Ribbon Chapel (Japanese: リボンチャペル) is a wedding venue in Onomichi, Hiroshima, Japan, with a panoramic view of Seto Inland Sea.[1][2] The building, which is an element of the Bella Vista Spa & Marina Onomichi [ja] resort, was designed by Hiroshi Nakamura and NAP.[3] The ceremonial space seats 80.[4]

Ribbon Chapel
リボンチャペル
Map
General information
Address1344-2 Oobiraki Urasakicho, Onomichishi, Hiroshima, Japan
Coordinates34°23′37″N 133°17′12″E / 34.3935723°N 133.2867953°E / 34.3935723; 133.2867953
OpenedDecember 2013
OwnerTsuneishi Resorts
Design and construction
Architect(s)Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP
Structural: Ove Arup & Partners

History edit

The chapel and the resort generally are part of the redevelopment of an older hotel originally constructed by Tsuneishi Shipbuilding [ja] for visiting clients and local tourists. Tsuneishi Shipbuilding and the resort are both now part of a conglomerate called Tsuneishi Holdings [ja].[5]

Nakamura and NAP also designed Sayama Forest Chapel in Saitama and the Roku Museum in Oyama. A magazine feature article on Sayama Forest Chapel, which was built around the same time as Ribbon Chapel, stated that architect Nakamura is known for his "sensorial designs, using finite expressions to create unique phenomenological spaces."[6]

Design edit

The most distinctive feature of the chapel is the double spiral staircase, in which two conical helicoid[7] forms are connected at the top. The interior is glass-walled, and the double spiral staircase is ubiquitous, serving as the exterior walls and ceiling. The top is an observation deck overlooking the Seto Inland Sea with a skylight. The use of 10-cm-diameter steel columns used only support vertical loads contribute to sense of openness.

The exterior of the spiral is made of wood, while the interior of the staircase is made of a weather-resistant titanium-zinc alloy. Connecting beams are used at four points where the double helixes intersect to prevent the helixes from flaring, rotating, or sinking. The entire building stands on a steel foundation placed on a seismic isolation system. The Ribbon Chapel is 15.26 m2 by 72.2 m2 in size.[8][9][10][11][12][13]

Reception edit

Arquitectura magazine called it "a building of great beauty."[14] Slate described it as an "arresting, minimalist" construction that "uses love as a metaphor and delivers a building that is anything but corny."[4] The Wall Street Journal, in a review of an exhibit of contemporary Japanese architecture, observed "Even small-scale buildings can be a bit spectacular, like the Ribbon Chapel about 60 miles from Hiroshima...Two ribbonlike stairways emerge from a glass-walled wedding chapel, interlocking to symbolize the bonds of marriage."[15] According to Aesthetica, "The two intertwining staircases, which don't look binding but rather loosely interwoven, cross each other at various points and mutually support one another: less like the metaphor of a knot, and more like a spontaneous moment in the tying of a bow."[16]

The building appears in the 2022 Taschen coffee-table book Contemporary Japanese Architecture by Philip Jodidio.[17] Robb Report, a lifestyle magazine intended for VHNW consumers, featured Ribbon Chapel in an article recommending travel destinations outside the Japanese megalopolises.[18]

Awards edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "瀬戸内海を望む礼拝堂「リボンチャペル(Ribbon Chapel)」 | 物語を届けるしごと" (in Japanese). 2019-10-30. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  2. ^ "Ribbon Chapel". 新建築 Shinkenchiku (2014年7月号 July 2014): P113. 2014-07-01.
  3. ^ Michelle, Mackintosh; Wide, Steve (2022). Japan : a curated guide to the best areas, food, culture & art. Pan Macmillan Australia. p. 354. OCLC 1341238354.
  4. ^ a b Hohenadel, Kristin (2015-02-12). "Is This Spiraling Chapel the World's Most Romantic Wedding Venue?". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  5. ^ POLLOCK, NAOMI R. (August 2017). "On a Clear Day". Architectural Record. 205 (8): 102–105. 0003858X.
  6. ^ Igarashi, Taro (December 2015). "SPIRITUAL HEIGHTS". Architectural Review. Vol. 238, no. 1426. p. 36. 0003861X.
  7. ^ GRAUR, Ana-Maria; MÂRZA, Carmen; CORSIUC, Georgiana (June 2022). "THE USE OF TWISTED SURFACES AS A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION IN ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPTS". Journal of Industrial Design & Engineering Graphics. 17 (1): 37–42.
  8. ^ "Ribbon Chapel - 中村拓志/NAP建築設計事務所 | 新建築データ". Ribbon Chapel - 中村拓志/NAP建築設計事務所 | 新建築データ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  9. ^ "Engineering The Ribbon Chapel - Arup". www.arup.com. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  10. ^ "Ribbon Chapel". P. S. Mitsubishi Construction Co., Ltd. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  11. ^ 日経クロステック(xTECH). "二重らせんで水平力を負担". 日経クロステック(xTECH) (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  12. ^ "中村拓志 / NAP建築設計事務所による、広島県尾道市の「Ribbon Chapel」". architecturephoto.net (in Japanese). 2015-10-21. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  13. ^ "Bella Vista Spa & Marina Onomichi: Ribbon Chapel 缎带教堂". SETOUCHI ARCHI-TOURISM (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  14. ^ "Hiroshi Nakamura. The Ribbon Chapel. Hiroshima, Japón". Arquitectura (in Spanish). 2016-09-21. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  15. ^ Saenger, Peter (2021-07-17). "REVIEW, Exhibit: Building Japan". Wall Street Journal. ProQuest 2552227704.
  16. ^ Herd, Colin (October–November 2017). "Collective Landscape". Aesthetica. No. 79. p. 37. 17432715.
  17. ^ n.a. (2021-11-30). "See the Coolest New Buildings From Japanese Architects". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  18. ^ Alexander, Lucy (March 2020). "Beyond Tokyo". Robb Report. Vol. 44, no. 3. pp. 112–117.
  19. ^ "一般社団法人 日本商環境デザイン協会". 一般社団法人 日本商環境デザイン協会 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  20. ^ "Beautiful, spiralling chapel wins 2015 Leaf Awards". New Atlas. 2015-10-26. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  21. ^ Magazine, Wallpaper* (2015-02-11). "Design Awards 2015: best of the rest". Wallpaper*. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  22. ^ "2015年 第10回日本構造デザイン賞|柴田 育秀". www.jsdclub.jp. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  23. ^ "Gallery of Shortlist Announced for World Architecture Festival Awards 2015 - 15". ArchDaily. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  24. ^ "リボンチャペル(尾道)、世界最大の建築祭WAFでファイナリストへ". 広島ニュース 食べタインジャー (in Japanese). 2022-09-27. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  25. ^ "Winners of the 2016 Building of the Year Awards". ArchDaily. 2016-02-09. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  26. ^ "ROKI Global Innovation Center -ROGIC- | The BCS Prize | Japan Federation of Construction Contractors". www.nikkenren.com. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  27. ^ "2017 Typology Winners - Architizer A+Awards". winners.architizer.com. Retrieved 2022-10-17.

External links edit