You don’t need to be a religious person to appreciate the architectural designs of churches and mosques. However, the design of this church in Borgloon, Belgium, has baffled locals. The building appears whole from one angle, but appears to dissolve into thin air from another. 

This optical illusion church was designed by Belgium-based Gijs Van Vaerenbergh: a collaboration betweet architects Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh. Since 2007, the duo have been realizing architectural projects, while giving them a more artistic intention.

Reading Between the Lines

Aptly named, Reading Between the Lines, the structure is meant to be a statement about the way Belgians see religion today. According to current statistics, nearly one-third of Belgians don’t identify with a specific religion. Belgium has many small parish churches, but because of declining attendance, the architects say these churches are falling into disuse. They wanted to highlight this “emptying-out” of churches, and the possibilities of reusing these buildings for art.

Reading Between the Lines is designed as a see-through structure, built on a foundation of reinforced concrete. The optical illusion church is made up of more than 30 tonnes of steel, 2,000 columns, and stands at 10 metres high. Take a look at the optical illusion created by the design below:

For more interesting architecture, check out the world’s first 3D-printed concrete houses in the Netherlands.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.893903540681963.1073743949.109328009139524&type=3