For centuries, churches took the form of ornate temples embellished with sculptures, cornices, tympanums, mosaics, and stained glass—each a measure of the church's devotion to the higher power. During the 20th century, however, churches like Le Corbusier's Ronchamp Chapel and Tadao Ando's Church of the Light proved that decoration was not required to create a hallowed space. Through the use of reinforced concrete, a raw material believed by many architects to have evocative properties, a sense of sanctity could be created without the need for excessive ornamentation. This is a belief that seems to have influenced NAMELESS Architecture, a concept-based design practice with offices in New York City and Seoul. The firm recently completed the arresting RW Concrete Church; composed of a series of simple, cubic volumes poured from concrete, the church claims a prominent presence within the developing urban landscape. Located in Byeollae, a new district near northeast Seoul, the church subtly incorporates visual metaphors and symbols into its design. The solidity of concrete is a metaphor for lasting religious values. The large bell tower of traditional churches is replaced by a cross ...
For centuries, churches took the form of ornate temples embellished with sculptures, cornices, tympanums, mosaics, and stained glass—each a measure of the church's devotion to the higher power. During the 20th century, however, churches like Le Corbusier's Ronchamp Chapel and Tadao Ando's Church of the Light proved that decoration was not required to create a hallowed space. Through the use of reinforced concrete, a raw material believed by many architects to have evocative properties, a sense of sanctity could be created without the need for excessive ornamentation. This is a belief that seems to have influenced NAMELESS Architecture, a concept-based design practice with offices in New York City and Seoul. The firm recently completed the arresting RW Concrete Church; composed of a series of simple, cubic volumes poured from concrete, the church claims a prominent presence within the developing urban landscape. Located in Byeollae, a new district near northeast Seoul, the church subtly incorporates visual metaphors and symbols into its design. The solidity of concrete is a metaphor for lasting religious values. The large bell tower of traditional churches is replaced by a cross ...