Murata Cathedral

This design is based on Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, California. Designed to replace the Cathedral of Saint Francis de Sales that was irreparably damaged in the San Loma earthquake in 1989, the cathedral was the first cathedral designed entirely in the 21st century. It was designed by Skidmore Owings and Merrill and Craig Hartman (a principle architect within SOM). The formal design is inspired by the geometrically pure forms investigated by the abstract building shapes of the early to mid 20th century by architects like Mies van der Rohe. The form of the main worship space is created from the shape created by two intersecting circles. The walls are composed of overlapping panels of wood and glass rising skyward to form the vault, much like the scales of a fish. The design is inspired by the miracle of the loaves and the fishes in Christian tradition, among other motifs. Hartman drove the design by opening it up to light by saying that "The design allows light to filter in, reminiscent of how light filters through a canopy of tall redwood trees in a wooded glade."


My interpretation focuses primarily on the worship space. I have changed the overall form based on personal preference and general experimentation with the structural system. The primary structure of the Cathedral of Christ the Light is engineered lumber (laminated and manufactured pieces of wood). I wanted to investigate creating larger scale structures in wood as it is celebrated within the Cathedral in Oakland.



Dimension: 73 x 129 x 76 (with 15m being below ground)



Using High Rossferry City texture pack
Thank you to Darkone55