Henning Larsen - Copper Concept

Architectural Copper Review | 2005 / 2
IKHTYS
– a symbol of church fellowship
The Art Chapel, designed by architect Matti Sanaksenaho in 1996, is
also called St. Henry’s Ecumenical Art Chapel and was inaugurated in
May 2005. The building is situated high on a mountain and surrounded
by pine trees.
Architects Pirjo Sanaksenaho and Enrico
Garbin also participated in the planning
work. Kain Tapper designed the altar
and the glass paintings are signed by
Hannu Konola. To finalize the project
has been a long and demanding process,
as the financing, material and labour for
the biggest part were provided through
collected funds. Today, the chapel is
ready to be taken into use by eight
16
different religious communions. The
chapel is already known around the
world, for instance in Japan, Sofia and
Moscow.
A landmark for the Christian
common hope
The idea for the chapel came from
Hannu Konola, an artist. The tall glass
paintings on both sides of the altar are
his creation. The variation of the glass
surface reflects the versatility of life – it
is sometimes smooth and sometimes
rough. The windows are “the eyes of the
fish” through which the light trickles and
lights up the inner chapel. The project
was a great challenge and has demanded
much work. The building itself is a piece
of art, whose exceptional shape creates
different images in the human mind.
For the façade, a shiny copper was used
that has already darkened. Later on the
surface will turn green, as the copper
grows its patina. The architect was