Church of light- A Case study

The Church of Light, is located in a small town of Iberaki, which is right outside
the sprawling metropolis of Osaka, Japan. The designing began in January of
1987 and the finished design work was completed in May of 1988.
Though in a small neighborhood outside of Osaka, it is a prime example
of a piece of outstanding architecture tightly knit into the urban fabric.
Building type : Christian church
Building size:113 sq mt
Site area: 838.8 sq
Structure : reinforced concrete
Concept:
This church is seen as a place of retreat where the outside world is forgotten and
the natural world is emphasized in an abstract manner.
This church beckons the fundamental simplicity of Christianity with its low tech,
yet powerful design.
A. Main chapel
B. Sunday school
C. Minister home
The penetration of light In the
chapel prove as the focus of the
chapel where the seating is
arranged in a manner facing the
focus.
Context
The idea of the design was to use light
in a way that would strengthen the
power of spirituality
Concept
The site is a corner plot
on a junction of four roads
and has access on the sout
h east façade.

The cold reinforced concrete blocks compliments
with the warmth of wood and the penetrating light
bringing about an experience of solace and hope.
While the space is primarily defined by the
concrete volume, wood is used for all of the elements that one engages such
as the seating and the floor.
The chapel consists of a rectangular volume of three cubes
that are punctured by a wall at 15˚ that never touches the
other walls or ceiling of the chapel. Circulation into the
space is controlled by the angled wall.
Upon entering the chapel the wall is immediately encountered and forces
a left turn into the wall allowing a right turn into the main chapel space.
The purpose of the manipulation of the circulation sequence is realized
as one passes through the wall. At this particular point one pivots around
as they become totally aligned with the crucifix of light at the end of the
chapel.
By keeping the amount of openings to a minimum, the power of the light
penetrating from the crucifix is intensified.
Circulation
Materials
The furniture and the severity of the grim ambient that houses it, combined
with the lively and ever-changing performance of light and shadow,
manage
to provide stress and intensity along with purity and tranquility, which is in
itself the essence of the spirituality that this space conveys.
Furniture

The wall is the commanding element that
is easily recognized in the exterior and
the interior of the structure.
Once inside the chapel, you emerge from a very small, cramped even, entry into an open
space, which is the sanctuary. Here the floor slopes down to the main alter which is at the
foot of a large cutout cross-punctured into the concrete wall. The church of light pays
immense focus on how the entry is acknowledged as a part of the larger whole of the design.
Here one enters off the main part of the site into this small side entrance delineated by
a diagonal concrete wall cut at a 15-degree angle. The concept here is that one
relieves the stresses of the outside world and emerges into the sacred interior.
Thus when one enters the chapel, which does not offer any air conditioning
even in winter, the caverneous space of coldness is pre reflectively drawn
to the warmth and brightness of the crucifix at the end of the linear axis.
Access and Entry
Connectivity between the exterior
and interior
The access to the compound was made intentionally indirect . Visitors are forced to enter the
complex at the northeast corner through a side street via a forecourt that leads to a corner of
the church near the minister's house, arriving to an area located in the back of the church.
From there one enters to a tiny little square, which houses a circular bench. Through This
space organizes the accesses to the main church and adjacent chapel.
The small, cramped entry
way, leading to the sanctuary
The building, constructed in concrete,
has given up any ornament in favor of
the spirituality that gives light,
enhancing its sacredness. Due to the
reduced budget at the short time
of construction, the main church had
no special elements aside of the
concrete walls and the calculated
openings, and probably because of
that, is that the church transmits such
strong spirituality.
Brutalism and Spirituality

Light is the most important elemental material Ando uses in his work. He
had a quote stating, “In all my works, light is an important controlling
factor. I create enclosed spaces mainly by means of thick concrete
walls. The primary reason is to create a place for the individual, a zone
for oneself within society. When the external factors of a city’s
environment require the wall to be without openings, the interior must be
especially full and satisfying.” It may seem almost impossible inspire
such a large amount of emotion from a seemingly fairly empty space. It
is because the space is so empty that all of the focus is placed on the
light as a design feature. There is no other distractions within the space
to detract from the reverence and significance the light gives.
Light
Volumetric Composition
Transitional
access
Seating
Altar
Spatial
Transition
The space
follows a
hierarchy from
the access to
the seating and
the altar.
Whereas the
congregation
area, the service
areas and the
office space flow
in the sequence
in the Sunday
school.
The composition consists of
pure geometric forms of the
cuboid, the plane, and the
cylinder in repitition.

Church of light- A Case study

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Church of light- A Case study