The concept of this design, the Cloth of God, was inspired by a religious story. The structure of the Chapel tells the story of Exodus, from the Bible. The curved walls representing the parting of the Red Sea, and the rock is the end of the story - Mount Sinai and the Holy Land of Canaan - where the 10 Commandments and word of God were carved on stone. Here, according to our design, the curved walls and rock were fashioned to create a link between the building's external appearance and internal function.
From the Oriental perspective, the Christian God is real yet invisible to mortals. Maybe people perceive His existence as if a fleeting view of a corner of cloth. This is encapsulated in the curve wall receding into the rock and, hence suggested the name of this design concept - God's Cloth. The chapel, consisting of an auditorium cloistered by a corridor for devotee's observation and contemplation, and a monastery with another sunken yard at its core, is buried on the higher side of the slope. The glass facade, on the lower side, presents picturesque scenes of the Jailing River below. The upper curved walls are present visible evidence of the chapel's existence, are made from steel and clad with Fiber Reinforced Plastics (FRP). We took advantage of the material's translucency to allow more light and dramatic, variable effects.
All the information about how to enter the 2020 WAN Awards is here.
We are very happy to offer support so please don’t hesitate to email Georgia, WAN Awards Event Coordinator with any questions at Georgia.Baily@haymarket.com.
Last year more than 40 countries took part in the WAN Awards with strong showings from Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. And we saw some truly outstanding projects, take a look at the winners from last year here.