Architect Espen Surnevik has collaborated with Trodahl Architects to design a geometric, porcelain-covered church in the city of Porsgrunn, Norway.
Surnevik's modern church replaces Porsgrunn's 18th century church, which was destroyed in a fire in 2011. While extremely modern looking, this new "resurrection church" aims to retain the monumental nature of its predecessor.
"The old rococo church had a monumental appearance and our goal was to recreate this monumentality, but in a totally new way 250 years later," Surnevik told Dezeen.
"We wanted to create the experience of something new and extraordinary, in the same way that the elegant old church represented something extraordinary and significant from its age."
Surnevik aimed to create a modern church that was appropriate for its 21st century congregation, but related to the previous building and wider religious architectural history.
"Maybe the core architectural principle for Porsgrunn church is to reinvestigate the potential, for our time, of the traditional long-church plan, as we have seen it span from the dark ages up until today," he says.
"And by doing so, seek a contemporary church, with contemporary meaning, but based on a wish of continuity of thousand years of evolution on the simplest church typology."
The church occupies 11 different geometric volumes that are ordered by height based on their importance.
Designed to attract attention to the building, the spire is the highest form, followed by a pair of chapels that are topped by towers.
Six slightly shorter structures, which surround the church's main hall, contain other functions including the sacristy and the organ, while the technical spaces are in the shortest volume at the rear of the building.
Each of the forms is sloped to match the spire's angle of inclination of 3.3 degrees.
The new church is built on the footprint of the burned down building and takes its structural grid and distinctive white colour from the lost church.
"The plan of the old church was traditionally designed over a clear mathematical quadratic grid, which structured the building," explained Surnevik.
"The new church was developed over the same old grid, making the new footprint reflect the old church. The old church was painted shining white, which is traditional in Norway, therefore we chose to make the new church to connect with the past."
The entire exterior, and much of the building's interior is clad in porcelain, a material that was manufactured in the city throughout the 20th century.
