St. Matthäus

St. Matthäus is a unique concrete Catholic church on the southern edge of Düsseldorf. Gottfried Böhm designed it to be a sculptural blend of brick and concrete, with brick walls at street level rising up to raw concrete that climbs into a cluster of blocky towers, all topped by a tall pyramid. There is no symmetry anywhere within the building, which makes it fun to experiment with. Every angle gives you a different arrangement of slabs, edges, lines, colour and shadow, so a slow loop around the outside is the best way to find your favourite composition. Various sections of the concrete are painted a deep blood red, so a tight crop lets you play that colour off the greys and brick tones. The neighbouring retirement home wraps the church like a low wall, giving the whole area a fortress feel. The interior is just as unique as the exterior with its angled walls, niches, pops of deep red and changing light. There are open hours and church services when the interior is accessible, but remember this is an active parish and give worshipper their space/privacy. (Garath, Düsseldorf, Germany)