M I L N E C H U R C H
AutoCAD & 3Ds Max Vray
The scope of this project was to choose an abandoned building and transform it into a sacred space. Something sacred should be defined by meaningfulness rather than monetary value. A church is somewhere to come at peace with yourself, to leave behind the outer chaos and feel peace embrace you. Small Orthodox churches on Greek islands represent this at best.
The Milne House, an abandoned 1870s house located at 1185 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto, and dimensions of 9 meters by 6 meters felt appropriate to mimic all the above mentioned. Its small size works together with its window placements to make room for light pathways in a very logical way. At an immediate glance, the simplicity of the materiality and forms create an air of humbleness, where the attention is drawn towards the sacred icons. Warm candle gleams greet visitors at the entrance, and soft light surrounds them as they move deeper into the interior. The Milne Church juxtaposes its current scale with its single storey interior and high ceilings. A very narrow narthex gradually dissolves into an airy baptism area. Opaque glass paneling, creating a soft light playing with its lack of transparency, surrounds the latter. When closed, the glass panels also serve as guidance towards an intimate and individual journey through prayer and salutation of the icons. The Iconostasis, different from the traditional way of placing the icons, mimics an art gallery, where the hung paintings converse with their viewers, differing their dialogue from viewer to viewer. Two incisions penetrate the house’s roof through a cupola, whose shape mirrors the baptism tub. Natural light enters through them and gets filtered through the opaque glass. When folded, the panels make room for a gathering of people, in the occasion of a baptism ceremony. The sanctuary has two openings, for easy access by the priest during communion.
A late 1800s Toronto house converted into a sacred space (Greek Orthodox Baptizing Church).