LITURGICAL/INTERIOR DESIGN
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Westin Miyako Kyoto Chapel Renovation
Kyoto, Japan
Architect
KATORI archi+design associates
Tokyo, Japan
The Westin Miyako Kyoto is an elegant hotel nestled into the foothills of the city’s Higashiyama district. This major renovation and earthquake-retrofit of the chapel, which occupies a separate building on the hotel property, took over two years. Much of the existing framework was utilized, adding a wooden ceiling lattice interwoven with indirect lighting to evoke sunlight pouring through trees’ branches. The connection with the woods behind the building was underscored by reconfiguring the windows. Wooden louvers on the walls create a sense of depth and rhythm, tying the entire space together by linking to the ceiling lattice and ensuring the high quality, serene reverberations required in a chapel. As a show of respect for the remarkable natural surroundings, rock and wood take center stage in this sacred space imbued with a traditional Japanese aesthetic.
Jury Comments
Westin Miyako Kyoto Chapel’s interior exudes a delicate touch in the latticework web that holds sunlight as if it were in a basket. The natural materials of stone and wood ground this sacred space in the earth’s beauty, lending a sense of timelessness.
