Phenomenology light in religious building Essay

Phenomenology light in religious building - Essay Example Look at the unparallel beauty of St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow designed by Postnik Yakolev and built between 1555 and 1561. Look at the magnitude of the Notre Dame in France worked upon by numerous architects. Head towards Istanbul, Turkey and bask your eyes upon the Hagia Sophia mosque with its intriguing history. The Nidaros Cathedral, the most beautiful cathedral in Norway, probably in all Scandinavian Peninsula;Â  Or the Cologne Cathedral in Germany, an exceptional work of creative genius (Florin Nedelcu, 2008). Remember the anticipation and the excitement you experience as a child when your father takes you out to buy a new toy. At this point I am that child. However after a lot of deliberation on the basis of personal as well as architectural preference The Church of light by Tadao Ando and the Shah Mosque in Iran are the religious structures my essay will focus upon. Church of Light by Tadao Ando Being a student of architecture the work of Tadao Ando has always been one that I have greatly admired. I had initially associated Tadao Ando’s accomplishment for receiving the 18th Prtizker Prize as a result of his notable work and the fact that he had accomplished great architectural credibility being a self-taught designer. However looking at his vast body of work and his artful use of natural light and landscape, from all of his work the design that is my favorite is the Church of Light. I had always had great feelings of respect for Ando’s ability to design the church of light within a limited budget. Not only was that the case but during the course of his work there existed a strong possibility that the church would end up with no roof. I strongly believe that the work of an architect is a mere depiction of his personality. Isn’t that just what the core essence of architectural phenomenology all about? Feelings that are so strong that they are imprinted on the structure that a person designs. The Church of Light is not just a brilliant piece of architectural genius but it is the tangible proof of Tadao Ando’s resilient, diligent and creative strength of character. Tadao Ando, as an architect is brilliant but as a person he is a source of great inspiration for me. He fills my heart with joy and a longing that perhaps one day I can grow into a person that not only excels in his work but receives the admiration and respect of millions around the world. That being said I can clearly recall the reason for my insistence to go visit Ibaraki during my family trip to Japan. I had seen various pictures of The Church of light as any student of architecture during the course of his work would have. However seeing the actual structure was a minor motivation for me to explore Ibaraki. I remember a certain disagreement that I had prior to my trip with my father. The details of which are hazy but I clearly remember the bad and restless mood I had been in. I remember dragging my feet and wanting to get away from everyone with little regard about where I was headed towards. It was with this black mood that I made my way towards the Church of light. At some point I thought I had gotten lost. If I recall correctly I didn’t particularly care. At some point I angrily muttered a few unappreciative words to Ando for selecting such a confusing location. This was when I ran into an old Japanese man. He smiled at me and said something in Japanese. His