SHONAN CHRIST CHURCH
a project by Takeshi Hosaka
Kanagawa, Japan, completed 2014
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In order to create a spatially emotive worship hall, Takeshi Hosaka Architects has composed the ‘Shonan Christ Church’ with curving concrete roof forms separated by banded skylights, resulting in a striking lighting condition. The convex shapes produce a gradient tonality, while bands of direct sunlight accent the space and surfaces. Located in the coastal Japanese city of Fujisawa, the building is a five-minute walk from the Shonan Sea.
The concrete roof is made of six separate forms, which represent the six days of creation as documented in the biblical book of genesis, while the worship space below symbolizes the seventh day. The characteristic 6 curved slab is designed not only architectural reason but also it provides structural, acoustic, and lighting benefits.
An effect from their curvature, the roof can span 7.6m length with only 250mm thickness and the void spaces within each curved slab which reduces the weight of the structure. Natural light enters the interior from the gaps between each of the overlapping roofs. The openings are also designed to avoid direct sunlight during the time of worship.
Among the acoustical design requirements for the sanctuary, a focus was made on ensuring that the congregation would be able to hear the sermons clearly. To this end, the reverberation of the space was limited to an appropriate level and measures were taken to inhibit the occurrence of undesirable echoes.
Architecturally, the sanctuary’s ceiling was planned to be the exposed underside of the building’s curved concrete roof. From an acoustical design perspective, this curved shape provides abundant early sound reflections to the sanctuary uniformly. On the other hand, since the side walls of the sanctuary were designed to be parallel, smooth concrete surfaces could result in undesirable echoes. Furthermore, sound absorbing material was added to the side walls to avoid excessive reverberation. For both of these, a pattern of vertical ribs with a random periodicity was created on the concrete side walls. And between the ribs, strips of sound absorbing black urethane foam were inserted. In the sanctuary, the pastor's speech could be heard clearly and easily throughout the space, while the hymns could be heard softly.
________________________________________________________
In order to create a spatially emotive worship hall, Takeshi Hosaka Architects has composed the ‘Shonan Christ Church’ with curving concrete roof forms separated by banded skylights, resulting in a striking lighting condition. The convex shapes produce a gradient tonality, while bands of direct sunlight accent the space and surfaces. Located in the coastal Japanese city of Fujisawa, the building is a five-minute walk from the Shonan Sea.
The concrete roof is made of six separate forms, which represent the six days of creation as documented in the biblical book of genesis, while the worship space below symbolizes the seventh day. The characteristic 6 curved slab is designed not only architectural reason but also it provides structural, acoustic, and lighting benefits.
An effect from their curvature, the roof can span 7.6m length with only 250mm thickness and the void spaces within each curved slab which reduces the weight of the structure. Natural light enters the interior from the gaps between each of the overlapping roofs. The openings are also designed to avoid direct sunlight during the time of worship.
Among the acoustical design requirements for the sanctuary, a focus was made on ensuring that the congregation would be able to hear the sermons clearly. To this end, the reverberation of the space was limited to an appropriate level and measures were taken to inhibit the occurrence of undesirable echoes.
Architecturally, the sanctuary’s ceiling was planned to be the exposed underside of the building’s curved concrete roof. From an acoustical design perspective, this curved shape provides abundant early sound reflections to the sanctuary uniformly. On the other hand, since the side walls of the sanctuary were designed to be parallel, smooth concrete surfaces could result in undesirable echoes. Furthermore, sound absorbing material was added to the side walls to avoid excessive reverberation. For both of these, a pattern of vertical ribs with a random periodicity was created on the concrete side walls. And between the ribs, strips of sound absorbing black urethane foam were inserted. In the sanctuary, the pastor's speech could be heard clearly and easily throughout the space, while the hymns could be heard softly.
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text and images via:
Arch Daily: http://goo.gl/mq7eDO
designboom: http://goo.gl/e2R3DD
Archilovers: http://goo.gl/KYpJQb
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