Pilgrim Shelter

Project idea

On the pilgrimage route on Camino Frances of Spain, there is a long stretch hidden deep in the virgin forest. In ancient times, thieves and robbers often attacked pilgrims there, which made the route dangerous. Then one pilgrim named Juan de Ortega built a sanctuary and bridges, repaired roads to bring shelter and peace to the pilgrims. Afterwards he lived in seclusion in the surrounding mountains. In his honor, a pilgrim town was established in his name.

Nowadays, although the area is free of hazards, pilgrims are exhausted over the long, bumpy, and uninhabited paths in the deep woods. Thus I got inspired to provide a shelter for them to drink clean water and have a rest at the intersection of the pilgrim path, the forest, and the town. The shelter is like a gatehouse, welcoming pilgrims out of the mountains and representing the starting point of the next journey. Like Juan de Ortega’s hermit hut, it was hidden in the forest, and every pilgrim who comes can take part in its construction and offer strength to the ones who will arrive.

Project description

The first-floor plan shows the relationship between the pilgrimage hut and the pilgrimage path, the creek Arroyo de Oca, and the surrounding primeval forest environment, as well as the structural differences between the filtered walls and the ordinary exterior walls.

The second-floor plan shows the correspondence between the second-floor accommodation space and the washroom of the pilgrimage hut and the first-floor space, and also shows that the second-floor space is connected in the form of an air bridge and overlaps with the passageway space where the pilgrimage path is located.

The cross-sectional view captures the life of one of the pilgrims in the pilgrimage shelter. In the resting and gathering space on the left, pilgrims throw stones from their hometown into the filtering wall to purify the water and receive spiritual baptism; pilgrims passing by a walk across the stone bridge in the center and stop for a moment to take a rest; on the right, the staircase, the hut manager's residence, and the pilgrims' dormitory.

Technical information

The construction of the shelter include wood structure details and filter facade structure.