教堂位于护城河外的内城内，从四谷车站出发要爬一段路。该教堂成立于1886年，历史悠久。从那时起，该教堂经历了大地震、战争和城市发展的巨大波澜。
The church is located within the inner city beyond the moat which is a quite a climb from Yotsuya Station. The church was founded in 1886 and has had a long history. Since then, the church has gone through tremendous waves of great earthquakes, wars, and urban development.
有一种现象叫做 “天使之梯”。这种效应的学名叫做 “太阳光线”，指的是当光线穿过厚厚的云层时，产生一系列的光线形成光柱的现象。天使之梯 “也是一个日语译名，据说是源于《旧约》中的《创世纪》28章12节。很难想象，人们曾经神秘地仰望过这种现象，这种现象在世界各地都很常见，就像连接天地的梯子。
There is a phenomenon called “Angel’s Ladder”. The scientific name of this effect is called “sunrays”, which refers to a phenomenon when light passes through thick clouds, creating a series of light rays forming pillars of light. The “Angel’s Ladder” is also a Japanese translation and is said to be derived from Genesis 28:12 from the Old Testament. It is hard to imagine that people used to mysteriously looked up at this phenomenon, which is commonplace in various parts of the world, like a ladder that connects the heavens and the earth.
什么是原始的祈祷空间？这个问题成为建筑思考过程中的一个重要主题。侧面没有窗户，其中唯一的光源完全依靠上面的天窗透出的光线。考虑到窗户的大小和光线的方向，每个窗户的天窗深度都略有不同。在做礼拜的时候，会出现一个天使梯。然而，这种现象并不是一年四季都会出现，那只有在太阳浅的时候才会出现漫反射的光线。日落时，天窗会被染成群青色的色调。这是由于直射光的散射，当光线与大气层碰撞时，会产生一种蓝色的色调。
What is a primitive prayer space? That question became a major theme in the architectural thought process. There are no windows on the sides in which the only light source depends solely on the light penetrating from skylights above. The depth of the skylight is slightly different for each window in consideration of its size and the direction of light. At the time of worship, an angel ladder would appear. However, this phenomenon does not appear all year round, and that only diffused light appears when the sun is shallow. During sunset, the skylight will be tinted with a dyed ultramarine tone. This is due to the dispersal of direct light when light collides with the atmosphere creating a bluish tint.
墙壁的一部分被穿上了方形的凹陷。这也是我在克罗地亚各地旅行时注意到的一种仪式。被称为壁龛，这在西方国家也很常见。最初，这些壁龛被设计成架子，作为利用墙壁厚度的一种方式。然而，我们意识到，利用它们来举行仪式会更合适。
Portions of the walls are pierced with square depressions. This is also a ritual that I have noticed during my travels around Croatia. Known as a niche, this is also common in western countries. Initially, these niches have been designed as shelves as a way to utilize the thickness of the wall. However, we realized that utilizing them for rituals would be a better fit.
礼拜堂的设计理念是将安装一架管风琴。厚墙的设计是为了承受管风琴的深沉低音。这些墙也是用倾斜的方式建造的，以防止发生飘忽不定的回声。将墙壁作为一个声学装置，每面墙都有不同的倾斜度，以便让声音自然恢复，而不产生蜈蚣般的焦点。声音通过墙壁的表面被进一步软化。通过将墙面抹上不规则的灰，就像地层一样，声音会更均匀地消散。
The chapel is designed with the notion that a pipe organ will be installed. Thick walls are designed in order to withstand the deep bass of the pipe organ. These walls are also constructed with a tilt in order to prevent flutter echo from happening. Using the walls as an acoustic device, each wall has varying inclination to allow for the sound to recover naturally without creating a centipedal focus. The sound is further softened through the surface of the walls. By having the walls to be plastered as irregular as though it resembles the strata of the earth, the sounds would dissipate more evenly.
甚至有一次，在北墙，工匠们必须排成一排。为了达到连续完成的效果，他们必须从上到下开始，不能停顿和吃饭。
There was even an instance in regards to the northern wall where the craftsmen had to lined up in a single file. In order to attain a continuous finish, they had to start from top to bottom without stopping and eating.
Architects: Tezuka Architects
Area: 606 m²
Year: 2018
Photographs: FOTOTECA
Manufacturers: AutoDesk, Toto, Maruzen, Mitsubishi, Panasonic
Lead Architects: Mayumi Shimada, Kazuhiko Terada, Honami Enya
Structure: Ohno JAPAN
Construction Company: Hide Sato Corporation
Principal:Takaharu Tezuka, Yui Tezuka
Design Team:Tezuka Architects
Clients:Religious corporation United Church of Christ in Japan Bancho Church
Consultants:Bonbori Lighting Architect & Associates
City:Chiyoda
Country:Japan