Shonan Christ Church designed by Takeshi Hosaka Architects and completed in 2014 in Fujisawa, Japan, is an architectural meditation on light, time, and sacred space.
Nestled within a verdant residential neighborhood, a short distance from the Shonan coastline, this Protestant church was conceived as a response to the evolving needs of its congregation. The original meetinghouse, built over 50 years ago, had become too small, prompting the decision to create a new structure that would embody both the history of the community and the spiritual aspirations of its members. The design achieves this through a striking interplay of materiality, natural light, and theological symbolism.
At the heart of the church’s architectural language is its six undulating roof forms, each corresponding to a day in the Genesis creation narrative. These curved surfaces, set at varying heights, create openings through which natural light filters into the chapel, transforming throughout the day. The orchestrated illumination is particularly attuned to the Sunday service hours (10:30–12:00), ensuring that worship unfolds beneath a soft, diffused glow. As the service nears its conclusion, shafts of direct sunlight begin to pierce the space, shifting dynamically across the walls—an evocative metaphor for divine revelation. In the afternoon, these beams intensify, cascading through the chapel in a rhythm that mirrors the passage of time.
Materially, the church juxtaposes exposed reinforced concrete with intricate acoustic detailing. The chapel’s walls feature randomly spaced, longitudinal ribs, creating an interplay of convex and concave surfaces. These elements serve a dual function: the convex surfaces enhance the clarity of hymns and choral music, while the concave dark gray acoustic panels amplify spoken word, ensuring the priest’s sermons are heard with clarity. This finely tuned balance of sound and light underscores the church’s role as a vessel for both communal worship and private contemplation.
Further embedding the congregation’s history within the architecture, Reverend Furuya collected sand from the site of the former church, incorporating it into a terracotta cross—a symbolic fusion of past and present. This theme extends to the handcrafted relief tiles, depicting the six days of Genesis, embedded within the north-south walls. Each tile, adorned with ethereal blue hues, was uniquely designed, inviting visitors to discover subtle variations across different rooms, from the main chapel to the anteroom and even the baby room. These details enrich the tactile and visual experience, transforming the space into a living testament to faith and craftsmanship.
