2011 Church in Matsumoto photos text ( JP|EN )

The small church is in the small town of Matsumoto City surrounded by fields. It is located in a newly developed and typical residential area. We intended to make this architecture a part of the town.
This architecture, however, is not a house. So, we need to acquire the atmosphere as a church both outside and inside. The appearance of the church looks like a house from the distance, because most of the materials and construction methods are based on the general housing rules.
As we approach the architecture, we can recognize it a church. It is not only because of the arches doors and the cross, but the facade of the church. The church roof consisting of the same angle with other houses gradually hides. So this makes the facade to appear clearly. The shape of the dent is a result of considering the effect of light to the interior. This helps strengthen the appearance of the facade of the church.
The inside, the chapel is surrounded by several rooms. By this, we are to improve the heat and sound insulation of the chapel because it is in the residential area. Surrounded rooms that were painted color on the ceiling and wall are the role of stained glass. Looking around the rooms from the chapel, there is abstract light space. Colored pale light which illuminates the chapel change its appearance every time and seasons. Thus, the rooms established by functional reasons have a religious meaning.
Here, we are not only intended to produce a majesty church. We explored new ways of building this church by affirming various condition,the surrounding environment, climate, and intended use. In doing so, we thought the church become a small modest architecture only in this town. We hope that this church will be loved by neighbors and believers, and functions as a part of life in this town.

Architect: Katsunobu Tasho and Atsushi Ueda,Shinichi Kawakatsu(katsunobu tasho architecture+un voice)
structural design:yoshiki mondo (mnd)
contractor: chikuhokumokuzaikensetsu co., ltd.
textile design:Akane Moriyama
speaker:Manpei Tsurubayashi(Sound Equipment Producer/sonihouse)
all images by Takashi Suzuki(3,5,6,11-17,19,21-23)
Teppei Sakai(1,2,4,20)