The ‘moire’ effect: Sweden’s cube-shaped church

Modern church with a wooden facade, glass ground floor, and a dynamic metal-slatted upper section in a snowy landscape.
The abstract upper facade creates a moire effect from a distance. Photo courtesy Johan Dehlin

Swedish architecture firm Elding Oscarson has created a cube-shaped church and community centre in Gothenburg, Sweden. The structure is clad in diagonal aluminum bars, which create a “moire” effect. Moire architectural patterns are created when two repetitive structures overlap, resulting in a visually dynamic effect that changes with the viewer’s perspective and lighting.

Frihamnskyrkan, or Freeport Church, fits with the harbor area’s old industrial buildings.

The abstract upper facade creates a moire effect from a distance, particularly from the corners. It is an abstract interpretation of the church’s biblical symbol—the wheat awn.

Diagonal aluminum bars are intended to evoke this symbol and sit above a lower level clad in wood.

The main spaces are above a glazed ground floor designed to be easily accessible from all sides. The floor contains communal areas and a cafe.

Above, the first and second floors house a double-height, 1,100-seat hall accessed via a curved staircase.

Natural wood and white walls are the primary palettes throughout the building, with the hall’s seating finished in earthy brown and green tones.

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