The Belarusian Memorial Chapel, a solemn commemoration for Chernobyl

Designed by Spheron Architects, the Belarusian Memorial Chapel in London was inspired by traditional rural wooden churches in Belarus. Completed in 2016, the new chapel was built for the local Belarusian community in remembrance of the 30th anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. 

Most recently, the chapel was shortlisted in the RIBA 2017 London Awards competition. Get a glimpse of the project below.

On behalf of the Belarusian Diaspora Community in London, the Holy See of Rome commissioned Spheron Architects to build the wooden chapel in time for the anniversary.

“This chapel has been designed to serve as a reminder of the traumatic loss of a great number rural settlements in Belarus and Ukraine,” the architects describe. Almost 20 percent of the Belarusian population and 25 percent of the country's territory suffered greatly in the aftermath. Seventy percent of the radioactive fallout affected Southern Belarus, Spheron Architects writes.

“The design draws inspiration from the rural wooden churches in Belarus, and aims to combine their traditional architectural language with contemporary building technologies and concepts...The materials palette was restricted to wood and glass to reflect the austere and tranquil beauty of traditional wooden churches.”

In case you missed it, find the full RIBA 2017 London Awards shortlist linked below.

Photos courtesy of 2017 RIBA London Awards. Quoted text via.