river chapel pavilion lands as an overturned timber vessel in the italian mountains
a boat-shaped timber pavilion for Festival di Microarchitettura
River Chapel, La Barca brings the silhouette of an overturned boat to the mountains of Piobbico, Le Porte del Vitoschio in Italy, forming the winning installation of the 2025 Festival di Microarchitettura. Designed by Marina Poli, Clément Molinier, and Philippe Paumelle, the compact timber pavilion interrupts a hiking path with a narrow fissure that invites visitors to slip inside a hull-like space open to the sky.
all images © Clément Molinier
La Barca blurs the lines between chapel, shelter, and shipwreck
Once entered, the project by Marina Poli, Clément Molinier, and Philippe Paumelle reveals its layered nautical references: a central timber keel organizes a rhythmic sequence of floor timbers, while the open roof draws daylight into the interior cavity. The elongated volume aligns with the trail, guiding movement toward a tapered bow anchored by a stone taken from the site. Six porticoes define the main corridor, bordered by plank walls and framed at both ends by curved half-hulls. The ribs, cut from boards and assembled in a sandwich structure, express the chapel’s lightweight construction, while four local stones act as ballast and tie the installation to its surroundings.
La Barca offers a brief pause along the path, oscillating between the typologies of chapel, shelter, and shipwreck. Visitors read it variously as a boat, a sculptural refuge, a climbing form, or an enigmatic presence embedded in the landscape, an intentional ambiguity that shapes the encounter.
River Chapel, La Barca takes the shape of an overturned boat
the compact timber pavilion interrupts a hiking path
visitors read it variously as a boat, a sculptural refuge, or a climbing form
La Barca offers a brief pause along the path
the structure invites visitors to slip inside a hull-like space open to the sky
a central timber keel organizes a rhythmic sequence of floor timbers
the open roof draws daylight into the interior cavity
the ribs express the chapel’s lightweight construction
River Chapel oscillates between the typologies of chapel, shelter, and shipwreck
an enigmatic presence embedded in the landscape
La Barca is the winning installation of the 2025 Festival di Microarchitettura
project info:
name: River Chapel, La Barca
architect: Marina Poli | @marina_poli_, Clément Molinier | @clement_molinier, Philippe Paumelle | @philippepaumell
location: Piobbico, Le Porte del Vitoschio
event: Festival di Microarchittetura | @festivalmicroarchitettura
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