Site visit: Futuna Chapel

     http://www.johnscott.net.nz/pages/futuna.html

The Chapel of Futuna is arguably the most significant New Zealand building of the 20th Century. The chapel is a place of reflection and contemplation, of meditation and inspiration. Only a philistine could sit on a pew in the Futuna and not connect with the spirit, the mauri, of the building: the play of light across the walls and floor, the contrasts of material and texture, the perfectly proportioned walls and windows, the human size and intimacy of the spaces, and the chapel’s strong connection with the earth. These qualities don't come from the building’s history, or how much it cost, or even its Christian connections. They come from the quality of the architecture.

When visiting the Futuna Chapel, I noticed that there were numerous design elements occurring both exterior and interior. I directed my focus towards the juxtaposition of materials and colours; smooth marble bench tops versus the rough concrete wall surfaces, and the natural earth tones versus mixed bright coloured glass windows. Although I admire the efforts of John Scott, I would much prefer to  use a minimalistic approach when designing my own retail store. Simplifying the structure and colours could prevent the space from looking overworked - to me, simple is better.