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Some of the most beautifully designed spaces for reflection, prayer and mindfulness.
;
PRAISE
SPACES FOR
How God speaks to his children through architecture
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C A R D B O A R D C AT H E D R A L Cardboard Chapel, Christchurch, New Zealand Architect Shigeru Ban
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A remarkable fluidity characterises Hiroshi Nakamura’s lat-
est project, a wedding chapel in Hiroshima, Japan. Made of
two intertwining staircases, the building spirals upwards
with self-contained poise. A metaphor for the joining of two separate lives into one, this enchanting chapel captures the
spirit of the ceremonies that take place inside.
Smoothly uniting as one path at the height of 15.4 me-
tres, the elegant curves act as a roof, eaves, walls and floors.
Widening in response to programmatic needs – the point at which the couple meet, the places that enjoy the most
spectacular views, the spaces where the interior must be
protected from direct sunlight – the stairways are anything
but repetitive. Providing a constantly changing landscape
of mountains, ocean, islands and sky, the ascent is an experience in its own right.
As a part of the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom
ascend different staircases to ask for heaven’s blessing, before walking down the same path together. While a single spiral staircase of this height would be structurally unsound, the
two stairways mutually support each other. An extraordinary
feat of engineering, solid steel posts reinforce the inner spi-
ral, while the outer is bonded to the inner with an overhang.
At three separate points, a tuned mass damper prevents
unwanted vibration from occurring when people walk up-
wards. To protect against the earthquakes and strong winds
that are all too common in Hiroshima, windows are secured
with dot point glazed arms attached to the inner side of the
coping, allowing movement under pressure.
Anticipating that the delicate structure would experience
rotational sedimentation once the falsework was removed, intermediate posts were leaned at a meticulously calcu-
lated angle during the construction phase, becoming vertical once the building was complete. An isolation device
resembling a pendulum was incorporated into the struc-
ture, reducing the need for large quantities of steel in the
upper section and contributing to the building’s improba-
ble lightness of being.
Painted white, the chapel radiates a rare purity. Finished
in upright wood panels and titanium zinc alloy, the building
will age gracefully as it gradually weathers. Resistant to damage
from the corrosive breezes that blow off the neighbouring sea, the zinc alloy was applied on the coping, walls, ceiling and
window sashes, ensuring no element wears before the others. At the heart of the helices, a modest room hosts the wed-
ding ceremony. Bathed in natural light, the simple space features timber floors and furniture, and a small, unassuming
altar. With its impossibly high ceilings, expanses of glass and
ocean orientation, the chapel feels spacious and airy, despite
its restrained footprint.
Situated in the grounds of a resort, the building is surrounded
by staggeringly beautiful mountains and sea. Living up to its location, the chapel is an exquisitely realised delight. +
“
Praised from around the world and beyond, Shigeru Ban has regrouped the community and fascilitated a quiet place for worship and contemplation.
”
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RiBBOn CHApEL Ribbon Chapel, Hiroshima, Japan Architect Hiroshi Kamura
“
Made of two intertwining staircases, the building spirals upwards with self-contained poise. A metaphor for the joining of two seperate lives into one, this enchanting chapel captures the spirit of the ceremonies that take place inside.
�
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A remarkable fluidity characterises Hiroshi Nakamura’s lat-
est project, a wedding chapel in Hiroshima, Japan. Made of
two intertwining staircases, the building spirals upwards
with self-contained poise. A metaphor for the joining of two separate lives into one, this enchanting chapel captures the
spirit of the ceremonies that take place inside.
Smoothly uniting as one path at the height of 15.4 me-
tres, the elegant curves act as a roof, eaves, walls and floors.
Widening in response to programmatic needs – the point at which the couple meet, the places that enjoy the most
spectacular views, the spaces where the interior must be
protected from direct sunlight – the stairways are anything
but repetitive. Providing a constantly changing landscape
of mountains, ocean, islands and sky, the ascent is an experience in its own right.
As a part of the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom
ascend different staircases to ask for heaven’s blessing, before walking down the same path together. While a single spiral staircase of this height would be structurally unsound, the
two stairways mutually support each other. An extraordinary
feat of engineering, solid steel posts reinforce the inner spi-
ral, while the outer is bonded to the inner with an overhang.
At three separate points, a tuned mass damper prevents
unwanted vibration from occurring when people walk up-
wards. To protect against the earthquakes and strong winds
that are all too common in Hiroshima, windows are secured
with dot point glazed arms attached to the inner side of the
coping, allowing movement under pressure.
Anticipating that the delicate structure would experience
rotational sedimentation once the falsework was removed, intermediate posts were leaned at a meticulously calcu-
lated angle during the construction phase, becoming vertical once the building was complete. An isolation device
resembling a pendulum was incorporated into the struc-
ture, reducing the need for large quantities of steel in the
upper section and contributing to the building’s improba-
ble lightness of being.
Painted white, the chapel radiates a rare purity. Finished
in upright wood panels and titanium zinc alloy, the building
will age gracefully as it gradually weathers. Resistant to damage
from the corrosive breezes that blow off the neighbouring sea, the zinc alloy was applied on the coping, walls, ceiling and
window sashes, ensuring no element wears before the others. At the heart of the helices, a modest room hosts the wed-
ding ceremony. Bathed in natural light, the simple space fea-
tures timber floors and furniture, and a small, unassuming
altar. With its impossibly high ceilings, expanses of glass and
ocean orientation, the chapel feels spacious and airy, despite
its restrained footprint.
Situated in the grounds of a resort, the building is surrounded
by staggeringly beautiful mountains and sea. Living up to its location, the chapel is an exquisitely realised delight. +
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S A i n T- J A C q u E S D E L A L A n D E Saint-Jacques de la Lande, Rennes, France Architect Álvaro Siza Vieira
“
This bold yet modest church is a testament to the Siza’s mastery of the dichotomy between old and new.
”
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Built along a quiet river, in the heart of Rennes’s residential area, Álvaro
scribed as feeling humane, respectful, and secure.
mastery of the dichotomy between old and new. As the first church built in
design, the sweeping curve of the walls mimicking the external cylinder and
Siza’s Church of Saint-Jacques de la Lande is a testament to the architect’s
France’s Brittany region this century, the building’s placement lacks the os-
tentation of a central street or bustling urban corner and is instead among a
On the second level, the church hall reflects the boldness of the external
drawing the eye upwards along light, bright surfaces. These expanses allow
for Siza’s characteristic play with natural light as it falls into the space
crop of five-storey housing blocks. It’s reminiscent of Siza’s penchant for
through indirect sunlight and few overhead apertures. Allowing for approxi-
spaces to preserve a sense of connection between people.
and cross carved of blonde wood, the same as the pews.
modest projects centred on local communities and his interest in using
The exterior is cast in vast planes of white concrete, a typical material for
mately 120 people, bespoke wooden seats orientate them towards an alter
Extending outwards from the hall are two chapels. One shelters a statue of
Siza’s designs. Large rectangles meet at square angles with a silo-esque
the Virgin Mary and the tabernacle, both cast in white to appear more as
the second level of the two-storey building and gives the sharp exterior a
tismal font carved in simple, geometric marble giving the small alcove a
cylinder perched and extending from the side. This houses the church hall on
warmer, yet still industrial, curve to its silhouette. The only indications of the
building’s function are a detached bell tower cum sculpture from which three ornate bells swing, and a delicate mirrored cross placed along the delin-
eation between concrete and sky. In this way, the weight of religious
grandeur is separated and diminished from the community and this building
is built to serve.
The lower, entrance level can be accessed through a simple wood and
shadows in space against the equally white walls. In the second is the bap-
stony weight without any ornateness. Siza’s use of gentle angles and slight
rises in the flooring allow for a functional detachment of these chapels but
doesn’t render the larger space of the hall dissected or broken.
Throughout the entirety of the church’s interior, the white walls, white
marble wainscoting, blonde wood in the flooring, portals, and stairs work to-
gether to invite light and peace. All touch surfaces are balanced between a
cool appearance and soft tactility. The bold lines and Modernist designs don’t
glass door without the formality of a staircase or swinging knocker. This
overshadow the sense of piety or reflection.
floor to ceiling windows along the length of the building, giving the space a
spiring gentle movement, quiet introspection, and stability of connection be-
ground level is for administration and social purposes. Opposite the door are residential feel. Characteristically, these subtle design touches demonstrate
Siza’s ability to bridge the discordance between bold and modest, Modernist
history and local needs and traditions. It explains why his work is so often de-
The Church of Saint-Jacques de la Lande is a delicate yet solid space in-
tween people and space. When concrete and marble can be made to feel
light and warmly welcoming, it’s no wonder Siza’s work is categorised as “po-
etic Modernism”. +
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knARvik COmmuniTy CHuRCH Knarvik Community Church, Knarvik, Norway Architects Reiulf Ramstad + Anders Tjønneland
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Knarvik, on Norway’s western coast, is located at the converging point of
four fjords. Its highest points grant uninterrupted views of water from all
sides and to look at, the village has a distinctly rural vibe. In recent years,
Knarvik has developed into the most densely populated settlement in the
The Church’s interior includes the nave, where liturgical events are held,
as well as a number of administration facilities, including offices and spaces
for broader community events. The traditional pew furniture is forgone in
lieu of individual chairs, constructed of the same pine as the pulpit, grant-
Nordholdland district. The new Community Church, by Reiulf Ramstad
ing a top-down aesthetic unity to the space. Patterns are repeated, not only
tended as the focal point of a newly developing central square. In 2016, the
vailing use of pine recalls the material conditions of the region. This empha-
Arkitekter (RRA), was developed to serve this growing community, and is in-
project won Gold at the American Architecture Prize, in the Institutional Ar-
chitecture category.
The Church’s design is a pared back, modern appropriation of the classic
Norwegian Stave Church. In an angular composition, each of the structure’s
between the furniture but between the ceilings, floor, and walls, as the pre-
sis on similarity breeds community, as the church becomes an equalising
space, in which divisions between individuals are evaporated by shared expressions of faith.
The flexible approach to space—in the use of individually moveable
lines leads towards the central spire, which juts sharply upward towards a
chairs—enables easy reconfiguration or expansion for the sake of Knarvik’s
in the face of such a bold structure—merely reaffirms the ascetic nature of
church. The same subtlety that informs the delicate cross on the spire is re-
modest cross at its tip. What may seem underwhelming—such a slight cross
spirituality, preferring subtlety to grand statements.
Indeed, the Church’s design seems to emerge entirely from the surround-
ing environment, reaffirming a spiritual commitment to finding God in the
natural world. The Church is the sole man made structure on an isolated rock
face, and is surrounded by brushland, slender trees and mossy outcroppings. This desire to “respect and blend harmoniously into the landscape’s vegetation” informs the decision to clad the external walls in weathered pine, as if constructed from the very trees that surround it.
Similarly, the church’s elevated position necessitates a design that incorpo-
rates the overwhelming skyline. The spire extends dramatically beyond the
growing community, and the diverse needs to be accommodated by the
flected in the stained glass, a single circular pane of multicoloured glass on which an understated crucifix is hung. Light filters naturally through
clear windows either side of the congregation, enabling a conscious contemplation of the skyline in line with RRA’s attention to “topography and
spatial quality”. The interior lighting fixtures produce a pure light, evenly distributed over the entirety of the space and providing special illumination over the pulpit.
From the outside, a fence-like filter obscures the stained glass, recognis-
ing a core commitment of the church to accentuate—and not distract from—
the exterior locale. By considering the angular form of the community
limits implied by the main carriage of the church, leading the eye skyward. At
church, we are made to recognise the rugged condition from which it
it an otherworldly quality. In addition, the heightened position of the church
rupted vista of the sky. Thus, RRA’s design comes to uniquely recognise our
its narrowest point, the cross appears as if suspended by the clouds, granting characterises it as a point of reference for the surrounding community, as it stands centrally elevated and visible from all sides.
emerged. By reflecting on the cross, we are made to consider the uninter-
spiritual commitment to finding the sublime, creating a space in which a burgeoning community can reflect and grow together.+
“
There is a unity to the internal and external aesthetic of the church, both using a modest pine design to reinforce a feeling of solemnity borne from oneness with nature.
”