Tectonic character in Tadao Ando’s Church of the Light: Structure, space, and form

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47818/DRArch.2025.v6i3187

Keywords:

architectural space, Church of the Light, concept of tectonics, structural form, Tadao Ando

Abstract

Tadao Ando is one of the most important figures in modern architecture, combining minimalist design with traditional Japanese aesthetics, and is known for the use of light in spatial and spiritual contexts. The Church of the Light is one of his well-known projects, reflecting his architectural philosophy and design approach. This paper primarily examines the relationship between the structural form, architectural space, tectonic character, materiality, and detailing in the Church of the Light. Particularly, the paper analyzes the use of materials and the interplay between structure and architectural space in Ando's design. This analysis is based on the taxonomy proposed by Chad Schwartz in his book “Introducing Architectural Tectonics: Exploring the Intersection of Design and Construction”, which includes Place, Precedent, Space, Anatomy, Stereotomic, Tectonic, Representation, and Detail as the primary principles constituting the concept of tectonics. The analysis sections and the findings discuss how Ando’s tectonic sensibility transforms raw materials and the use of light into an experiential and spiritual architectural space. Additionally, the study offers a deeper understanding of Ando’s architectural approach by examining the Church of the Light.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

  • Helin Bağcıvan, Dokuz Eylül University

    Helin Bağcıvan is currently a graduate student at M.Sc. in Architectural Design of Dokuz Eylül University, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences. She received her BArch degree in Architecture from Izmir Democracy University. Her research area is kinetic architecture and kinetic performance spaces.

  • Yenal Akgün, Dokuz Eylül University

    Yenal Akgün graduated from the Department of Architecture at Istanbul Technical University in 2000. After working on several national and international design projects between 2000 and 2002, he began working for the İzmir Institute of Technology (IZTECH) in 2002 as a research assistant. In 2004, he received his MSc degree from IZTECH. In 2006, he continued his academic studies at the University of Stuttgart, Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design (ILEK), with a Ph.D. grant from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and completed his Ph.D. in 2010. In December 2017, he received the title of Associate Professor from the Higher Education Council of Turkey (YOK) in the field of “Construction and Construction Technologies / Systems in Architecture”. Between 2017 and 2019, he worked as a full-time architect at Izmir Konak Municipality Department of Urban Design and taught at Yaşar University Department of Architecture as a part-time lecturer. Between September 2017 and May 2023, he worked as a full-time associate professor at the Yaşar University Department of Architecture. Since May 2023, he has been a full professor at the Department of Architecture, Dokuz Eylül University. Yenal Akgün has received numerous awards in national architecture competitions and has conducted numerous workshops, both national and international, at several universities.

References

Akgün, Y., Erkarslan, Ö. E., & Kavuncuoğlu, C. (2022). Tectonics of kinetic architecture: Moving envelope, changing space, and the shades of the shed. Frontiers in Built Environment, 8, Article 1006300. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2022.1006300

Ando, T. (1990). Tadao Ando: Buildings, projects, writings. Princeton Architectural Press.

ArchEyes. (n.d.). Church of Light by Tadao Ando: Minimalism and the play of light. https://archeyes.com/church-of-light-by-tadao-ando-minimalism-and-the-play-of-light (Retrieved date: 11.04.2025)

Armağan, C. Ç. (2011). Material-sensitive design through phenomenological method and tectonic language [Master’s thesis, Istanbul Technical University].

Baek, J. (2017). Church of the Light: Tadao Ando. In D. Leatherbarrow & A. Eisenschmidt (Eds.), The companions to the history of architecture (Vol. 4, pp. 1_10). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118887226.wbcha161

Bötticher, K. (1992). The principles of the Hellenic and Germanic ways of building with regard to their application to our present way of building. In H. Hübsch (Ed.), What style should we build? The German debate on architectural style. Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities.

Cengiz, M. S. (2022). Use of daylight in houses and villas from modern architectural buildings. European Journal of Science and Technology, 38, 247-258. https://doi.org/10.31590/ejosat.1113599

Çeşmeli, C. (2019). Interplay between architecture and landscape through Tadao Ando's architecture [Master’s thesis, Middle East Technical University].

Erzen, J. N. (2004). Tadao Ando’s architecture in the light of Japanese aesthetics. METU Journal of the Faculty of Architecture, 21(1-2), 67-80. https://hdl.handle.net/11511/51056

Frampton, K. (1995). Studies in tectonic culture: The poetics of construction in nineteenth and twentieth century architecture. MIT Press.

Furayama, M. (1996). Tadao Ando. Studio Paperback.

Gajewski, K. (2017, May 1). Light in The Pantheon, Rome [Photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/karolgadge/33570650393

Gündüz, G. (2019). Minimalism and Japanese aesthetics in Tadao Ando’s architecture. Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, 18(1), 1-10.

Güzer, A., Tanyeli, U., & Balamir, A. (2000). Tadao Ando. Boyut Press.

Haristianti, V., & Murdowo, D. (2019). Contemporary brutalism: A study of the concept of materiality-Case study: Comparison between brutalism style of Tadao Ando and Andra Matin. Proceedings of the 6th Bandung Creative Movement International Conference in Creative Industries (6th BCM 2019). Bandung, Indonesia.

Iliescu, A. (2023). Church of the Light – Tadao Ando architecture [Photograph]. Artstation. https://www.artstation.com/artwork/obZ5QO

Jodidio, P. (2012). Tadao Ando: Architect. Taschen.

Kroll, A. (2011, January 6). AD Classics: Church of the Light / Tadao Ando architect & associates. ArchDaily. https://www.archdaily.com/101260/ad-classics-church-of-the-light-tadao-ando

Loos, A. (1982). Spoken into the void: Collected essays, 1897-1900. Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts.

McCoy, C. (2009). Tectonics in the twenty-first century: The expanded notion of structure and its perception in architecture [Master’s thesis, University of Cincinnati].

Metalocus. (n.d.). Shaping light: Church of the Light by Tadao Ando. https://tinyurl.com/ep5z6ce7

Nazik, E. (2020). The relationship between space and nature in interior design: The case of Tadao Ando [Master’s thesis, Başkent University].

Rasmussen, S. E. (1992). Tadao Ando's Church of the Light: Sacred simplicity. Architectural Digest, 49(3), 90-95.

Schoof, J. (2021, 9 September). Sensory Masterpiece: Church of the Light by Tadao Ando in Ibaraki (1991). DETAIL. https://tinyurl.com/4vctrbh4

Schwartz, C. (2016). Introducing architectural tectonics: Exploring the intersection of design and construction. Routledge.

Schwartz, C. (2017). A taxonomy of architectural tectonics. In Proceedings of the 2017 BTES Conference. Southern Illinois University – Carbondale.

Seçer, E. (2016). Semantic changes in the concept of “place”: A phenomenological query on the “essence” of architecture [Master’s thesis, Uludağ University].

Sekler, E. (1965). Structure, construction, tectonics. In G. Kepes (Ed.), Structure in art and in science (pp. 89-95). George Braziller.

Semper, G. (1989). The four elements of architecture and other writings (RES monographs in anthropology and aesthetics). Cambridge University Press.

Şahbaz, E. (2010). Questioning of bound and language as a design problem [Master’s thesis, Eskişehir Osmangazi University].

Şimşek, A. (2011). Tectonic expression of concrete as an architectural material [Master’s thesis, Middle East Technical University].

Üçüncü, G. (1995). Similarities and differences between Le Corbusier, Alvar Aalto, and Tadao Ando in terms of daylight usage [Master’s thesis, Karadeniz Technical University].

Yıldız, G. (1995). On the shaping of architectural space and the dimension of meaning through natural light: Louis I. Kahn and Tadao Ando [Master’s thesis, Istanbul Technical University].

Downloads

Published

2025-12-24

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 3 (2025)

Section

Research Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Helin Bağcıvan, Yenal Akgün

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Tectonic character in Tadao Ando’s Church of the Light: Structure, space, and form. (2025). Journal of Design for Resilience in Architecture and Planning, 6(3), 632-647. https://doi.org/10.47818/DRArch.2025.v6i3187

Similar Articles

1-10 of 155

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.