KEI SASAKI / INTERMEDIA uses a traditional construction technique to form church in japan

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