Canary Islands-born architect Fernando Menis has received the highest honor at the Faith & Form International Awards for Religious Art & Architecture in the United States, for his design of the Holy Redeemer Church of Las Chumberas in Tenerife. Co-sponsored by Faith & Form, Partners for Sacred Places, and Interfaith Design, the annual awards program has honored outstanding religious architecture since 1978.
The award ceremony took place on June 23 in Chicago during the AIA (American Institute of Architects) Conference on Architecture, a leading annual event for the US design and construction industry, hosted in a different city each year.
The award recognizes the social and cultural contribution of the building, located on the outskirts of San Cristóbal de La Laguna. Menis thanked the jury for spotlighting a small-scale project on a remote island. He also expressed gratitude to the Bishopric of Tenerife, the parishioners, and the sponsors for their commitment to making the church a reality, which he described as “creating a place where there was none, a place for the neighbors.”
Chaired by architect Grant F. Marani, AIA, the jury also included architect Douglas Hanson, AIA; conservator Marco Federico; artist and conservator Ariana Makau; and clergy member Katie Day. The panel described Menis's work as “astonishing.”
“It is as if stone blocks have been chiseled and hollowed out to create spiritual spaces of light and texture. They create intimacy and warmth. Interior surfaces enhance acoustics. Structural components are expressive. Keen attention is paid to acoustics and natural lighting.” – Jury of the Faith & Form International Awards for Religious Art & Architecture
The project, which includes a parish center and a landscaped public square, was honored for its innovative use of light, concrete, and stone. Drawing inspiration from the island's geology, the structure resembles a natural formation that stands out from its surroundings, evoking Tenerife's volcanic nature through massive "rocks" where light and air filter through the fractures.
The site's steep topography is resolved by a perimeter ramp that provides access to both the plaza and the church's second floor, ensuring universal accessibility while connecting the upper and lower areas of the neighborhood.
Concrete is clearly Menis's preferred material, not only for its inherent qualities—which the architect always leverages resourcefully—but also because it has long been widely used in the Canary Islands. This allows the project to engage local companies, craftspeople, and resources, aligning with the principles of Zero-Kilometer sustainable architecture.
Due to its durability and isotropic nature, concrete also enhances the building's sustainability as an energy-efficient material, a quality reinforced by the thermal mass of its thick, solid walls. Furthermore, Menis experiments with its acoustic potential, challenging the misconception that concrete is acoustically ineffective. By using a bush-hammering technique, he diffuses sound evenly; by mixing the concrete with volcanic lapilli (*picón*), he achieves highly effective sound absorption. This creates ideal acoustics, perfectly suited for both speech and song.
The church took fifteen years to build, a common timeline for community projects sponsored by the Catholic Church. This long development coincided with the transformation of Las Chumberas, a 1970s housing estate comprising 670 homes across 42 blocks, which was later expanded with shopping centers and industrial warehouses.
Menis designed the church to serve as a welcoming, vital catalyst for the ongoing social and urban changes in the neighborhood. He envisioned the new building as a landmark that would foster a sense of identity for Las Chumberas, serving as a focal point within a previously disjointed urban fabric.
The project is also an example of collective action, funded by donations from various organizations, local residents, and business owners rooted in the neighborhood. The irregular flow of funding dictated the construction logic and phased execution of the project. The parish center was completed in 2008 and has been in use ever since, while funds were raised for the remaining construction phases.
Ultimately, this austere, unadorned building, which highlights the play of sunlight across the rich textures of exposed concrete—inspired by the theological symbolism of light in the Catholic Church—is highly deserving of this prestigious recognition.
This article was written by Mili Sánchez Azcona. The translation is powered by AI.
