cruciform skylight illuminates subterranean prayer room by korean architect ITM yooehwa

"The commission emerged from a donation by an elder of a local church, and the brief invited a chapel that was both modest and purposeful. ' The site revealed itself,' lead architect Yoo Ehwa shares. She describes perceiving the contours of the campus as resembling a sheep, with the chosen hill forming its heart. This elevated position allows the subterranean structure to be read from surrounding buildings, with the form of its rooftop cross visible only from the sky and the interior."

"A very limited budget guided the earliest decisions, leading ITM Yooehwa Architects to eliminate applied finishes and instead focus on the power of form, volume, and light. ' We had to let meaning come from structure,' the architect explains. This approach sharpened the emphasis on the building's core purpose as a prayer room and allowed the design to evolve with a directness that suits the quiet atmosphere the project seeks to create."

"The project occupies a small rise at the center of campus, a location the architect immediately recognized for its symbolic nature. The entrance begins at the base of the hill along a sweeping footpath. The sequence rises slowly toward the chapel, with ramps tracing the exterior to maintain a continuous connection between inner and outer experience. These circulatory elements draw from the site's topography and shape an intentional transition from campus life into a more meditative space."

Commission originated from a donation by an elder of a local church, calling for a modest, purposeful chapel. The building occupies a small rise at campus center, with the hill forming its heart and a rooftop cross legible only from the sky and the interior. A limited budget prompted elimination of applied finishes, prioritizing concrete form, volume, and controlled natural light. The entrance begins at the base of the hill and rises along sweeping ramps that maintain continuous connection between interior and exterior, shaping an intentional transition from campus life into meditative space. The compact subterranean volume emphasizes quiet reflection through structure and light.

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