WINNER OF THE 2024 CANADIAN ARCHITECT STUDENT PHOTO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
This well-documented church by Étienne Gaboury is captured here in a new and exciting way. The composition and angle of view seem to transform the building into a sculptural object. There is a wonderful contrast between the clarity of detail—which is exaggerated by the low-contrast, overcast sky—and the mysteriousness and ambiguity of the building’s context.
– Lisa Stinner-Kun, juror
On a class field trip, we were tasked with documenting and analyzing the structural system of a building I’d seen many times in passing. I found myself immediately drawn to its unique, twisted cedar-shake roof. As a primarily Métis parish, the church’s form makes reference to the tipi. The glulam fir beams—resembling the poles that support a tipi—create a sturdy framework for the roof while defining an infinite-seeming interior space. Carefully placed windows are located under the eaves and at the peak of the spiral, directing light towards the altar below and promoting an atmosphere of transcendence. In this photograph, I attempt to bring focus to that source of light, acknowledging the clerestory windows that are hidden within the peak of the spiral.
As appeared in the December 2024 issue of Canadian Architect magazine
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You can read our jury’s full comments here.