Church of the Light

A small 1989 chapel in Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture, where a cross-shaped opening cuts through exposed concrete.

Daylight draws the cross inside a dark box, replacing an applied religious object with light itself.

On a constrained site and budget, material and opening alone establish a sacred atmosphere.

It is one of Tadao Ando’s best-known works and an emblem of exposed-concrete architecture.

Exposed concrete

Architect Tadao Ando