Creating Sacred Spaces Through Architecture and Landscape
The Sacred Teahouse project was commissioned by an AOME client who, inspired by Japanese culture, sought to introduce a spiritual element into a formerly empty area of their landscape.
For the Japanese, tea drinking is a ceremony that transcends the act of consuming the beverage. The practice embodies modesty and simplicity, which should be reflected in architectural design. The rooms designed for this type of gathering are known as chashitsu (茶室). Typically small, their design involves not only the construction itself but also the surrounding environment, including the garden stone path leading to it.*
This teahouse is part of a project by AOME that spanned over more than two decades (see Vintage Remodel and Guesthouse Bungalow). It involved successive modifications to the main house and the guesthouse as the client’s family life and needs evolved. In pursuit of aesthetic unity, some elements shared in these two buildings were also incorporated into the design of the teahouse.
The entrance to the sacred space begins as the one embarks on the stone path toward the teahouse. The initial stretch is flat, paved with carefully cut stones that allow the traveler to walk easily, enjoying the surroundings, reminiscent of an urban setting. A change in paving occurs around a corner as our traveler enters a hidden tunnel where the forest begins. The stones continue to mark the way but become more irregular as it progresses.
A metaphorical gateway marks the threshold to a new section of the journey where the stones begin to loosen. They become more irregular and cobbly, with tumbled edges. Until this point, the traveler could walk comfortably and confidently, enjoying the landscape. As he moves deeper into the woods and further from the urban environment, he is obliged to lower his gaze. The focus shifts to the path and the rhythm gradually changes, as if the symphony transitioned from allegro to andante, growing slower.
The walking tempo decelerates along with the breath and mood, but awareness is heightened: the stones along the way become larger and more uneven, with wider gaps between each piece, as if stepping from one stone to another across a stream. The path’s curves build in a crescendo until finally arriving at the teahouse, which is prepared to receive the traveler in a state of concentration on the here and now. The delay caused by the design of this path brings a greater appreciation of the destination. Upon arrival, the traveler feels as though he has traversed a greater distance than the actual short stretch from the main house to the sacred space.
The final stone is the landing stone, sized to provide space for removing shoes as tradition dictates.
*Stone is essential to Japanese gardens – according to many authorities, more important than any other garden element. Shinto, Japan’s earliest religion, saw gods (kami) in all of nature – residing in stones as well as plants and animals (quote from “Stones in the Seattle Japanese Garden”)
