When work finishes on a piece of architecture, the narrative of its formation does not draw to a close. Constructed on the edge of forest near the Swabian village of Unterliezheim in Germany, this wooden chapel was blessed during a simple ceremony held towards the end of 2018. Since then, in a process that will continue so long as the structure is standing, the tones of the timber have gently bleached and silvered - more rapidly on the surfaces exposed to the elements. Inside, the sharp scent of resin slowly mellows. More than ever, it is the elemental quality of the place that strikes — mass and space, daily explored by the fall of the light.
Text by Alison Morris, courtesy of John Pawson ltd