Architects: NAMELESS Architecture
Area: 3095 m²
Year: 2013
Photographs: Rohspace / NAMELESS
Structural Consultant: Mido Structural Consultants
Mechanical Consultant: One Engineering
Client: RockWon Church
Architect-in-Charge: Unchung Na, Sorae Yoo
Collaborating Architect: Jplus, Jungtaek Lim, Hwataek Jung
City: Namyangju-si
Country: South Korea
RW Concrete Church, designed by NAMELESS Architecture, is located in Byeollae, near northeast Seoul, Korea. The church integrates simple volumes and concrete to create a structure that symbolizes steadfast religious values. The design features an empty concrete yard for community interaction, a light-filled interior space with a 6.9-meter cantilever, and a chapel with a gentle slope. The church’s layout fosters a transition from daily life to spiritual engagement, with soft light enhancing the serene atmosphere.
RW Concrete Church is situated in Byeollae, a newly developed district near northeast Seoul, Korea. It evokes a sense of being on a new landscape, somewhere between nature and artificiality, creation and extinction. This church, part of the emerging urban fabric, is realized through a series of consecutive spaces based on simple shapes, single material properties, and specific programs.
The use of simple volumes and a single material, concrete, adapted to the site, addresses a variety of needs in the newly developed district. Concrete serves both as the structural and finishing material for the building, symbolizing a property that permeates the entire church while also firmly grounding it, in contrast to abstraction. This solidity metaphorically represents unchanging religious values in an unpredictable era. In addition, the cross, a religious symbol, replaces the traditional bell tower and is integrated into the building’s design through an empty space at the top of the staircase. This minimized symbol adds internal tension to the space.
Upon entering the building, visitors encounter an empty concrete yard on the ground floor. This flexible space facilitates community interaction and accommodates various religious activities. As visitors adjust to the darkness and ascend the three stories of enclosed stairs, they are greeted by a space filled with light. This interior space, featuring a cantilever structure extending 6.9 meters, serves as a transitional area between daily life and the chapel, both physically and spiritually. The chapel itself, designed as a single, peaceful space, uses a gentle slope to create a feeling of attending worship on a low hill. The soft light streaming through the long, narrow clerestory bathes the entire chapel, invigorating the serene space.
Project Gallery
Project Location
Address: Songsan-ro, Byeollae-myeon, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
