Cathedral of Christ The Light

Completely covering the parking lot where Hanako learned to ride a bicycle now resides Oakland's new Roman Catholic cathedral:

It is a stunning complex, housing diocesan offices, housing, gift and coffee shop, conference center, mausoleum and, of course, the Cathedral of Christ the Light.

 

(That's about 125 feet from floor to roof...impressive.) The interior is completely lit naturally during daylight. Soft diffused and reflected daylight, with sudden rays appearing through random openings in the skin of the space.

Note the solid riser panels on either side of the pixelated picture of Christ. These panels will each be filled with organ pipes sometime next year. 

On the opposite side of the sanctuary is the entry complex:

 

Chapels and confessionals are secreted of both sides of the sanctuary, behind the concrete walls.

The entire complex sits comfortably overlooking Lake Merritt:

 

A very impressive addition to the architecture of the Bay Area!

(And, it's on base isolators, so it should ride out the next few serious earthquakes.)