"Ethics and aesthetics are one", Ludwig Wittgenstein

Dojo

Japanese "place of the way": Do, 道, way | Jo, 場, place

Originally, "dojo" referred to the meditation halls in Zen monasteries. Over time, the term was also used for the training centres of martial arts that were closer to Zen and whose names ended with "do", such as kendo, karate-do, judo or aikido.

Aikido church dojo

Our dojo - formerly the Protestant Holy Trinity Church - is located in the centre of Cologne-Ossendorf. A post-war building that has characterised the townscape for decades. Thanks to the change of use, the demolition of the church was prevented.

Dojo conversion: Based on designs by the renowned sacred building architect Prof Paul Böhm.

History: Simple hall church

Built in 1961-63, it is a single-nave church with a gallery for the organ and choir. A skeleton construction made of reinforced concrete, lined with white sand-lime bricks. One large frosted glass window in the east and one in the west. A hall church that can hardly be surpassed in its simplicity. Architect: Georg Rasch.

Over the years, oak parquet flooring and a wooden ceiling were added. The frosted glass windows were replaced with colourful stained glass. The Holy Trinity Church was deconsecrated on 24 March 2019.

Symbol

The hall church is considered the original form of Christian sacred architecture. Like the ideal of a dojo, it symbolises modesty and a sense of togetherness among people. It symbolises silence and peacefulness.

The respect ...

... for the people who were deeply connected to this church. And my respect for the spiritual task of transforming a western sacred building into an eastern meditative practice space prompted me to approach Prof Paul Böhm. To ask and commission him to take on the structural and artistic transformation of the church into a dojo.

FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Transformation

With a great deal of sensitivity, the church was transformed into a dignified aikido dojo using wood and plaster in a purist yet striking way.

A dojo that offers grounding and tranquillity. Awakens the senses. Leads into meditation. Invites you to gather yourself and set off on the path to the core of Aikido.

Emptiness and unfolding

Ethics need space: the dojo is essentially a large, empty space that is open, wide and - in this case - expands upwards, creating generous space for physical and mental movement.

Emptiness is a luxury - especially in our busy everyday lives full of things and issues.

Light and emptiness

The emptiness in the church dojo gives the light an almost mystical power. The narrow louvre windows, which were installed next to the stained glass according to Paul Böhm's plans, provide plenty of additional daylight. The church windows appear less dominant and their light softer. The emptiness in the room allows the soft, colourful light to pass unhindered and mysteriously over the walls or the mat - especially at sunrise and sunset.

Nature and air

The high-mounted louvre windows integrate nature into the dojo. They allow views of the trees and the sky.

And: it is easy to ventilate.

Zen aesthetics

From the practice room to the showers: precisely defined rooms and paths with a minimum of furnishings. Everything is designed to be consistently clear, simple and natural. Even the technology is kept to a minimum. But solid and state of the art.

It doesn't take much to practise Aikido. But what little it does take is cultivated with love and dedication. Focusing on the essence of a dojo for a peaceful martial art required careful planning and realisation. Every building block is important. Even what is invisible is there.

Wabi-Sabi

A Japanese ideal of beauty: simplicity with patina. It's not just the building that has a history. Many things from my two previous dojos have found further use here. For example, the wooden frame that holds the mat together. Or the small antique shelf for practitioners' valuables. Or the coat hooks in the changing rooms. All of this has accompanied the training sessions since the first lesson in February 1985, and the constant use over four decades has left its mark. Simple things that continue to age gracefully here.

In harmony

Changing clothes during training can become a ritual exercise.

It is the emptiness, but also the details, that contribute to the spirit of the dojo. The whole thing makes my appreciation for Japan's Zen ways and for our training visible, tangible and palpable.

For the environment

The decision to preserve and remodel the building instead of demolishing it has already had a positive impact on the climate. In addition, thanks to graduate engineer Holger Reif and the company Theod. Mahr, it has been possible to heat the former church ecologically and affordably (!).

• The roof was insulated to a first-class standard - also providing heat protection in summer.
• Numerous windows were replaced.
• Tabula rasa: the old dilapidated and energy-guzzling heating system was carefully dismantled. As was a huge forgotten oil tank in a deep cellar.

Perfect interaction

• Two ultra-modern biomass heating systems with excellent fine dust filters and very low energy consumption,
• combined with a solar thermal system and
• two large energy storage tanks (water).

A harmonised system with an excellent ecological balance: the clean burning of pellets* + the power of the sun + the ability of water to store heat!

* Pellets: small, cylindrical bodies made from residual wood such as sawdust and shavings, which are produced during wood processing. Short distances and production save resources. Heating with pellets is considered climate-neutral.

The challenge of the practice room

The most challenging heating task: the practice room, a former church service room. High ceiling, large leaded windows. Fantastically beautiful, but keeping this room warm in winter in an energy-efficient way, handling the many filigree Swiss stone pine woods carefully and at the same time not disturbing the aesthetics of the empty space was a feat in itself. The solution:

• The expertise of the experienced church heating company. It installed three heating stations in the floor next to the mat with millimetre precision. They generate warm air with warm water. A quiet, cleverly programmed air circulation system with fine dust and pollen filters.

View from the outside

The two most striking external changes to the building:

• The raising (+33 cm) and re-roofing of the roof. The tile, angular and red.
• The extensively renovated, whitewashed façade painted in a soft eggshell colour, partly with a lawn edge (splash guard) made of Corten steel.

Further alterations: the gables adapted to the façade / four louvre windows with eight movable panes each / 16 further new windows, 15 of which have wooden frames / anti-glare protective glazing in front of the resurrection window / refurbished protective glazing in front of the Holy Trinity window.

The old church portal now serves exclusively as an emergency exit. The doors were carefully sanded down, technically refitted, thermally insulated and fitted with frosted glass panes.

New entrance

The dojo entrance on the right - on the site of a former side entrance - is a heavy wooden door designed by Professor Böhm with a protective canopy. Wood: Siberian larch. Handle: Swiss stone pine. Roof: galvanised steel.

Renaturalisation of the church square

A bulky and dilapidated pergola has been dismantled / the staircase at the church tower has been removed and enclosed / 239 m² have been freed from a fat concrete slab and replaced with 125 tonnes of the best topsoil / a wildflower meadow is now growing here.

Silence - Practice - Nature

Surrounded by old trees, the dojo is nestled in a simple green garden. Here you can feel a touch of Zen - without any just gravel, stone lanterns or rocks ... Lots of emptiness, lots of greenery and a few quiet accents.

Monastic access

A staircase from the 1960s leads directly to the property. 50 young copper beeches form a two-row hedge, eleven metres long and one and a half metres high. The hedge creates a pleasant, clear demarcation from everyday life and helps to slow things down. On the right, a path already leads to my neighbours and to us; on the left, the path later leads to the dojo.

And: on the meadow between the hedge and the dojo, a 20-year-old Japanese red pine - Tagyōshō, 多形松, multi-shaped pine - stands on a gentle hill. This multi-trunked tree with its wide-spreading crown lends the place an initial touch of Zen.

Further plan

Way to the dojo

A small diversions to help us leave everyday life behind and prepare for our practice. Along this path there is a ...

... Machiai, 待合, a waiting room for arriving

Inspired by the design of Japanese tea gardens (roji, 露地, dew-covered ground), the machiai is a spiritual waiting room in front of the dojo. Paul Böhm made a wax model to help him find the shape. The waiting room is located in the centre of a small pond and can be reached via a footbridge.

From the outside, it resembles a capa: a cloak, a mantle. Inside there is a bench and a candle.

The sculptural, meditative space - it could also be an interfaith chapel - can be a place of quiet contemplation for all visitors, a place to arrive in the here and now.

The construction costs amount to ~ € 160,000.00. In the hope that I can find enough donors, we have submitted a building application. The city of Cologne has approved it.

Donations

Transformation of the church/dojo

The process took 6½ years - from spring 2019 to summer 2025 - from the first visit to the Holy Trinity Church, which was about to be deconsecrated, to the installation of a splash guard on the dojo's freshly whitewashed façade.

The dojo is alive. We were able to move in during the construction work in 2022. The spirit of our practice has been incorporated into the walls. It feels as if it has been part of this place from the very beginning.

The transformation is complete - the church has become a dojo. A space that carries history within it and at the same time breaks new ground.

Transformation of the church square/dojo garden

We have arrived at the construction of the garden. Our quiet way of practising aikido will also be reflected here: Dojo and garden will merge into one and invite mindfulness in the spirit of the Zen ways.

I would be very pleased if our dojo garden plan would meet with further support. A donation receipt for the tax office cannot be issued.

or

Dirk Kropp, Practising Aikido
IBAN: DE51 3705 0198 0002 9926 26
COLSDE33XXX
Purpose: Donation Dojogarden

Samu (作務)

Joint dojo, garden and path maintenance: Saturdays 9.30 am to 12 noon.

Acknowledgement

My heartfelt thanks to the many practitioners from our dojo, alumni and neighbours who have accompanied and continue to accompany all of this in their own personal way. A project like this draws and develops its strength from such broad solidarity.

• Countless hours on the construction site, in the garden or in the background.
   
• 206,912.39 € in donations.

Protestant parish Ehrenfeld

• ≥€ 100,000.00 for the remediation of pollutants / repair of the sewer system / half of the protective glazing (Resurrection window) / unsealing the forecourt and preparing the garden.

State climate subsidy

• 93,258.00 for the conversion of the heating technology and the roof.

City of Cologne

• 9,205.20 € for the improvement of the urban climate.

Craftsmanship

Over 90 tradespeople, engineers and technicians have been involved in the conversion so far.

Architectural office Paul Böhm,
Holger Reif, Ekoplan,
Ertl-Tragwerk,
Stefan Frenken architectural office,
Patrick Posielski, P2 Brandschutz,
Sakosta, pollutant expert,
Multitech, environmental technology,
Markus Breuer electrical engineering,
Plaster & Stucco, Daniel Dibke,
Frescolori,
Euler-Bedachungen,
Erlus,
Heinrich Müller joinery,
Scaffolding Christian Eggert,
mateco,
Jens Peter Reichert, PR Licht,
Schmidt Licht,
Seeger, architectural lighting,
Norka, industrial lighting,
Florian Kick, Emit,
Theod. Mahr Söhne, church heating,
Lindholm, monument preservation,
Josef Frings, sanitary heating,
KWB wood heating,
Diabos, concrete drilling,
Kermi,
Wüst insulation,
Schneifel pellets,
Mario Krech, MK Bau,
Hahn louvres,
Schmitz flooring technology,
Gerflor, floor coverings,
Franke locksmiths,
Laudon,
Giovanni Noé, pipe cleaning,
N. Barsuhn - Moving heavy goods,
Michels Raumideen,
Little Green,
Sonnen Herzog,
KEIM, mineral colour,
Jochen Urbach,
Guido Jüsgen, master chimney sweep,
Christian Schmitt, master chimney sweep,
Derix glass studios,
FSB,
AKM window cleaning,
Lukas Roth, photography,
Antik Acente,
Ricon-Manufaktur,
DEPUNKT,
Schlottag,
Kettemer & Lange,
gbk Teamplan,
Demolition Dratschmidt,
Hedda Edel medicinal herbs,
master gardener Marcus Nitsche,
HEINZ SCHMITT - THE CRAFT,
Ribo-Bedachungen,
Velle window construction,
Herbert Baenfer, locksmith,
Königsforst tree nursery,

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Photo documentation 'Remodelling'

by Marlis Wodara, as of May 22:

• Before/After
• Transformation church/dojo

Travelling exhibition

Museum der Baukultur NRW: "Churches as Fourth Places - Perspectives on Change", curator Felix Hemmers

• 12th station, 21 June to 6 July 26, n.n., Bielefeld
• 11th station, 29 March to 3 May 26, St. Bonifatius Church, Aachen
• 10th station, 8 February to 11 March 26, Christus-König-Kirche, Borken
  
• 9th station, 9 Nov. to 13 Dec. 25, Berger Church, Düsseldorf
• 8th station, 5 Oct. to 2 Nov. 25, Neu St. Thomä, Soest
• 7th station, 24 Aug. to 28 Sept. 25, St. Ludgeri, Münster
• 6th station, 13 July to 17 Aug, Kirche am Kolk, Wuppertal
• 5th station, 1 June to 6 July 25, Johanniskirche, Hagen
• 4th station, 26 April to 26 May 25, Nathanaelkirche, Cologne
• 3rd station, 23 February to 6 April 25, Christuskirche, Hamm
  
• 2nd station, 4 Nov. to 1 Dec. 24, Kreuzkirche, Dorsten
• 1st station, 1 Sept. to 6 Oct. 24, Heilig-Geist-Kirche, Essen

Press/Media (#33)

• Article, 2 May 26, Rethinking church interiors, BAUKULTUR NRW
• Feature, 9 March 26, by Jan Hofer, ZDF 'Volle Kanne'
• Article and feature, 11 Jan. 26, by Jan Hofer, ZDFheute
• Article, 22 Nov. 25, by Bettina Schneuer and Theodor Barth, F.A.Z. Feuilleton
• Article, 13 Nov. 25, by Theodor Barth, in the WOZ, Switzerland
• Article, 12 Nov. 25, by Bettina Schneuer and Theodor Barth, F.A.Z. Quarterly 1/26
• Project description, 17 Sept. 25, Architekturbüro Paul Böhm
• Word Cafè, 22 May 25, Sacred Spaces - New Concepts, Church of the Advent, Kassel
• Feature, 4 May 25, by Henrike Kolletzki, Kirche zu - was jetzt? 3sat and ZDF
• Podcast, 20 April 25, by Hildegard Sühling, WDR 5 Radio' Diesseits von Eden'
• Article, 5 Oct. 24, by Anna-Elisa Jakob, ZEIT ONLINE
• Podcast, 3 Sept. 24, by Alexandra Busch, Architektourist
• Feature, 6 Sept. 24, by Annalena Kirsten, RTL Fernsehen 'West'
• Article, 27 Aug. 24, by Johannes Bernard, Kirche + Leben,
• Article, 22 Jan. 24, by Heribert Rösgen Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger
• Article, 21 Jan. 24, by Heribert Rösgen Kölnische Rundschau
• Interview, 4/23, Paul Böhm and Dirk Kropp by Felix Hemmers in Kunst und Kirche
• Podcast, 11 Oct. 23, by Claudia Friedrich, for WDR 3 Radio 'Mosaik'
• Blog post, 10 Oct. 23, Claudia Friedrich
• Feature, 13 Aug. 23, by Norman Laryea, WDR 3 television 'Aktuelle Stunde'
• Article, 12 July 23, by Heribert Rösgen Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and Kölnische Rundschau
• Day of Architecture, 17/18 June 23' 'Architecture transforms'
• Podcast, 14 June 23, by Cornelia Wegerhoff, for WDR 3 Radio 'Mosaik'
• Article, 26 March 23, by Felix Hemmers on BAUKULTUR NRW, Zukunft-Kirchen-Räume
• Article, 1 July 22, by Angelika Stahl Express die Woche
• Article, 24 June 22, Roland Friedrich "The glass painter Ingrid Vetter-Spilker", in Schau dich um
• Article, 2 June 22, by Heribert Rösgen Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger
• Article, 18 May 22, Prof. Dr Stefanie Lieb, Transara University Bonn
• Interview, 18 May 22, Prof. Dr Stefanie Lieb,Domradio
• Article, 14 Oct. 21, by Heribert Rösgen, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger
• Article, 16 April 21, by Angelika Stahl, Kölner Wochenspiegel
• Article, 21 Jan. 21, by Heribert Rösgen, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger
• Interview, 25 Aug. 20, by Ulrike Hilbrig and Georg Kanonenberg, Gemeindebrief

And a ...

... Newsletter on the state of affairs.