Church in Progress
Eva Veronique Stirbu
Supervisor: Univ.Prof. Günther H. Filz
ended 2026
Abstract. Church in progress investigates how architecture can contribute to, reflect, enrich, or hinder the church’s process of self-identification.
It is grounded in the urgency and complexity of contemporary transformations of church buildings, examined through theoretical research and two contrasting case studies in Austria and Germany. The approach of this thesis goes beyond the traditional way of adaptive reuse of church buildings, focusing not merely on finding a new use for the building but on the transformation process itself. Change is therefore not only accepted, but actively encouraged and used as a guiding force throughout the church’s process of transformation and self-discovery.
Building on this foundation, the design concept develops a process-based approach that closely engages with the existing church and its context, identifying potentials for new uses and user groups. The gradual introduction of these uses generates interactions between architecture, space, and program. The design is understood not as a final outcome, but as a momentary snapshot of a possible development based on current knowledge and research. The spatial interventions form a cohesive overall concept that develops ,‚from small to large‘‘. Each situation responds to the environment‘s different spatial, social and atmospheric needs, resulting in unique solutions and interactions with the overall design. This creates a system of independent yet interconnected interventions.