Chushin-ji

Katsuhiro Miyamoto & Associates - Japan Alps - 2010

key words: alps, Chushin-ji, Community, Concrete, Renovation, Roof, Temple, Tradition

TEMPLE EXTERIOR - Photography: © Takumi Ota

The renovation of the Priest’s Quarters at Chushin-ji, a 550-year-old Buddhist temple in the Japan Alps, represents a careful balance of tradition, resilience, and contemporary community use. Designed by Katsuhiro Miyamoto & Associates, the project transforms the quarters into a hybrid residential and public facility, accommodating the head priest’s family while opening space for exhibitions, lectures, and concerts. This duality reaffirms the temple’s role as both a spiritual and social anchor for the local community.

The design is defined by its monumental concrete roof, a 240 m² slab with flaring corners that echoes the rhythm of traditional Japanese temple roofs while reinterpreting them in modern materials. Supported by only three massive columns, the roof is engineered to withstand earthquakes and the region’s heavy snowfalls, embodying durability and permanence. Beneath this robust canopy lies a lightweight two-storey infill, housing residential quarters above and shared spaces—including a kuri (monastic kitchen), offices, and event hall—below. This layered composition reflects Buddhist architectural traditions of permanence and adaptability: the roof as enduring essence, the interiors as mutable.

By prioritising longevity, cultural continuity, and communal accessibility, the Chushin-ji project successfully bridges historic reverence and contemporary needs, creating a resilient architectural gesture that honours both the past and the future.