
Mausoleum of President Patricio Aylwin Azócar, Gonzalo Mardones Arquitecto, Santiago, Chile
In 1990, Patricio Aylwin Azócar became the first democratically elected president in Chile, succeeding dictator Augusto Pinochet. Following his passing in 2016 at the age of 97, the Council of National Monuments tapped Gonzalo Mardones Arquitecto to design a mausoleum for the late ex-president. Located in a shaded corner of Santiago’s General Cemetery, Aylwin’s concrete mausoleum is hidden beneath the gardens. Geometric shapes recognise his personality: the triangular opening represents the life of his wife Leonor and his devotion to the Holy Trinity, whilst underground a duo of spaces (square and circular) signify the human and the Divine. Photography: Pablo Casals Aguirre

Birch Moss Chapel, Kengo Kuma and Associates, Karuizawa, Japan
Kengo Kuma and Associates is behind a new hidden chapel at the Karuizawa New Art Museum gardens. Steel beams concealed inside randomly placed birch trunks support a sloped glazed roof overhead. Moss is interspersed with stone slabs underfoot, whilst benches are made from glass and acrylic. A heart-shaped installation by French contemporary artist Jean-Michel Othoniel welcomes visitors approaching the space. Image: courtesy of Kengo Kuma and Associates

Wooden Chapel, John Pawson, Unterliezheim, Germany
John Pawson has designed a chapel for the Siegfried and Elfriede Denzel Foundation in Germany’s Bavarian Forest. Forming part of the Sieben Kapellen (Seven Chapels) project, it provides cyclists with both shelter and a space for pause and reflection. Each of the seven chapels is built of timber, and Pawson turned to longstanding collaborative partner Dinesen to source the material for his design – Douglas fir. Following his first visit to the site, Pawson decided to present the chapel as a found object located on a transitional point between the forest and the open ground. The structure takes a simple guise, appearing as a pile of stacked logs, rather than a conventional construct. Inside, high-set narrow clerestories keep light levels deliberately low. This in turn brings focus to an elevated cross made from coloured glass. Meanwhile, a low, unglazed opening frames a view of the church spire in nearby village Unterliezheim. Photography: Felix Friedmann

Chapel for Saint Mary’s, Mark Cavagnero Associates, Albany, US
For San Francisco firm Mark Cavagnero Associates, designing this high school chapel in California was a ‘dream project’ – a chance to step back from larger-scale projects and work at a more intimate, emotional scale. Designed to serve a student body, the Chapel for Saint Mary’s invites school pupils to tackle the difficulties of young adulthood in a considered, silent and light-filled space, removed from the busy educational curriculum.
Photography: © Henrik Kam. Writer: Luke Halls

Chapel for Saint Mary’s, Mark Cavagnero Associates, Albany, US
An honest material palette was employed to set a quiet tone. White concrete, glazing, Alabama limestone and light American white oak harness natural light, which enters through both a tall, vertical window at the chapel’s peak and surrounding window walls at ground level. The building’s peak is religiously symbolic (featuring the Christian Cross within the window) and responsive to the development of natural light throughout the day. Golden tones shine through in the morning, diffusing into a warm glow throughout the afternoon.
Photography: © Henrik Kam. Writer: Luke Halls

Buphwajungsa Buddhist Temple, YKH Associates, Seoul
Designed to support the main Buddhist temple in Cheonan, South Korea, this small temple received a façade and interior design update from Seoul-based architects YKH Associates. Spatially arranged to reflect the shape of the Myanmar Buddhist Temple, the interior features a new 5m high Buddha statue surrounded by a wooden modular frame holding 10,000 small wooden Buddha statues. Stone wall panels are inscribed with 48 Chinese characters of Lotus Sutra scripture. Elsewhere, materials were chosen to reflect the Buddhist philosophy – glass in the innermost zone reflects Nirvana, while on the exterior it reflects self-realisation. Photography: Dongwook Jung