By David Chipperfield

This book presents David Chipperfield’s new architectural work realised in Japan, a contemporary place for prayer. The primary material is photography – Risaku Suzuki’s work documents the architecture, which is in constant dialogue with the surrounding landscape of Inagawa, over four alternating seasons. Suzuki’s camera conveys the visitor’s experience of the architecture in time and space, rather than an objectified image of a static piece of work. The photographic journey of the Chapel and the Visitor Centre are followed by an essay written by the architect and stories behind the scene: the parallel processes of collaborations with client, with constructors and engineers, and designers for the exceptional gardens or handmade screens. The buildings are as much the outcome of innovative architectural thinking with deference to the Japanese sensitivity as a technical breakthrough for construction. Featuring an exclusive conversation between David Chipperfield, Hideyuki Osawa, and Thomas Struth.