyhad to follow these wires to execute thedesigno

The l-ft-thick wall is reinforced withVa-in. round steel wire, weighing about0.1 lb per sq ft. The cavity between theinner and outer layers of masonry wasfilled with waterproof mortar; there hasbeen no detectable penetration of mois-

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ture, even in exceptionally rainy weather.Small glazed openings in the walls weredistributed so that the plastic continuityof the structure was not disturbed. Thewall is crowned with a border beam ofmixed brick and concrete construction,which forms eaves and absorbs the thrustof the roof vault.

The vault itself was constructed of twolayers of masonry, the inner one composedof l1A,-in.-thick bricks and the outer oneof hollow tiles; a waterproof membraneand a layer of Iight, porous ceramic tile-with high insulating value-were thenapplied on the topo

The cross-sections of the roof are anti-funicular curves, with rises varying from2%, in. in the valleys to 58 in ..at the peaksoí the parabolic waves. Steel tension rods,which absorb the thrust, are located in thevalleys and are anchored to the bord~rbeams. The vault reiníorcing weighsabout 0.4 lb per sq ft and was placed inthe joints between the ceramic units.

The roof was -laid up on a- 20-ft-wide

APRIL 1962 P / A--

. ~---'t? -:--••. !J''; ·!ie€P:- ••..,)!',The vault is composed 01 brick and hollow tile, with steel uiire reinjorcement ; tension rods in the ualleys absorb the thrust,

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movable form, which was re-used sixtimes. Stripping was performed only 14.hours after each section was completedand the forms were then used as platformsfor workers cleaning the inner surface.

The frobt wall and the choir Ioft com-prise an independent masonry construc-tion standing within the shell of thechurch, The underside of the loft is com-posed 01 edge/laíd bricks, which wereplaced on a wooden formoMixed concrete-and-brick girders were poured on top ofthis surface and prefabricated joists ofdouble-T shape, with stoneware tiles onthe upper surface, were then placed acrossthem to complete the structure and serveas the finished floor..

The church serves a parish composed

162 Contemporary Masonry

LONGITUDINAL SECTION

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1 baptistery2 conjessionals3 nave4 sanctuary5chapel )6 sacristy .7 antesacristy (8 ·bell tower \

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not yet been installed, will be a massiveblock of rough-hewn stone, with only thetop surface polished.

To one side of the sanctuary is a chapeldedicated to Our Lady ofLourdes, thepatron saint of the parish. The image ofthe Virgm will be placed in a pyramidalniche penetrating the outer wall, againsta background of translucent onyx.

The sacristy behind the sanctuary ís ata slightly lower elevation than the nave.Its tilted outsíde wall leaves room for ahorizontal wíndowthat is used to ventilate _the church. Líght from this window íllu- .minates the .fback wall, whích is visiblefrom the nave, high-lighting íts dentícu-Iated pattem. .,,-

A 4-in. strip of onyx separates the front

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APRIL 1962 P/ A

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largely of workmen and peasants in arural area about 30 miles east of Monte-video. It normally accommodates about300 worshippers, but aisles and other openspaces will permit a capacity of 500 forspecial occasions. '

The proportions of the nave were in-tended to bring the congregation nearerthe altar than usual so that they could, inthe words of the designers, "experience agreater participation in' the sacred mys-teries." The consistent structural envelopegives a feeling of unity to .the entire in-terior. Within this unified space, thespecial character of the sanctuary hasbeen established by the low walls thatsurround it and the illumination from theskylight above ít, The altar, which has

APRIL 1962 P/ A Current Applications 163

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wall from the shell of the church, empha-sizing its structural independence andcreating a halo effect. Light is admittedto the choir through panel s of translucentonyx. Panels have been left out at theextreme ends of the wall to permit venti-lation; the overhang and projecting wallsprotect these openings from wind andrain and limit the outward view.

Under the choir loft inside the churchthere are two secluded areas that arereadily accessible from either the entranceor the nave. The larger space contains theconfessionals, and the smaller one is setaside for meditation and for personal de-votion to the crucifix in the traditionalSpanish way. Here the designers plan toplace a crucifix that is "less remote thanthe one above the altar, both in the senseof distance and in the expression of thecarved figure."

Outside, there is a sheltered area be-neath the choir, which will be sunny inwínter and shaded in summer and pro-tected from cold winds. A bench will belocated there to encourage sociablegathering.

The baptistery was conceived as a sepa-rate crypt, "signifying at the same timedeath and resurrection." l~ brick wallswere constructed 6 in. inside the limits ofthe excavation, and the space between wasfilled with a waterproof mortar. lts roofvault is constructed of edge-laid brick; around skylight covered with a sheet ofonyx projects above the center. The pas-sages to the haptistery are roofed withprefabricated brick slabs, in which sky-lights made from ordinary flower potshave been incorporated.

The church complex is completed bythe bell tower, which will eventually bethe focus of a" plaza with othc'r parishbuildings around it. The brick tower, over50 ft in height, was built with only 440 lbsof reinforcing steel. A platform was movedup the tower as it was built, so that noscaffolding was required. The prefabri-cated treads of the spiral stair are canti-levered from the outer wall.

Discussing his application of masonryconstruction in' this building, DesignerEladio Dieste says, "The materials and theway in which they are used in this con-struction are in themselves expressive.These materials are as humble as thecongregation for which the chúrch ·wasbuilt, but they have been used with allthe care that these people deserve as a·tribute to them."

The cantileuered stairs ,01 the bell tower uiere prejabricated 01 brick.

. Brick patterns emphasize the circular [orm 01 the underground baptistery,

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166 Contemporary Masonry APRIL 1962 P/A