EARTH.
Within the dense forest of tall trees, a lonely narrow gap reveals a tiny section of blue sky, at the very limit of the hilltop.
There, in that forgotten space sits the new chapel, looking towards the rising sun of the east, and facing only the unique landscape.
The Earth Chapel is a unique sanctuary that lets its visitors experience both the simplicity of the architecture and the richness of the surrounding landscapes, all at once.
“The purity and simplicity of the function of this project are translated in its minimal design.”
The chapel's structure consists of a perforated wooden façade, allowing the surrounding landscape to enter the interior space and become a part of it. Along with the landscape, the facade's openings allow the sun rays to sneak into the interior, illuminating the holy space and ornamenting it with the shadows of the surrounding tree branches. During the night, the radiant interior casts a warm glow from the chapel into the dense forest, radiating the surrounding like a campfire.
To reinforce the sense of holiness and disconnection, the structure is elevated 1.6 meters above ground level. Visitors can only enter the chapel by bowing their heads, as a sign of respect for the holy space. In addition, a buffer zone was implemented to separate the outdoors from the interior space and to create a sense of filtration between the outer world and the holy space.
COMPOSITION
The chapel is defined by three worlds: the outside world, the in-between, and the spiritual world.
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The outdoor area of the Chapel symbolizes the world we live in, chaos in the mind and soul, a world of materiality and sin.
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To cross over into the light, there must be some kind of a buffer zone, a fine line that separates what is for the soul from that of the body.
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The chapel's surface is elevated from the existing soil as a symbol of purity, separating the inside from the surroundings.
