Interfaith Design

Uhmm - "post religious architecture" was the question, not necessarily "post Christian architecture", right?

Lets cast the net further out from the proverbial "christian boat", because many would agree we have already come to the fork in the road for Christian architecture. Indeed, gone are the great cathedrals, the mark in the community, the spires in the cities, etc. The shift has occurred from God as a supreme being (mental image Vatican city)  to Jesus on the dashboard (mental image Willowcreek).

What about the Judaic tradition, the Hindu faith, the Buddhist temple, the primal religions, or for that matter the point at which we all can agree, something greater than "man" (regardless of the author's name), made the greatest temple, the earth.  
 
"Post religious architecture", may be it should be "pre-religious architecture"?

Good question Michael!

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William Robson AIA
Gabriel Consultants
Centreville VA
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Forgive my ignorance, but does this imply the loss of religion or are we speaking about the non-denominational application of design to a multi-faith criteria? If the former is true, then we are all lost! If the latter is the concern, then there is hope for us. In each faith there are certain tenets which differentiate the faithful of one religious group from another. Historically in the design of places of worship some, or many, of these tenets have become manifest in a formula for design of the buildings. To abandon the inclusion of these manifestations would be tatamount to abandoning the significance of the tenets they represent, which would white-wash the denominations and incorporate every building into the category of "Religious building". This effectively would remove the necessity of creative authors who interpret and design for specific program requirements unique to each denomination. If that were so, where would that leave items such as Iconography? Statuary? Minarets?Rose Windows?Ciborium's? Baldachin's? Mecca Orientation,etc...Are these classic design elements to become superfluous? Where would this leave Architects?

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Denis Cassidy AIA
Senior Architect
Claris Construction Inc
Waterbury CT
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As religion may alter, but not go away, I would prefer the title "emerging" rather than "post". The emerging architecture will still need to accommodate worshipers, and there will still be liturgy and possibly music and movement, but there will not be the pre Reformation symbolism of the Gothic or the Baroque that was the Roman Catholic response of the Reformation, nor will there be the architectural interpretations neo-Gothic, Romanesque, etc that have followed.  I believe some of the emphasis on accommodation and comfort that has been prevalent for 50 years will continue, but there will be new emphasis on quality that will replace the metal building trend of the 80's, 90's and early 2000.  The neighborhood architecture in Finland may be a good example.  I believe the quality of the worship space will be more important, but I do not know if the spaces will be filled with light or cast in shadow and mystery.
This conversation is important and I hope it continues and I hope that others join in.

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Robert Wandel AIA retired
WSA Studio
Columbus OH
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