Parma-based Contini Architettura has built a church, parish hall, sports' clubhouse and changing rooms around a new public square in the village of Castel di Lama, Italy.
Contini Architettura drew upon the arrangements of traditional Italian town centres to design the complex, which contains both religious and community buildings.
"The client wanted the parish centre to reflect the idea of ??an open and supportive community in which many activities, including sports, harmoniously coexisted," said Contini Architettura founder Marco Contini.
"We can find this concept in the small historical centres of Italy, where the urban space is lived collectively, with different activities overlooking this space that belongs to the community," he told Dezeen.
The church occupies one side of the gravel-filled square, with the series of community buildings running along another side behind a free-standing stone colonnade. The two remaining sides are enclosed by low walls.
"The large churchyard-square in front of the church has become the town square of Castel di Lama," explained Contini. "It works very well because it can be used in many different ways, like the squares of the historic centres, and also belongs to the whole community because it is always open and usable."

The first of the four aligned community buildings contains a 130-seat parish hall. Next is a block containing the rectory offices, then a clubhouse for the adjoining sports pitc...