- Completed 1988
- Location Tomamu, Hokkaido, Japan
- Material Concrete
- Size 4200 m2
Chapel on the Water was a project taken by Ando shortly before he completed the Church of Light. This chapel lies in the heart of the Japanese island Hokkaido, sitting adjacent to a large pond.
Ando's direction with this building was to create an experience binded with the surrounding nature — a cross lies outside of the chapel, on the water. The visitor takes in the sight of the cross together with a painting of nature.
Viewing of the cross in daylight
borrowed scenery
The large horizontal window of the chapel’s main room frames an image of the surrounding nature, as if it was a painting. This is known as “shakkei” in Japanese culture, where nature is a borrowed scenery that can be viewed from within a building.
Wedding taking place at the chapel
Concrete walls form a path along the chapel’s perimeter. Visitors must walk along the path to reach the chapel. The path serves as a scenic walk where visitors experience chapel's scents and sounds. Ando intended for the path to isolate the chapel and its pond from its exterior surroundings, so that visitors could devote all their attention to the chapel’s atmosphere and views once they entered the building.
