Coast Whale Chapel by Jinyu Zhang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 Golden A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Competition Category.
GoldArchitecture· 2020
Coast Whale Chapel
by Jinyu Zhang
Client: Zhang Jinyu
Golden A' Design Award Winner in Architecture Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #98578The Design
About Coast Whale Chapel
The bionic form of the whale became the language of this chapel. A whale stranded on the coast of Iceland. A person can enter its body through a low fishtail and experience the perspective of a whale looking at the ocean where is easier for humans to reflect on the neglect of environmental degradation. The supporting structure falls on the beach to ensure minimal damage to the natural environment. Natural and environmentally friendly materials make this project a tourist destination that calls for environmental protection.
The Recognition
About the Golden A' Design Award
Coast Whale Chapel is a Golden A' Design Award winner, an immensely prestigious recognition granted to first-rate, marvelous, and outstanding designs. Golden winners are exceedingly innovative, visionary, and glamorously dazzling creations that reflect the prodigy, wisdom, and prowess of their designers. Coast Whale Chapel is expected to be a highly praised, trendsetting, and monumental invention that delivers unprecedented value. This Golden A' Design Award-winning design is a spectacular, respected project that highly benefits and advances the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. Coast Whale Chapel creates intense feelings of desire, evokes passion, encourages creativity, and fascinates us.
Where to Get It
Environmental Architecture and Sacred Space Design
We specialize in bionic architecture that harmonizes with nature, creating contemplative spaces that respect environmental contexts. Our designs merge poetic forms with sustainable practices, from sacred architecture to urban renewal projects that honor local identity.
Discuss Your ProjectInterviews
Design Interview
What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
It is a special trip. I have been distracted for a long time in this little black Icelandic beach. I hope I have a place where I can stare at this beach for a long time. This strong desire led me to start thinking about my plan.
What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
The focus is on how to arouse people's indifference to biological equality. People should not be arrogant. Whales are "wise men" in the ocean, and people are wise men on land. If I can create a metaphor that allows people and animals to blend together to feel the fate of the life community, then my goal is complete.
What are your future plans for this award winning design?
This award has given me a lot of encouragement. I will try to think about more design issues in this way.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- As a temporary and yet to be completed project, the supporting structure falls on the beach to ensure minimal damage to the natural environment. The black wood echoes the traditional way of Iceland. Natural and environmentally friendly materials make this project a tourist destination that calls for environmental protection and saves whales. The church used dark natural light as much as possible to direct the sight to the ocean. Here you can admire Iceland's most famous black beach.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 20m x 8m x 11m
- Tags
- Contemporary Architecture, Chapel, Sacred Architecture, Concrete, Atmosphere
- Production Technology
- wood，steel, glass, and marble
- Design Challenge
- There is only a strong adaptive solution. You can see very good built environment and important indicators to attract tourists.
- Research
- The building is closely related to the site, regardless of the form and construction of the whale. The adjustable nodes are adapted to the geological conditions of the beach and can even be temporarily moved according to the extreme weather in Iceland. This house is like a swimming whale that can change the floor height according to the tide of the season.
- Inspiration
- The ocean and the fate of humanity have been linked from a very early age. As a higher life form on land and sea, human's longing for whale has always existed in the heart. The bionic form of the whale became the language of this chapel. A whale stranded on the coast of Iceland. A person can enter its body through a low fishtail and experience the perspective of a whale looking at the ocean. The waves and the inner voice meet here. In such a space, it is easier for humans to reflect on the neglect of environmental degradation.
- Project Duration
- This project was developed in Porto, Portugal, during a period of 3 months, from December 2019 to January 2020. The location planned for the project to be implemented was in Iceland.
- Operation Flow
- What is the most important thing about landscape architecture? The possible answer is respect and integration with the environment. The concept of expressing chapel in a bionic whale response to this topic. Tourism has caused irreversible damage to Iceland's natural environment. While watching the scenery, tourists can also feel the noble place of other life in such a narrow space. It will not be limited by the scale of the project and has profound and long-term significance.
- Team Members
- Zhang Jinyu
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