Chinese Rhenish Church, Yuen Long

The Chinese Rhenish Church in Yuen Long is a three-storey community church that reinterprets traditional religious architecture through light, structure, and material. The project replaces an earlier chapel on the same site, transforming a modest footprint into a contemporary sanctuary that blends spiritual purpose with thoughtful environmental response.

The building is arranged vertically, with the worship hall positioned above two floors of community and fellowship spaces. A cast concrete base, finished in hand-chipped local granite, grounds the structure and provides meeting rooms and multi-purpose halls. Above, the sanctuary is expressed as a white stucco volume with a vaulted roof form that subtly evokes the Trinity. This roof structure enhances acoustics, diffuses natural light, and contributes to passive environmental performance.

The spatial sequence culminates in a carefully framed slot window at the altar, directing morning light across a cross crafted from a salvaged on-site tree. By afternoon, filtered western light enters through stained-glass openings along the bell tower, creating a quiet interplay of shadow, texture, and colour. Rainwater cascading over the altar window adds a meditative layer to the interior atmosphere—linking natural cycles with spiritual reflection.

Balancing expressive architectural form with local materiality, the project offers a grounded yet transcendent space for worship and community life.