Chinese architecture studio Ideorealm Design has created a fluid silhouette featuring curving walls to mimic blossoming petals in Qidong, Jiangsu, China.

Named Crosslight Wedding Chapel, the 500-square-metre chapel was envisioned wedding chapel is a sanctuary that embodies purity and timelessness, designed to be a romantic space that elegantly balances strength and grace. 

The project aims to provide a profound presence that allows visitors to escape the chaos of the world and connect with their inner selves, promoting emotional freedom. The architecture possesses a sense of surrealism, reflecting both elegance and deep romanticism.

Inspired by the white camellia flower, the chapel features a fluid silhouette with curving walls that mimic blossoming petals. This organic design creates a minimalist yet striking aesthetic, where the interplay of light and shadow transforms the space throughout the day. 

The exterior's geometric curves capture and diffuse natural light, making each visit a unique experience for those who pass by.

A notable feature of the chapel is its cross-shaped entrance, which serves as a hidden motif of light. This element, enhanced by embedded lights, turns the chapel into a guiding beacon as night falls, inviting couples to embark on their sacred vows. 

The interior spaces are vast and luminous, functioning as a blank canvas for couples to etch their love stories, fostering an unforgettable sense of reverence and connection within the chapel.

To the east lies a deep abyss, home to a thousand-foot-long fish with a kaleidoscopic sheen and a horn at its snout. It leaps and dances in schools, stirring the waters into a vibrant spectacle. 

"From afar, the sky appears brushed with multicolored clouds; up close, one realizes the mist is merely the spray of these joyful creatures, as dazzling as auspicious clouds," said Shiyi Ji.

Qidong, located at the northeastern edge of Jiangsu where the Yangtze River meets the sea, is a city rich with natural beauty and historical significance. 

Known as the “Opening of the Eastern Frontier,” it is characterized by its unique geography as a peninsula, surrounded by water and blessed with golden waterways and coastlines, as Ideorealm Design explained. 

The studio stated that this setting not only provides a stunning backdrop but also symbolizes the intersection of history, culture, and trade, marking it as a place that greets the dawn each day.

The desire for freedom and escape from the bustling pace of urban life fuels a yearning for reconnection with nature and a simpler way of living. 

This longing reflects the deeper quest to reclaim wildness and fluidity in a structured and fast-paced world. In this context, Qidong emerges not merely as a geographical location but as a reflection of collective aspirations for adventure and reinvention, inviting exploration beyond the confines of modernity.

Reflecting this transformative spirit, the former go-kart racing track was repurposed into the Crosslight Wedding Chapel, led by the design firm Ideorealm Design in 2024. 

The challenge was to create a space that honors the local cultural landscape while embodying the essence of wedding rituals—a significant life transition. 

This design endeavor symbolizes a broader intention to harmonize modern structures with their historical and natural contexts, embracing the idea of growth and change in both architecture and life experiences.

Fragments of Light, Moments of Emotion

The chapel is adorned in a pure shade of white—a choice that goes beyond mere aesthetics. White symbolizes the purity of a wedding, and more importantly, it removes historical references to classical architecture, allowing the structure to stand as a modern entity in its own right. 

Set against the golden hues of autumn, the white surfaces reflect the warm evening glow, reminiscent of Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye, and naturally distinguish themselves from the heaviness of classical architecture.

For the couples exchanging vows within this space, each step toward the altar is accompanied by fragments of cherished memories—a collection of luminous, fleeting moments that have led them to this day. 

These delicate glimmers of light dance like poetry, creating an eternal tableau. In this divinely gentle atmosphere, two souls lean into each other, their hearts intertwined. In that single, sacred moment—as vows are spoken and time holds its breath—the world falls silent. 

Everything, from the celestial to the earthly, bears witness to the profound beauty of love—a beauty that cannot be captured in words but can only be traced through time, etched into the fabric of memory, light, and eternity.

A Dialogue Between People and the Chapel

The studio said that "buildings may fade, but their meaning lingers, pointing toward the eternal. Each evening, as the sun descends, golden light filters through the trees, casting fleeting shadows upon the chapel’s petal-like walls. In that brief yet tender moment, it offers quiet solace to those making their way home. In the space between the sacred and the everyday, life unfolds."

"Though these realms may seem separate, they are constantly intertwined—one constantly transitioning into the other. And in this ever-shifting threshold, we find ourselves drawn toward something higher, something transcendent."

According to the architects, in this space, architecture, contemporary art, and spirituality engage in a silent, sacred dialogue, providing both an anchor for emotions and a sanctuary for the soul.

"In the vastness of space and the immensity of time, it is my joy to share a planet and an epoch with Annie," said Carl Sagan – Cosmos.

Drawing © Ideorealm Design

Project facts

Project name: Crosslight Wedding Chapel

Design firm: Ideorealm Design

Location: Qidong, Jiangsu, China

Design period: May 2024

Completion time: October 2024

Project area: 500m2

Lead designers: Danny Chan, Maowu He

Main materials: GRG, Artistic Coatings, Glass

Copywriting: Xiao An

Brand planning: Youliao Planning

All images © Yiwen Xu.

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