Komyo-ji is a new temple for the Pure Land sect of Buddhism, replacing an aging 250-year-old structure. Remnants of the old temple are seen throughout the temple site, such as the bell tower and stone foundation walls, through which one winds one”s way to the temple. Located on the island of Shikoku on the Hiuichi Sea, it is on the route to many famous springs.
Construction
The temple consists of a square laminated wood structure that is an interpretation of traditional Japanese temple architecture and joinery. It is different from Ando”s usual language of monolithic concrete construction through its assemblage of parts that compose a whole. In addition to the temple, the complex also contains adjacent buildings for community meetings, offices and housing for the monks. These surrounding volumes are constructed in concrete.
Interior
To enter the temple one traverses a wooden plank over the natural spring water that surrounds the temple. The wooden plank is accessed only after passing through the entry hall of the community building.
Once inside the temple the visitor then circulates around the temple proper, between the inner facade containing the sacred space of the temple, which is defined by wood and a screen of frosted glass, and the outer facade of the temple. Through clear glass between the wood of the outer facade light dapples the wooden floor of the corridor, shortening and elongating, ever changing with the time of day.
The interior of the sacred space of the temple is a large square space with 3 layers of interlocking beams that are supported by 16 columns in 4 groups. Lined with tatami mats, the space has been compared to that of a forest.
A temple on the water
The water surrounding the temple is serene yet at the same time dynamic. It quietly reflects the wooden structure into it, extending the height of the temple, and at the same time, is a surface that reflects ever changing light which dances on the monolithic concrete walls of the administrative buildings of the temple compound and through the glass between the wooden slats of the temple building into the sacred space of the temple, creating a poetic synthesis between materials and light.
Contributed by ArchiTeam
No comments:
Post a Comment