Calli Mingopoulos - Design Portfolio

Ecclesia is the product of an experimental studio course. The goal was to take an alternative approach to design, where atmospheric qualities drive form and function. Best described as “an atheist church” or "an emotions-oriented community center" Ecclesia aims to create a sense of community for disenfranchised youth by providing a place to question and debate what it means to be alive, in an architectural space that doesn’t gloss over internal strife, but instead mirrors it. This project started by studying lava and applying its contradictory nature of destruction and renewal to the building's design and programs.

The below work was created by combining hand illustrations, physical model photographs, Illustrator and Photoshop.

VIDEO STILLS OF LAVA. The design challenge for this project was to create a building that evokes the physical and emotional qualities in a video of a natural phenomenon.

EXPERIENTIAL RENDER OF THE VIEW TOWARDS THE STREET FROM INSIDE THE BUILDING.

EXPERIENTIAL RENDER OF BUILDING EXTERIOR.

EXPERIENTIAL RENDER OF FORUM SPACE.

The Ecclesia is discreet but not invisible as it fills the void between existing buildings, carefully obscuring its true form and intentions from the casual passerby.

Yet, once one enters– whether accidentally or with subtle trepidation– it presents itself as a haven where one does not need to hide. Rising from the ground with the distant murmuring of voices, the volume looms overhead in a way that is not apparent from the outside. It is simultaneously comforting and surreal to catch glimpses of shadows moving above and around you in the seemingly fragile fabric volume burgeoning out within the confines of the facade. The subtle proximity of others reminds the young visitor that no matter how large and daunting the world may be, we are never truly alone; it is a center of acceptance for when one feels the most vulnerable.

So, one lingers and explores, stopping momentarily to listen to the fears and aspirations of others – stories that startlingly resemble one’s own. Time passes slower in this alien world; what originally started as a quick trip for a coffee to momentarily mute internal anxieties has evolved into commiserating and laughing with others. As the sun begins to set, tearing through the western wall, the smaller groups naturally meander and congregate in the forum because what better way is there to discuss life and its paradoxes than from the heart of lava?

EXPERIENTIAL MOMENTS. Life and its anxieties can be overwhelming and consuming. Ecclesia was designed as a series of architectural features encouraging disenfranchised youth to release pent-up emotions. From facilitating solitary moments to reflect– like taking a hot shower– to collective spaces to rage– like dancing underground– this centre provides spaces to acclimatize oneself and relieve internal chaos.

PARTI DIAGRAMS. From left to right: building circulation strategy and programs' degrees of collectivity strategy.

BUILDING SECTION THROUGH FORUM. Architecturally, this project was conceived of as translucent fabric stretched over an organically shaped metal frame wedged between existing buildings and encased in glass. Programs exist within and around the lava-like mass.

CONCEPTUAL MODELS AND LIGHT STUDIES. This studio focussed on exploring physical modelling and unconventional materials to capture the essence of our natural phenomena instead of relying on digital tools. These model studies were then incorporated into the final project and design material.

PRELIMINARY CONCEPT SKETCHES. From left to right: longitudinal building section and preliminary forum section.

ARCHITECTURAL AND ARTISTIC REFERENCE MATERIAL. From left to right: Leviathan (A. Kapoor), Leviathan (A. Kapoor), Louvre Abu Dhabi (J. Nouvelle), Fabric Installation (S. Chang), Untitled (E. Van Oosten), Mournful Forboding of What is to Come (F. Goya), Into the Forest movie still (P. Rozema) and Life of Pi movie still (A. Lee).