Ribbon Chapel () is a wedding venue in

Onomichi is a Cities of Japan, city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 129,314 in 64055 households and a population density of 450 people per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Onomichi is loca ...

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, with a panoramic view of

Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka Ba ...

. The building, which is an element of the resort, was designed by Hiroshi Nakamura and NAP. The ceremonial space seats 80.

History

The chapel and the resort generally are part of the redevelopment of an older hotel originally constructed by

Tsuneishi Shipbuilding is a Japan-based global shipbuilding company. History Businessman Katsutaro Kambara founded the Shiohama Dockyard in 1917 at the site of the current Tsuneishi Shipyard. His previous venture was Kambara Kisen Co., Ltd, a shipping firm. The busines ...

for visiting clients and local tourists. Tsuneishi Shipbuilding and the resort are both now part of a conglomerate called . Nakamura and NAP also designed

Sayama Forest Chapel is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 149,826 in 69,859 households and a population density of 3100 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Sayama is located in south-cent ...

in Saitama and the Roku Museum in Oyama. A magazine feature article on Sayama Forest Chapel, which was built around the same time as Ribbon Chapel, stated that architect Nakamura is known for his "sensorial designs, using finite expressions to create unique phenomenological spaces."

Design

The most distinctive feature of the chapel is the double spiral staircase, in which two conical helicoid forms are connected at the top. The interior is glass-walled, and the double spiral staircase is ubiquitous, serving as the exterior walls and ceiling. The top is an observation deck overlooking the Seto Inland Sea with a skylight. The use of 10-cm-diameter steel columns used only support vertical loads contribute to sense of openness. The exterior of the spiral is made of wood, while the interior of the staircase is made of a weather-resistant titanium-zinc alloy. Connecting beams are used at four points where the double helixes intersect to prevent the helixes from flaring, rotating, or sinking. The entire building stands on a steel foundation placed on a seismic isolation system. The Ribbon Chapel is 15.26 m2 by 72.2 m2 in size.

Reception

'' Arquitectura'' magazine called it "a building of great beauty." ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

'' described it as an "arresting,

minimalist In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...

" construction that "uses love as a metaphor and delivers a building that is anything but corny." ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'', in a review of an exhibit of contemporary Japanese architecture, observed "Even small-scale buildings can be a bit spectacular, like the Ribbon Chapel about 60 miles from Hiroshima...Two ribbonlike stairways emerge from a glass-walled wedding chapel, interlocking to symbolize the bonds of marriage." According to ''

Aesthetica ''Aesthetica Magazine'' is a publication focusing on art and culture. Established in 2002, the magazine provides bi-monthly coverage of contemporary art across various disciplines, including visual arts, photography, architecture, fashion, an ...

'', "The two intertwining staircases, which don't look binding but rather loosely interwoven, cross each other at various points and mutually support one another: less like the metaphor of a knot, and more like a spontaneous moment in the tying of a bow." The building appears in the 2022

Taschen Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt Taschen and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen. History The company began as Tasch ...

coffee-table book ''Contemporary Japanese Architecture'' by Philip Jodidio. ''

Robb Report The ''Robb Report'' is an American, English-language, luxury- lifestyle magazine featuring products, including automobiles, aviation, boating, real estate and watches. Founded in 1976, it is currently owned by Penske Media Corporation. It also ...

'', a lifestyle magazine intended for VHNW consumers, featured Ribbon Chapel in an article recommending travel destinations outside the Japanese megalopolises.

Awards

* JCD Award 2014, Grand Prize * Overall Winner of LEAF Awards 2015 *

Wallpaper Wallpaper is used in interior decoration to cover the interior walls of domestic and public buildings. It is usually sold in rolls and is applied onto a wall using wallpaper paste. Wallpapers can come plain as "lining paper" to help cover uneve ...

* Design Awards 2015, Best Chapel * 2015 Japan Structural Designers Awards * Finalist of

World Architecture Festival The World Architecture Festival (WAF) is an Architecture, architectural and design event held annually and considered to be one of the most prestigious events dedicated to the architecture and development industries. It was founded by Paul Fin ...

2015, Religion category * 2016

ArchDaily ArchDaily is a website covering architecture, architectural news, projects, products, events, interviews and competitions, opinion pieces, among others, catering to architects, designers and other interested parties. It is currently based in San ...

Building of the Year Awards, Religious Architecture category * BCS Prize 2016 *Architizer A+Awards 2017, Jury Winner in the Religious Buildings & Memorials category

References

{{reflist

External links