"The existing church complex had difficulty being recognized as a catholic church because of its gymnasium-like appearance with no significant symbol. With the addition of this Cross Tower, the existing complex will easily be acknowledged as a church, showing its religious faith and Christian activities."
Designed by Japanese architects Kensuke Watanabe Architecture Studio for a church in Tokorozawa, Japan. Obviously reminiscent of the Saarinen arch in Saint Louis, this tower nevertheless speaks to local traditions, using ship building techniques to gradually twist the arch so that it faces outward at its bottom ground, adding structural stability and "also creating a welcoming gesture which enables the tower to serve as a gate for people to walk through daily or in ceremonial occasions"
As I've said before, given a banal building, put your money into a single distinctive focal point...hiring a skilled architect to make an innovative steeple gave this church an immediate new visual identity. [via dezeen]
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