THE GREEN CATHEDRAL
Church and parish centre shaped by a sacred axis, garden landscape, and timber structure.
Charlottenlund, Norway · Church / Parish centre · Competition entry · 2023 · 1,450 m²
Details
The Green Cathedral is a competition proposal for Charlottenlund Church in Norway. The project combines a church, parish centre, community rooms, and garden spaces into a contemporary sacred building shaped by timber construction, green roofs, and a close relationship to the forested site.
The proposal is organised around a cathedral axis that links two worlds: an interior sequence of worship, gathering, and parish life, and an exterior garden landscape for reflection, cultivation, and everyday community use. Radial planning breaks the building into smaller human-scale volumes, while the timber structure, narrow vertical glazing, and planted roof support a quieter environmental strategy.
Project
The Green Cathedral
Location
Charlottenlund, Norway
Client
Charlottenlund Kirke
Type
Church / Parish centre
Status
Competition entry
Year
2023
Size
1,450 m²
Program
Nave, smaller ceremony room, choir, sacristy, parish hall, café kitchen, youth and children’s rooms, administration, garden spaces
Collaborators
Studio Sang visualizations
Role
KOSY project
Church in the forest
The proposal places a contemporary church and parish centre within a forested landscape, using timber volumes and green roofs to create a quieter sacred presence.
Church in the forest
The church and parish centre are broken into smaller timber volumes, with gardens, paths, and planted roofs extending worship and community life into the forest.
Facade
The cathedral is clad in a wood facade, slim vertical openings and green turf roof typical of vernacular norwegian architecture tailored to mediate cold environment and energy usage.
Ground level
Upper level
Church and parish plan
The plan brings worship, smaller ceremonies, parish hall, café kitchen, youth rooms, children’s rooms, administration, and support spaces into one connected community building.
Sacred timber interior
The nave is shaped by a layered timber ceiling and a clear central axis, creating a calm room for worship, ceremony, music, and community gathering.
Environmental section
The section combines timber construction, green roof insulation, natural ventilation, daylight, and water strategies within the church’s main spatial axis.
Forest church
The building sits quietly among the trees, using timber, planted roofs, and narrow vertical openings to connect sacred space with the surrounding landscape.