Ge Jiean Architecture
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The Horizon Chapel

A Sequence of Return to the Primordial Pulse

Type
Individual, academic
Date
September 2024, 3 months
Course
Architectural Aesthetics
Tutor
Lifeng Lin
Location
Cape Espichel, Portugal
Coordinates
38°24′47.50″N, 9°11′25.05″W
Exhibited
TIME SPACE EXISTENCE, European Cultural Centre, 2025
Model of the chapel on its rocky cliff, against black

Perched on the cliffs of Cape Espichel, the project transforms the ruins of Forte da Baralha into a spiritual sanctuary — a Memorial for the Sea-Buried. The design preserves the historic fabric while introducing a new wooden structure. It orchestrates a “spiritual migration” through a sequence of spaces oscillating between enclosure and exposure.

The zigzagging formal language is reinterpreted throughout the new intervention. This system guides the pilgrimage, weaving a new ritual of remembrance into the ancient site.

01Site

Site plan with the pilgrimage path in red, and AA′ section to the Atlantic

Contour map of Cape Espichel with the pilgrimage path in red, AA′ section below
  1. 1‘São Domingos da Baralha’ Fortress
  2. 2Pedestrian path
  3. 3Rocky escarpment / cliff
  4. 4Atlantic Ocean
  5. 5‘Chã dos Navegantes’
  6. 6The addition

02Strategy

Heritage analysis and design strategy; sections along X and Y, floor plan

Axonometric analysis of the fortress ruin and the new timber addition in redExploded sectional axonometrics along X and Y, with the floor plan
Born from three-dimensional folds, the architecture weaves a continuous, angular language — a poetic translation of the historic fortress and its wild cliffs.

03Plan

Roof-removed plan; the new timber structure in red

Roof-removed plan with the new timber structure in red and five numbered viewpoints
  1. 01Sea-viewing stage
  2. 02Seascape from the entrance ramp
  3. 03‘Chã dos Navegantes’ from the chapel
  4. 04Meditation spot
  5. 05The main prayer hall

04Sequence

Five viewpoints along the pilgrimage, oscillating between enclosure and exposure

Timber colonnade framing the Atlantic
01 Sea-viewing stage
The sea between timber columns beside the entrance ramp
02 Seascape from the entrance ramp
View from the chapel toward the coast
03 ‘Chã dos Navegantes’ from the chapel
A seated figure framed by timber in meditation
04 Meditation spot
A cross of light on the stone wall of the prayer hall
05 The main prayer hall

05Construction

Construction details of the wall junction, the verge and the timber column base

Junction with the wall at the side of the slope; verge with metal flashing; column base

  1. 1Timber column
  2. 2Metal column hoop
  3. 3Timber skirting
  4. 4Steel tube
  5. 5Steel plate
  6. 6Anchor bar
  7. 7Base stone
  8. 8Post-cast concrete
  9. 9Anchor bar
  10. 10Reinforced concrete foundation

Floor build-up: timber floor, 50×50 mm timber, waterproofing membrane, 50×50 mm timber, cement mortar, 100 mm concrete, gravel.

06Model

Physical model

Model from belowModel detail of timber benches and roofModel seen from above

The pilgrimage ends facing the sea, in a quiet farewell to the horizon — as does the poem.