I would like to present you very known Japanese architect Tadao Ando and one of the most recognisable churches designed by him. The church is known because of his very unique design.
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The author of the projects is Tadao Ando. Ando was born a few minutes before his twin brother in 1941 in Osaka in Japan. In childhood, he learned carpentry. Never having formal training in the architecture, he attended night classes to learn to draw and took correspondence courses on interior design. He visited buildings designed by renowned architects to study nuances of space, form, light and materials. In 1968 he established his own design studio, Tadao Ando Architects and Associates. His favourite materials are concrete, steel, glass and wood. The simplicity of his architecture emphasises the concept of sensation and physical experiences, mainly influenced by Japanese culture.
The Church on the Water was designed by him in 1988. The church is located in Japan, in Hokkaido Island near Tomamu. It’s the coldest region in Japan, where nature is wild.
The church is surrounded by trees which make the area quite calm and peaceful. The entire area is green from spring to summer and covered by snow during the rest of the year. Tadao Ando found the environment interesting and took a great advantage of it, by making the nature an important part of his design.
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The front wall of the chapel is made of glass and can be completely opened by moving aside, so that the view of the pond and surrounding trees can be seen from the inside. The other three walls are made of concrete, in order to frame this wonderful view. It can be said that there is no boundary between the interior and the exterior of the building.
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As I mentioned before, Tadao Ando is self-educated, so he usually takes his architectural references from the Japanese architectural tradition. In this project he used the idea of connecting sacred places with water and creating a gate which links the sacred and profaned areas.
We can divide the project into a concrete cuboid form, a glass cuboid form and the large pond with water in front of them. The pond steps down towards the small natural river. In the middle of the pond, there is an alone steel cross.
There is also an independent L-shape wall which separates the area of the church from the next building which is a hotel. In plan, the church is formed by the overlapping of two squares. The chapel is located in the larger of the squares. It is entered from the back. The way to the church leads along the L-shaped wall and the entrance is located in the glass cube at the northernmost.
The visitors are led to the chapel by semi-circular spiral staircase. Due to that, at first, they can’t see the pond, they can only hear the sound of the water. I can imagine that upon finally entering the chapel, they are struck by the view. What is more, in the glass cube, they experience a sunlight, and entering the chapel gives them a subtle contrast which gives a majesty to the place.
The whole building is very ascetic. Tadao Ando paid a lot of attention to use raw materials and it’s clear that his intention was to create a building which can be touched and seen closely. Every single detail in this place is well thought out. Even furnishings were specifically designed for this church. In my opinion, this building has a great impact on people’s emotions.
Tadao Ando is a Japanese architect. His architecture shows an impact of Japanese culture. Church on the water is a proof that he pays attention to the nature and relationship between interior and exterior spaces of the building, to create a peaceful place which helps to meditate and experience a kind of transcendence feeling.
The structure of this church is very simply and minimalist. I think that its form was not a deliberate choice. In my opinion, it is a result of deep understanding of human’s spiritual needs. Even though I have never visited this church, I consider it to be a perfect place to step back, get some quiet and just feel the surrounding space and focus on the present moment.
Comments
I know the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, it is a very interesting building that is both beautiful and practical.
In my opinion, this church is also a place to pray and is also a great place to attract tourists.
yes, LEAF CHAPEL, FIT FOR A BRIDE, KOBUCHIZAWA, JAPAN is one of them.
2. A very unusual church, I agree with the author of the article that in such a church one can approach reality when nature surrounds you and nothing superfluous, to stay on one with God and think about the present.
3. Yes, I was impressed by the architecture in Kazakhstan, the city of Astana. There futuristic buildings are located next to the huge mosques and everywhere there are wide roads. I am amazed by the architecture of this pride, because there you can see unusual buildings like in Singapore, buildings from films about the future, skyscrapers like in Dubai, unusual shapes and very wide areas like in Mexico. All this was created by the architects for Expo 2017.
I'd never heard before about this building, thanks for article, I'll definitely add it to my "Must visit" list.
What do you think about this church?
The most impressive view is from the inside. I think it's genius.
Do you know other interesting buildings, not only in Japan?
I recommend to visit Rotterdam, because this city full of modern nothing-like buildings.
I think that this church is a wonderful building with a brilliant idea. A strong reference to the nature and landscape around makes people feel connected to their spirituality. I think that idea of Tadao Ando is very spay with the Japanese idea of the gods and goddesses , who are hidden in every smallest part of nature - in stones, rivers, every kind of trees, wind and clouds. Personally I feel that it is also close to my culture and roots, where a special part of spirituality was devoted to trees and nature. I think that creating a place where you can meet with a god and look and experience a nature is a beautiful idea.
One of my favorite buildings is the Cminda Sameba -monastery located near the village of Gergeti in northern Georgia. The church is located on a hill, at an altitude of 2170 m above sea level, on the left bank of the Terek River, the top of Kazbek towering above the monastery. It is a very old building, which is surrounded by a beautiful landscape of mountains and hidden in the clouds. The monastery is built in the Romanesque style. Inside building is very dark and the only source of light come from lights of candles, which gives a mystical feeling.
I have heard about it first time. It seems to be very interesting place. However, the hotel next door does not sound appealing. Sacral places in my mind is connected with silent and hotels are not.
What do you think about this church?
I don't know what to think about it. I like sacral architecture but rather in calssic style. But this view can convinces me. But i think that people in previous times should put in it more work. It wasn't so simple like now. This is the reason why i prefere calssic churches.
Do you know other interesting buildings, not only in Japan?
I know many interesting buildings. I love byzantine buildings. I admire italian city Ravenna which is full of old, beautiful buildings which are on the Unesco List.
I travel a lot but I think I haven't seen something which is highly unusual or I just can't recall it now.
Well, not that much, to be honest. Im more interested in old buildings or architecture, and I would really like to see an old city Tenochtitlan, large Mexica city-state in what is now the center of Mexico City
What do I think about this church? I associate church with normal, Christian buildings. Religion is in principle old so I prefer old architecture. A few years ago, I was in Spain and I remember that in Barcelona were a lot of great monuments and buildings. Have you ever been there?
No, but I have visited Japan, and seen a few Japanese gardens - a very great examples of this nation culture and art (design)
What do you think about this church?
Phenomenal, I wish I would have seen more places like this in Poland
Do you know other interesting buildings, not only in Japan?
I suggest seeing golden palace - Kinkaku-ji and generally have a nice trip across those great Japanese gardens.