Nishi Hongan-ji Temple(1)

Kyoto's Nishi Honganji Reception Hall: Exploring Modern Spaces within a Temple 🌟 🎢🍃 The Nishi Honganji Reception Hall (by Takamatsu Shin) strikes a delicate balance between tradition and modernity in architectural culture. With a design philosophy deeply rooted in postmodernism, it seamlessly blends the solemnity of religious architecture with the innovative spirit of modern construction. ▪️ An Architectural Masterpiece Hidden Underground 🎢🍃 While Nishi Honganji is renowned for its traditional structures like the Goeido and Amidado, the newly added reception hall takes a dramatically different approach—it conceals its main space beneath the ground. This subterranean concept is not only a rare attempt on a global scale but also preserves the ancient landscape of Nishi Honganji from being visually disrupted. 🎢🍃From the surface, the visible parts of the building are limited to the entrance and the gallery, both characterized by a reinforced concrete (RC) structure. Through the skylights and ventilation glass boxes surrounded by white gravel, one can catch a glimpse of the crescent - moon - shaped and circular glass lighting design. The majority of the building lies hidden underground, like a concealed modern palace. #Kyoto 🌇🌿