Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
“Sketching the concept posed the question of how a chapel – specifically built for wedding ceremonies – can reflect its function, the importance of the wedding day, and the spirit of the wedding ceremony,” says KTX head architect-designer Tetsuya Matsumoto.
“How can a building be transformed into an atmosphere?”
“Once the primary ideas were set, the challenge was to try to reduce the construction cost, especially for the curved glass. Some technical details for the roof and flooring were also challenging for their novelty.”
Perched on the water, KTX archiLAB’s Cloud of Luster Chapel is a futuristic yet very elegant wedding chapel, created for 117 Group, in order to replace a previous chapel, part of La-Vienna Wedding Ceremony Hall in Himeji.
Cloud of Luster Chapel has recently been awarded a 2022 International Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
A cloud-shaped space for the chapel was enveloped in transparent curved glass bringing daylight from all directions.
Only the organ space and the technical room are enveloped in a circular white wall at the back of the chapel.
The Chapel opens to the garden and the green walls in front.
The left side is open to a water basin and limited by a green firewall, separating the chapel from the main ceremony hall building.
The cloud-shaped chapel is all white, with a minimalist ceiling, free of any technical machinery or equipment, and is supported by round columns with a hyperbolic cone head.
The same columns support the roof of the approach, connecting the main ceremony hall to the chapel and giving access to the garden.
The pillars on the basin side have a hyperbolic-shaped base, creating an impression of a floating chapel.
The water surface reflects the floating chapel, adding more light to the structure and extending into other dimensions.
Lighting also comes by way of the backlit aisle floor and the lights around the columns. Meanwhile, slits along the glass curves serve the venue’s air-conditioning.
When the sun is out, the water feature lends the dazzling additional effect of reflecting movement onto the chapel ceiling – which, among other visible areas of the chapel including the walls, sports no technical details or wiring.
“We love the curves – the round bases of the chapel on the water basin – and their balance. They add a great deal to the light and organic appearance of the chapel,” states Matsumoto.
The Cloud of Luster Chapel translates the wedding ceremony spirit into a built environment offering a dreamy glistering memory.
Project: Cloud of Luster Chapel
Architects: KTX archiLAB
Lead Architect: Tetsuya Matsumoto
General Contractor: SONEC
Client: 117 Group
Photographers: Stirling Elmendorf
