Architectural Precedent 3_Church of the light

Architectural Precedent 3

Project: church of the light

Designer: Tadao Ando Architect & Associates

Location: Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan

1. Key Concept:

The church of light is Tadao Ando's masterpiece. And what we record is deep be afraid is the smooth shadow effect that it's cross metope place brings, fill to hide from mysterious, deep and quiet, shock. From his works, it is not difficult to see the three necessary factors of his works: Firstly, Simple geometry, which is the foundation and framework of the building. Then, the concrete construction is a reinforcement of Ando’s principal focus on simplicity and minimalist aesthetic; however, the way in which the concrete is poured and formed gives the concrete a luminous quality when exposed to natural light. The approach to light and concrete in the Church of the Light, as well as his other projects, has a surreal effect that perceptually changes material into immaterial, dark into light, light into space.

2. Selected Design Element:

●Darkness: darkness can cause the most instinctive fear of human beings, people often yearn for the light to escape from the dark. The church of light deliberately provides an environment in the darkness that evokes an instinctive sense of unease.

● Blocking: the general building is needed to open a large area of Windows, because people always like a glance of the open landscape, such as the lake, the top of the mountain, and so on. The church of light, on the other hand, has only a few small Windows on its walls, which seem to have been stiffly added, further evoking fear.

● Concrete: concrete is undoubtedly a kind of impersonal and cold building material. If surrounded by this material for a long time, it will cause an additional psychological burden. The indifferent, cold, hard, rough and desolate concrete in the church of light symbolizes the lack of human touch and love, and it is also like a shackle that cannot be broken. Under the siege of concrete, people will feel uneasy and heavy psychologically.

3. How is the Key Concept Reflected in the Design Studio? 

Light is an important controlling factor in architectural design. Break the heavy concrete wall into four parts. Light, following the empty cross reveals, naturally intervenes and redefines the space of the church. It is because of the intervention of light that the meaning of empty cross seams began to change. The visual effect is instantly transformed into a spiritual feeling. The cruciform wall creates a special effect of light and shade, giving believers a wonderful feeling of being close to god.

This model is a good study on the use of concrete and how it feels. There is also the place of light in concrete, and the different visual effects from inside and outside.

4. Geometrical Description of the Shape

site area: 113.77 sqm
built area: 50.58 sqm (gross)
total area: 120.80 sqm

5. Proposed Scale, Material, Technique.

Proposed scale: 

1: 100

Material:

Concrete

Technique:

CNC Milling

3D print

6. Time Commitment, Budget

Time commitment - 3 week 

Budget - $90