situated in the japanese city of isahaya, KEI SASAKI / INTERMEDIA has conceived the ‘konkokyo church‘ to provide a place of worship, a residence and a meeting space for believers. given the client’s brief to design a building that can be adapted to accommodate a range of functions, the concept behind the project began by first forming the church in the center of the scheme and then attaching various rooms that can be connected by movable partitions.
all images © kai nakamura
the center of the building is home to the worshipping space itself, which is articulated by an exposed timber ceiling and a more than double-height volume. in this room, the architects have employed the use of a traditional japanese construction technique – a wooden lattice – that is shaped as the symbol of the konkokyo religion. in addition to creating a decorative and symbolic element, the pattern provides shielding from solar radiation while also functioning as a ‘transparent anti-seismic wall’, which has been confirmed by a performance verification test.
the church in the center is surrounded by a traditional japanese construction technique – a wooden lattice that is shaped as the symbol of konkokyo religion
from the church, other rooms can be accessed thanks to the implementation of movable partitions, making it possible to join several areas together. in keeping with the brief and the generous spirit of the konkokyo religion, this design affords the flexibility to host large events, such as dance classes or study sessions for schoolchildren. regardless of individual beliefs, the architecture intends to provide a place for ordinary people to regularly gather, resulting in the creation of not only a church, but also a center for the community.
view from the entrance
the place between entrance and worship
a movable partition allows people to connect to the place of worship from each room
view of the main worshipping space
meeting place
rooms can be joined together to create large, flexible spaces
outside approach
a bird’s-eye view of the whole site
the façade viewed in the evening
diagram of the building – the architects first positioned a large place of worship in the center and then attached each room
project info:
project name: konkokyo church
project location: isahaya city, nagasaki, japan
architecture firm: KEI SASAKI/ INTERMEDIA
gross built area: 7190 ft2 (668 m2)
completion year: 2015
clients: konkokyo religion
collaborators:
structural design: hirotsugu tsuboi structural engineer co.ltd
equipment design: seed design engineer co.ltd
lighting plan: LIGHT・PLAN
photography: kai nakamura
designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
edited by: lynne myers | designboom
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