IMMANUEL CHURCH
Kim Seunghoy (Seoul National University) + KYWC Architects
ARCHITECT
KYWC Architects, Kim Seunghoy (Seoul National University)
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Yoon Koojo Structural Engineering Co.
CONSTRUCTION
Jaein Construction
PHOTOGRAPHS
Kang Ilmin, Kim Jongoh
AREA
2335 m²
YEAR
2003
LOCATION
Cheongju, South Korea
CATEGORY
Churches
Text description provided by architect.
Vehicles dominating the street, night sky full of light.
Our cityscape is no longer absolute nor sublime.
It lacks the space where one could be engrossed in contemplation toward redemption.
Yet it is quite miraculous to watch a new church being erected and believers attend a service at the crack of dawn.
The scene is a testament to the sprouts of faith growing on the soil of fetishism.
Immanuel church occupies the corner of the newly-developed area in Cheong-ju.
As newly-developed areas usually are, buildings are covered with garish coloured signs.
Hence the church is challenged to show the presence of itself in a simple and restrained fashion.
The church delineates its rectangular outline on the trapezoidal site while it contains education and maintenance facilities on its bottom and the main chapel on its superstructure.
The lower mass is built with bricks whereas the upper mass is fabricated with a glass wall.
At a certain part of the exterior, the bricks and glass wall encounter in a delicate manner.
Finally, an emergency staircase, entrance stairs and bell towers complete the edifice.
Those additional elements clarify the relationship between the building and the city.
By directly connecting the street to the third-floor level chapel, entrance stairs draw the street into the building without detriment to the existing urban flow.
Meanwhile, the two towers exhibit themselves toward opposite directions and successfully articulate the trapezoidal shaped site.
Above everything else, the main chapel is the protagonist that defines the church.
15m span roof is solely supported by 7.5x15cm thin columns.
In addition, translucent glass walls conceal that thin column, therefore one would think the roof is floating in the air.
The light wall is then sliced by mullion caps creating certain proportion.
Sandblasted surface of the light wall approaches the believers as God’s presence.
Nothing remains but to worship under the holy light.
Holiness does not come from icon nor from the precious material but from light.
Immanuel church truly shows its presence by light.
Over brick and glass, gravel and sand, will the light exists.
