A new chapel and visitor centre in Inagawa, Japan, designed by David Chipperfield Architects, opens 30 June 2017. Commissioned by the Boenfukyukai Foundation, it sits at the foot of a steep hillside cemetery in the Hokusetsu mountains, 40km north of Osaka.
The building marks a threshold between the outer world and the cemetery, providing a quiet space for contemplation. A single sloping roof plane follows the line of the hillside and shelters a non-denominational chapel, visitor centre and a memorial room, all grouped around a secluded central courtyard.
Image © Keiko Sasaoka