Water Temple, architectural data and anecdotes

Architectural Data 
Designed by: ANDO and his office, Tadao Ando Architect & Associates 
Completed on: September 14, 1991 
Site area: 2990.75m² 
Building area: 859.47m² 
Total floor area: 417.16m² 
Structure: RC 
Level: 1st level basement 

Architectural Anecdotes 
Ando was contacted via a representative of the temple parishioners who had known him before. It was Ando’s first commission to design Buddhist architecture. From the beginning, he had no intention whatsoever to dwell on the well-established tradition and formats. Rather he was keen on how to be free from the big majestic roof telling how important the building was. He was thinking of a temple with a flat roof, an idea coming from modernism architecture. “If the buildings had to be reproduced as they were based on the stereotype of the Buddhist architecture, we would not be needed here,” Ando said. The parishioner representative agreed. They talked, “We’ll use contemporary sensitivity and technology to create an attractive temple.” 

Ando had “water” in mind as a clue and was aware of many temples surrounded by or on the water but he didn’t come across temples built below the water. Then he thought of a hall with a lotus pond cocooning the divinity and all sentient beings together. What he wanted to provide was the spatial experience by approaching and visiting the hall below the lotus pond instead of the imposing roofs themselves.

Everybody, the head priest and the parishioners, resisted Ando’s idea first. They couldn’t think of a temple without the typical roof. But a roshi of Daitoku-ji in Kyoto approved Ando’s idea and encouraged him to realize it. He thought it was wonderful to go physically into the lotus, a principle of Buddhism. Then the things turned out to be very easy and smooth. 

Below the rooftop oval lotus pond lies a main hall surrounded by a circular corridor as well as a meeting hall (off limits to ordinary visitors). The lattice window in the corridor faces west, allowing the afternoon sunlight coming in. The light is designed to come into the inner chamber where the divinity is enshrined. The sanctuary receives the light from behind the enshrined images and they look like they are emitting light themselves. The light might have traveled from the west pure land of Buddhism. For a moment in the evening, the space is colored sheer vermillion, almost a manifestation of the pure land here in the human world. 

The main hall is divided into an inner and an outer chamber, following the Shingon’s traditional way of arranging the room. This traditional layout is related to the spiritual field, which Ando wanted to pay respect to. 

The web site below has beautiful pictures of the lotus and water lily. Take a look if you please. 
http://kobe-mari.maxs.jp/awaji_city/honpukuji.htm 

Also located on Awaji-shima not far from the Water Temple is Awaji Yumebutai, a large complex of a hotel, conference center, chapel, gardens, restaurants, outdoor auditorium and green houses, designed by Ando.