Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP, among many other collaborators, have created the Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel in Muntinlupa City, Philippines.

The Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel and Columbarium sit on a hill with a river stream flowing nearby in Alabang.

"We were asked to design a chapel that can hold more than 300 people along with other programs such as [a] sacristy, children's room, multi-purpose room and office," said Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP. "The client desired a chapel that is symbolic and [felt] open to [the] public."

Likened to the hill of Golgotha, the Chapel is approached by a long meandering path for visitors to relive 'Via Dolorosa' (the path of suffering) that followed the sentencing of Jesus Christ's crucifixion.

"The architecture expresses the form of descent by eliminating any evident structural elements such as columns and beams, and detaching itself from the earth," added Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP.

This project has been longlisted in the civic project category of Dezeen Awards 2024.

Studio: Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP
Project: Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel
Credits: Filinvest, D.M. Consunji, Arup, Roy Villarosa Architects, Barley Studio, DLC Design Works, Isagani M. Martinez, Mario A. Alix Philippines, Meinhart Philippines, PL Lights, Alpha Acoustics, SGS Design and SharePro