The San Rocco Complex

The San Rocco Complex in Sambuceto is a project that began in 2006, but its origins go back much further, as the growth of the San Rocco community since the post-war period has been unstoppable and is still booming today.  

It was this expansion, together with the shortcomings and inadequacy of the existing facilities that attracted the attention of the Archdiocese of Chieti-Vasto and led to the decision to build a new parish complex. Another factor that influenced the decision is the fact that the community of San Rocco is located in Sambuceto, an area that is home to Abruzzo Airport and other industrial, commercial and service businesses.  It is, in fact, no longer correct to refer to this locality as a ‘village’ or ‘district’.  After the archbishops Mons. Antonio Valentini, the first person to address the problem, and Mons. Edoardo Menichelli, who set the project’s initial steps in motion, the new archbishop Mons. Bruno Forte was keen to find a definitive and meaningful solution that would avoid the risk of Sambuceto becoming an anonymous and untidy suburb. He therefore asked the world-renowned architect Mario Botta to design the new parish complex structures.  

This resulted in Mario Botta designing not only the church complex, but the new square in Sambuceto too. Well aware that the design of a new parish centre in a town undergoing major urban growth is an unmissable opportunity to reorganise its layout, the architect took particular care to improve the quality of its urban space. In this way, architecture has helped to strengthen the sense of belonging in this area and to define the identity of its civic landscape. 

iGuzzini contributed to the lighting in the complex in two different stages. We began with the exteriors and the portico. Here we installed Woody floodlights with Wide Flood and Flood optics mounted on poles and on the top of the portico, and recessed Reflex luminaires with Very Wide flood optics under it. Then, from 2018 to 2023 we were asked to light the interiors of the Church and the Aula del Pellegrino (Pilgrim’s Hall).  
The Church consists of a single ground floor hall with a capacity of about 500 seats, and a gallery on the first floor for the organ. This space reaches the remarkable height of almost 30 metres at its peak. It starts from a square plan and then transforms into the shape of a Greek cross at the top. During the day, the interiors are illuminated by sunlight from above that cascades down from the skylight. The church’s north front that tilts at 30° to the ground, defines the three apses that form the terminal image of the presbytery. While the entrance to the church is located in the south front that tilts parallel to the apsidal front. The main congregation area can be extended on the eastern side thanks to sliding walls that open directly onto the Pilgrim's Hall. 

In daytime, natural light creates a luminous atmosphere inside the hall by altering the movement and relationship between light and shadow. While at night, the lighting is handled very differently due to the architecture.  
The cast-concrete walls covered in sound-absorbing fibreglass panels posed an immediate problem for the installation of the wiring system. Botta had also designed the entire altar area to be lit by the kind of metal trusses that are used in stage sets to raise the lighting equipment above the stage.   
A solution was therefore adopted with a custom Palco inOut floodlight (ø153mm) fitted with spot and medium optics and anti-glare screens.  
Twelve of them were used on each metal structure. The decision to use an outdoor luminaire internally was taken because it offers a wider power and optic range required by the building’s considerable height. The luminaire’s coupling system was also easier to adapt to the metal trusses. The final solution involved running two tracks inside the trusses and drilling holes in the metal parts for the floodlight power lines to pass through.  

One of the tracks houses a UPS line which guarantees emergency lighting. This is designed to offer a balance between the lighting levels around the altar area and those around the emergency exits. Without this balance, the area around the altar would have much higher lighting levels than the exit areas, which could cause confusion in an emergency. Having defined these lighting levels, the entire complex lighting scheme is now managed by a Quick BLE wireless control system. Wireless technology was chosen as it was difficult to pass the 5-pin cables required for a wired control system through the tracks and holes. 

The main hall is lit once again by Palco floodlights, but in this case, the indoor version, installed on tracks fixed directly on the wall. Flood as well as spot and medium optics have been used here.  
In the altar area, to add touches of accent lighting, Palco floodlights were installed on a pendant track with 42° optics. These are also fitted with accessories, like a cylindrical screen and soft lens, because we wanted to differentiate the light without making it too sharp or bright. This softened the effect, to ensure these touches are not excessive. 
The floodlights were supplied in a specific matt colour, chosen by the architect. 

In the entrance area that features the Baptismal Font, Laser recessed luminaires were fitted in the false ceiling.  
The Pilgrim's Hall is an area located on the east side of the main hall and is separated by mobile semi-transparent panels, so there is never a net visual separation between the two areas. It has no apses and is also very high: 7.10 m. Here, during the day, light pours down from above in a fairly direct manner thanks to circular openings in the ceiling. In the evening, the same effect is created by Laser recessed luminaires. These luminaires are also used in the transition zone between the church and the hall.