Seashore Chapel, Beidaihe

About

The image that inspires the project is that of an old boat adrift in the ocean for years. With time, the ocean recedes and leaves an empty structure behind, still lying on the beach. Starting from this poetic image, the project focuses on both the interior and the exterior. The interior is a covered outdoor space that naturally becomes a resting place for people on the beach, also connecting spiritual life and everyday life. When the tide rises, this space is submerged in water. At that moment, the imagery of the drifting boat emerges from the chapel. The atmosphere on the upper floor is intensely divine and spiritual. The spatial experience begins on the 30-meter-long path leading to the chapel. As people approach, they can form a gradual image of the building: first, moving along the narrow path that ends in a grand staircase, behind which the volume of the building emerges, floating over the sand; afterwards, walking up the stairs, with a glimpse of ocean in distance, going through the door and reaching the interior; and finally, entering the space of the chapel itself, with a large window that opens up to the ocean view. The relationship between space and the ocean feels closer due to the elevated position.

Sources

• Arquitectura Viva