Hiroshi Nakamura, architect of the Ribbon Chapel in Japan, describes the design ideology and his personal favorite elements of the project in this stunning new video by Matthew Allard ACS. Shooting the chapel at various times during the day, its changing characteristics are captured in the movement of the light and camera, the twisting concrete forms seeming to dance.
The Ribbon Chapel embodies the connecting paths of a married couple, giving their respective lives form in two spiral staircases that join to become one at the top. “There are many architecture projects in the world that use spirals, but I think we are the first to create a free-standing structure in this way,” says Nakamura.
He goes on to describe the experience he envisions for the couples that use the building. “The concept behind it is to design the pathway of experience, and I think that is one of the characteristics of Japanese architecture. That DNA runs through me too, and I wanted to reflect it in my work,” he says. “I also wed my own wife there, and it was a very special moment to have a ceremony in the building that I designed.”
