lgn1901

Laminated glass is used for "spirituality and space" in an underground addition to an ancient Zen temple

2001 DuPont Benedictus Award^® goes to Takashi Yamaguchi of Japan

An aerial view of the temple addition's exterior skylight from the south at night

Takashi Yamaguchi & Associates of Osaka, Japan won the 2001 DuPont Benedictus Award^® (Commercial section) for a 'glass temple' – a new addition, in laminated glass, to the ancient Reigenkou-ji temple built by the Emperor Gomizuno-o in 1638, in Japan's northern Kyoto hills.

Yamaguchi said: "The glass temple (completed in 1998) had to be in harmony with Japanese architectural traditions, express the Zen spirit in form and create a space that is calm and conducive to meditation. In order to maintain the integrity of the original temple, we situated the new structure underground. Only a slim, transparent, laminated glass box appears above ground."

Looking upward from inside the temple through the skylight; the sky and trees connect the temple with nature.

He continued: "In the glass temple, I sought to create an architecture of glass, filled with light. Underground, we cannot feel the wind. Yet through the skylight we clearly see the transformations made by the wind in the exterior scenery. In a space that deprives us of hearing and touch, our vision sharpens. Everything becomes a soundless movie."

The triple glazed, laminated glass of the skylight was supplied by Asahi Glass. Yamaguchi explained: "I selected laminated glass for two main reasons. The first is that laminated glass provides the best safety solution for the extensive overhead glazing I wanted, preventing broken glass from falling into the temple beneath.

"Second, I aimed to achieve the colour of deep water by tinting one of the lites blue and building up this effect using two more layers of glass, only possible in a laminated construction. In traditional, Japanese karesansui rock gardens, architects used an expanse of white gravel to express the concept of water. I wanted to revive the ancient Zen architectural tradition of "Expressing water without using actual water" in a contemporary way, using an expanse of laminated glass." The insulated glass keeps the underground space at an average temperature of 15 degrees C. The construction company for this project was Konoike Construction.

2001 DuPont Benedictus Award judges Henry Cobb, Vassilis Sgoutas and Odile Decq, said: "Yamaguchi's work has the magic of pure architecture; it combines simplicity of form and management of light. The lead instrument is laminated glass. This project demonstrates that it is possible to build a link to a previous culture and still speak in your own voice. Laminated glass makes a strong contribution here to spirituality and space."