Gold Interior Space and Exhibition Design · 2021
The Westin Miyako Kyoto Chapel Renovation
by Takenori Katori and Fumi Habara
- A' Design Award 2021 Gold Winner in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: Kintetsu Miyako Hotels International,Inc.
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 22,364
- Verification code 9284BBF35F · Verify this award
About The Westin Miyako Kyoto Chapel Renovation
Intended to express the new spirit of Kyoto, the highly original chapel is able to accommodate the increasingly diverse range of wedding styles sought by contemporary couples, including not only conventional church ceremonies but also Shinto and non-religious ceremonies. It utilized as much of the existing framework as possible, adding a wooden ceiling lattice interwoven with indirect lighting to evoke sunlight pouring through the branches of trees. The result is a sacred space imbued with traditional Japanese aesthetics and deep respect for its abundant natural surroundings.
Within the rich tradition of contemporary sacred architecture that seeks to honor spiritual contemplation through material honesty and spatial poetry, The Westin Miyako Kyoto Chapel Renovation by Katori archi + design associates emerges as a masterful meditation on the intersection of heritage craft sensibility and modern design thinking. The renovation demonstrates exceptional sensitivity to the phenomenology of sacred space, employing the time-honored A-frame configuration that has symbolized aspiration toward the transcendent across numerous cultural and religious traditions while articulating this universal form through a distinctly regional material vocabulary rooted in refined timber construction techniques. The architects appear to have drawn inspiration from traditional Japanese woodworking traditions, particularly the intricate kumiko lattice screens that transform the chapel walls into rhythmically animated surfaces where varying densities of slats create subtle gradations between enclosure and permeability, opacity and translucency. The technical accomplishment evident in the ceiling structure merits particular attention, where the complex interlocking of timber members achieves both structural integrity and ornamental refinement, culminating in a luminous cross-shaped aperture that bathes the interior in natural light filtered through white-painted geometric frames. This interplay between the warm organic presence of natural wood and the pure geometric clarity of the light source establishes a powerful visual and spiritual dialogue between earthly materiality and celestial illumination. The stone altar wall introduces a contemplative roughness that grounds the refined precision of the timber work, suggesting perhaps the enduring permanence of natural stone against the more ephemeral qualities of human craft. Visitors might consider how the architects have orchestrated a complete sensory journey, from the enveloping warmth of the timber envelope to the cool luminosity of the descending light, inviting participants in ceremonies held within to experience architecture as a vessel for transcendent meaning.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Founded 130 years ago, the Westin Miyako Kyoto is an elegant hotel with a proud history nestled into the foothills of the city’s Higashiyama district. The same elegance and quality were essential in this major renovation and earthquake retrofit of the chapel, which occupies a separate building on the hotel property. Intended to express the new spirit of Kyoto, the highly original chapel is able to accommodate the increasingly diverse range of wedding styles sought by contemporary couples, including not only conventional church ceremonies but also Shinto and non-religious ceremonies.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- We were asked to create a new space without altering the building’s existing framework. Because this condition ruled out the installation of skylights, we used artificial lighting to replicate the appearance of natural light. Regulations required that the wooden latticework on the ceiling and walls be semi-fireproof, so we used fire retardant lumber.
- Tags
- Chapel Renovation, Chapel design,
- Production Technology
- We strengthened the connection with the woods behind the building by redesigning the windows to remove mullions and increase transparency, as well as by shining a sunny light on the natural-stone wall in order to bring the exterior space into the interior. We valued the atmosphere created by materials themselves, expressing the contrast between delicacy and strength through the use of stained, fire-proofed cedar woods and unpolished granite from the mountains of Shodoshima.
- Design Challenge
- The construction plans and specifications taking up most effort in the project is the lighting design and form and density (spacing) of the ceiling lattice, which together replicate light shining between trees, the building’s most distinctive characteristic. The wooden louvers on the walls create a sense of depth and rhythm, both tying the entire space together by linking to the ceiling lattice and ensuring the high quality, serene reverberations required in a chapel.
- Project Duration
- Location, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan
Renovation Area, 237m2
The project started in April 2019 in Kyoto and finished in April, 2020 - Research
- Founded 130 years ago, the Westin Miyako Kyoto is an elegant hotel with a proud history nestled into the foothills of the city’s Higashiyama district; the present main building and Kasui-en Annex were both designed by Togo Murano and completed in 1960 and 1959 respectively. The same elegance and quality were essential in this major renovation and earthquake retrofit of the chapel, which occupies a separate building on the hotel property.
- Inspiration
- As a show of respect to the abundant natural surroundings, rock and wood take center stage in this sacred space imbued with a traditional Japanese aesthetic. we utilized as much of the existing framework as possible while also incorporating elements of traditional shrine and temple architecture, adding a wooden ceiling lattice interwoven with indirect lighting that evokes sunlight pouring through the branches of trees and highlights the beauty of the shadows and gradations that are created as light falls through the multi-layered lattice.
- Image Credits
- WMH_1.jpg:Photographer Tomohiro Sakashita, 2020
WMH_2.jpg:Photographer Tomohiro Sakashita, 2020
WMH_3.jpg:Photographer Tomohiro Sakashita, 2020
WMH_4.jpg:Photographer Tomohiro Sakashita, 2020
WMH_5.jpg:Photographer Tomohiro Sakashita, 2020
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Grand Interview about The Westin Miyako Kyoto Chapel Renovation
Our intention was not simply to renovate a wedding chapel, but to regenerate a place of blessing where visitors could gradually distance themselves from everyday life and enter a quieter state of mind. This idea became the foundation of what we call The Reborn Chapel.The wooden ceiling lattice developed from our study of light in Japanese landscapes and sacred places: filtered sunlight through trees, the calm illumination of temples and shrines, and the stillness created by changing shadows. Instead of introducing actual skylights, we reinterpreted these impressions through artificial lighting. Concealed light is diffused through the timber lattice to create Tenko, or Heavenly Light, a soft radiance that seems to descend from above.The lattice is not only a visual element. From the beginning, it was designed to integrate light, shadow, acoustics, maintenance, and fire safety. It softens sound reflection, creates depth through delicate shadows, and gives warmth to the space through the presence of cedar wood.In this way, the ceiling became a device that unifies atmosphere and performance. We hoped it would create a contemporary chapel where people could feel quietly embraced by light, material, sound, and the memory of the surrounding landscape.
A contemporary hotel chapel is not a space dedicated only to one specific religion. It is a place where people from many cultural backgrounds gather to celebrate one of the most important moments of their lives. For that reason, we felt that simply reproducing the image of a Western church would not be enough.Our approach was inspired by Togo Murano, especially the architecture of the original Miyako Hotel Kyoto. Rather than referencing Murano's formal vocabulary, we sought to inherit his architectural attitude—an ability to reconcile Western formality with Japanese sensitivity, material expression, and a profound awareness of place.This hybrid approach was proposed by our design team and accepted by the hotel. Instead of relying on obvious religious symbols, we focused on more universal experiences: light, shadow, natural materials, sound, and calmness.Wedding ceremonies may follow Western rituals, but the emotions they carry—gratitude, commitment, remembrance, and blessing—are universal. We wanted to create a chapel that feels open to different beliefs and cultures, while still being deeply rooted in Kyoto, Higashiyama, and the dignity of the Miyako Hotel.
The Westin Miyako Kyoto has a history of more than 130 years and has long held a special position in Kyoto's cultural and hospitality landscape. It is not merely a hotel, but a place where memories, traditions, and relationships with the surrounding landscape have accumulated over generations.For this reason, our approach was not to erase the existing chapel and replace it with a completely new image. We regarded the project as an act of regeneration. The existing walls, openings, structural framework, ceiling geometry, and overall spatial composition were largely retained. Upon this inherited framework, we introduced a renewed language of light, materiality, acoustics, and atmosphere.We named the project The Reborn Chapel because it represents more than a renovation. It is a renewed place of contemplation and celebration that carries forward the dignity of the Miyako Hotel while responding to contemporary expectations.For us, preservation does not mean freezing architecture in time. It means allowing inherited values to continue evolving. We hoped to create a place gently blessed by its landscape, history, and the enduring presence of nature.
We regarded wood and stone not as contrasting materials, but as complementary expressions of nature. Wood brings warmth, softness, and a sense of time. Stone conveys permanence, gravity, and a connection to the earth. By bringing these materials together, we wanted to create an atmosphere that could be both comforting and solemn.The floor uses tiles with a texture close to natural stone, selected for their quiet expression and durability. The walls are clad with rough-split granite from Shodoshima Island. Its irregular surface captures light unevenly and produces subtle shadows, giving depth and a tactile quality to the space.Cedar wood was used for the ceiling lattice and louvers. These timber elements soften the atmosphere, mediate light, contribute to acoustics, and allow maintenance considerations to be integrated into the design. In our interpretation, the stone recalls the mountains and enduring landscape of Higashiyama, while the timber evokes forests, growth, and human warmth.The aim was not to romanticize natural materials, but to reveal their poetic potential within a carefully resolved architectural framework that also satisfies durability, fire performance, maintenance, and construction requirements.
One of the main challenges was balancing the technical requirements of a contemporary hotel environment with the desire to preserve the richness and authenticity of natural materials.For the timber elements, cedar was chemically treated to achieve non-combustible performance. This was essential for fire safety, but we also wanted to retain the warmth, grain, and subtle shadow effects of natural wood. The dimensions, spacing, and details of the lattice and louvers were carefully studied so that they could function as lighting devices, acoustic elements, maintenance-friendly components, and architectural expressions at the same time.The rough-split granite from Shodoshima also required careful consideration. We did not want to use stone merely as a decorative finish. Its textured surface was selected because it receives light in an uneven and delicate way, creating changing shadows that contribute to the contemplative atmosphere.In this project, technical constraints became opportunities. Fire safety, acoustics, lighting, maintenance, and material expression were not separate issues. They were integrated into one architectural system. We believe the final design became stronger because performance and poetic experience were developed together.
Light was one of the most important architectural materials in this project. We were not simply trying to brighten the chapel. We wanted light itself to create a sense of calm, reflection, and gentle elevation.The concept of Tenko, or Heavenly Light, was developed as a contemporary interpretation of natural light. Instead of using actual skylights, we used concealed artificial lighting to evoke the experience of light filtered through trees or softly entering traditional Japanese sacred spaces. The goal was not to reproduce sunlight literally, but to recreate the emotional quality of natural light.We carefully studied fixture placement, beam angles, brightness, colour temperature, and the interaction between light and the cedar lattice ceiling. For Tenko, we set the colour temperature relatively high so that the light would feel closer to natural daylight rather than a typical warm decorative light.The light source itself is not meant to stand out. Instead, the space should feel as if it is quietly luminous. Through this approach, Tenko became more than a lighting technique. It became a central concept of The Reborn Chapel, expressing the invisible qualities of atmosphere, memory, and nature.
The chapel is located at the foot of Mt. Kacho in Kyoto's Higashiyama district, an area shaped by mountains, temples, waterways, gardens, and a long relationship between human life and nature. We believed that the atmosphere of the chapel could not be created only by interior design. It needed to resonate with the memory and character of the surrounding landscape.Rather than directly reproducing natural motifs, we tried to evoke the presence of nature through materiality, light, texture, and atmosphere. Existing openings were preserved and reconsidered so that the interior would maintain a subtle relationship with its surroundings. The rough-split granite from Shodoshima was also chosen because its geological presence recalls mountains, earth, and time.When light grazes across the textured stone walls, shadows shift gently, and the architecture feels quietly alive. This allows visitors to sense that the chapel is not an isolated room, but part of a larger landscape.Our aspiration was to create a place gently blessed by its landscape, history, and the enduring presence of nature.
Acoustics were an important design objective from the beginning of the project. The chapel is a place where spoken vows, music, silence, and subtle sounds all contribute to the emotional experience of the ceremony. Therefore, we considered sound not only as a technical issue, but as part of the atmosphere.The timber louvers and ceiling lattice were designed to help control absorption, reflection, and reverberation time. We also worked with a specialist acoustic designer and conducted acoustic simulations. This allowed us to study how voices and music would behave within a space composed of stone, tile, and timber.The proportions, spacing, and details of the timber elements were adjusted so that sound would remain clear while avoiding excessive reverberation. We wanted voices to be intelligible, music to retain warmth, and silence itself to have presence.In this sense, the wood elements shape not only light and shadow, but also the invisible landscape of sound. They help create a holistic experience in which sight, hearing, materiality, and emotion are connected.
Higashiyama is one of Kyoto's most culturally significant landscapes. Mountains, temples, gardens, waterways, and human settlements have coexisted there for centuries. This environment has cultivated a sensibility that values restraint, subtlety, natural materials, shadow, and an attentive relationship with nature.We did not want to translate this heritage into obvious decorative motifs. Instead, we tried to engage with the deeper cultural attitudes embedded in the place. These include the appreciation of shadows, the tactile richness of materials, the beauty of quietness, and the emotional resonance that emerges through carefully composed experiences.The project was also strongly informed by the legacy of Togo Murano and the Miyako Hotel Kyoto. Rather than referencing Murano's formal vocabulary, we sought to inherit his architectural attitude—his ability to reconcile Western formality with Japanese sensitivity, material expression, and a profound awareness of place.We hoped the chapel would allow the cultural memory of Higashiyama to be experienced not as an image, but as an atmosphere.
I believe that the ideas developed in The Reborn Chapel can be applied beyond church-like wedding chapels, including hotels, memorial spaces, meditation spaces, and other places of gathering. However, they should never be applied as a fixed formula. Each project must be carefully adjusted according to its site, history, purpose, culture, and users.In Japanese culture, places of contemplation have often emerged not through explicit religious symbols, but through carefully orchestrated experiences of light, shadow, materiality, sound, time, and an attentive relationship with nature. This was the direction we pursued in The Reborn Chapel.The project suggests that future ceremonial spaces do not need to choose between tradition and contemporaneity. They can be contemporary in function while remaining deeply connected to place, memory, and human emotion.The Reborn Chapel is not merely a renovated wedding venue. It is a contemporary place of blessing that quietly inherits the dignity of the Miyako Hotel Kyoto, the architectural attitude of Togo Murano, and the cultural landscape of Higashiyama.We hope it offers one possible direction for future spaces: places that are open to diverse people, yet rooted in the quiet depth of local culture and nature.