a contemporary take has been applied in the construction of ‘the tainan tung-men holiness church’, a project in which MAYU architects+ explore light and materiality to create a peaceful and holy sanctuary for people to worship god. located in taiwan, the site of the new church is based within the dense urban fabric surrounded by residential buildings. the aim to activate the family-friendly neighborhood has influenced the church to incorporate inviting programs to its ground floors, including a book-store and coffee shop.
the building itself is a raised two-storey cubicle volume formed by cast-in-place concrete and is balanced with warmer materials such as wood. the perforated, copper-toned screens invite a soft and dappled light into the spaces of worship, heightening the ethereal and uplifting nature. at the same time, it forms a sheer fabric that presents the secular world outside in a different light. MAYU architects+ installed the aluminum screens as a subtle nod to the eagle, a constant symbol in the bible; the feather-like character was acheived by orientating every panel in according to the fibonacci sequence. in addition, they are slightly twisted by a difference of two degrees from one another and in turn, allows the façade to appear soft, transparent and flowing.
design firm: mayu architects+
architects: malone chang / yu-lin chen
client: tainan tung-men holiness church
location: tainan, taiwan
program(use): church
project team: malone chang, yu-lin chen (architects), sheng-yang huang, elisabeth
lebas (competition), yu-ling liu, ting-yi lo, miao-ling cheng (sd/dd/cd), yong-sian fang (ca)
structural engineer: envision engineering consultant
mep & hvac engineer: zhao-rong chen engineers associates
construction companies: fugu construction
site area: 420 sqm
building area: 239.5 sqm
total floor area: 1240.06 sqm
stories: 5
structure: reinforced concrete
finish (exterior): aluminum composite perforated panel, low-e glass, concrete
finish (interior): aluminum louvered ceiling, glass partition, solid teak flooring, linoleum flooring
interior design: mayu architects+
landscape design: mayu architects+
competition: 08/2012
construction start: 07/2013
completion: 09/2015
from designboom