A highway church

The highway church is a phenomenon unique to Germany’s Autobahns. Roughly eleven of them exist. To enable people from different cultural backgrounds to use the church, this proposal was an attempt to provide a reflective space for all religions.

Located next to the Autobahn, the church is designed as a path to relate to each visitors journey in his car and life. The path begins under a series of triangular columns that define the edge of a plateau with a lake. The journey then continuous underground trough a spiral path way and leads to the inner church hall. From there you can continue your journey further downwards to find a third religious location on the outside.

The journey then leads back to where you started and ends in a point.

The entire church in plan and elevation is based on the rules of the golden section and its resulting angles, which result in a pentagram; the pagan symbol for the sun, not the devil.

The architecture works with opposed atmospheres on every section of the path. The triangular structures appear open from below but as a closed wall on the plateau. You go underground but enter the main hall that has a glass roof. Travelling further down finds the church open to the elements.