Highlighting the Beauty of the Shadows and Gradations
KATORI archi+design associates
The wedding chapel of the Westin Miyako Kyoto, at the foot of Mount Kacho in the Japanese city’s Higashiyama district, has a new interior after restoration by Tokyo-based architects KARORI. The grand hotel had previously been redesigned by the eclectic Japanese architect Togo Murano, including the architecturally significant Kasui-en Annex completed in 1959. The same elegance and quality he brought to the hotel were essential in the renovation and earthquake retrofit of the brick wedding chapel, which occupies a separate building on the hotel property, and seats 100. Intended to express “the new spirit of Kyoto,” the chapel is able to accommodate the increasingly diverse range of wedding styles sought by contemporary couples, including not only conventional church ceremonies but also Shinto and non-religious ceremonies.
The two-year project, began in 2018, re-used as much of the existing framework as possible while also incorporating elements of traditional shrine and temple architecture, adding a wooden ceiling lattice. It is interwoven with indirect lighting that evokes sunlight pouring through the branches of trees, and highlights the beauty of the shadows and gradations that are created as light falls through the multi-layered lattice. The connection with the woods behind the building was strengthened by redesigning the windows to remove mullions and increase transparency, as well as by introducing natural light over a stone wall behind the alter, in order to bring the exterior space into the interior. The wooden louvers on the walls create a sense of depth and rhythm, both tying the entire space together by linking to the ceiling lattice, and ensuring the high quality, serene reverberations required in a chapel. Atmosphere is created by the materials themselves, expressing the contrast between delicacy and strength through the use of stained, fire-proofed cedar and unpolished granite from the mountains of Shodoshima. The result is a sacred space imbued with traditional Japanese aesthetics and deep respect for its abundant natural surroundings.
Project: The Westin Miyako Kyoto Chapel Renovation / Architects : KATORI archi+design associates / Designed by : Takenori Katori , Fumi Habara , KATORI archi+design associates / Address : Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan / Interior design : Takenori Katori , Fumi Habara / KATORI archi+design associates / ighting design : ModuleX Inc. / Acoustical design : Naniwa Chiba Acoustics Inc. / Client : Kintetsu Miyako Hotels International,Inc. / Contractor : KINSO Inc. / Renovation Area: 237m² / Completion Date : April, 2020 / Photo : Tomohiro Sakashita
