As a community, we have been discussing a number of strategies for what the sustainable future of sacred spaces might be- whether through designing for climate resilience, thinking about future community space needs in a globally shifting religious landscape, or seeking financial viability through mixed uses for historic religious properties and lands. To further this conversation, I wanted to share a piece of personal research and would welcome others' thoughts.
Eight years ago, I formally began a (still ongoing) research project examining international case studies of the adaptive reuse of religious buildings focusing on ritual reuse by different faith traditions, what I call the "sacred shift" (you can read more at Sacred Shift Project). My main research questions have been: what could examples of interfaith heritage offer as solutions for future sustainable building practices? Many of these examples are in contested spaces; are there ways of taking these learning lessons to facilitate better and more equitable building reuse in the future?
I wanted to share new research I recently completed in partnership with my colleague Ashley Kochiss on this topic, in part supported by the Architecture, Culture, and Spirituality Forum. Our study proposes a way in which circular economic principles, which are increasingly required in climate-forward planning requirements, could be married with intangible heritage, which is growing in inclusion in heritage recognition, as a way to bridge the needs of religious communities in adaptively reusing buildings.
Looking at three case studies in London, the study ascribes intangible heritage values to the material elements of religious heritage buildings that have been adapted to new purposes. These heritage elements are then correlated to circular economy principles through a proposed template adapted from current planning requirements under London's sustainability requirements.
Using archival data and onsite evaluation, 3D models were then created at different points of a building's adaptation lifecycle to show how embodied carbon through time correlates to these heritage elements, with the goal of providing a sustainability quotient that demonstrates the value of reusing buildings as well as recognizing intangible heritage within the reuse process.
I'm including here a link to an abbreviated summary of the study.
I would love to hear from others: what are examples of ritual reuse you may have seen in your community? What do you think inhibits more reuses like this from happening (bias, racism, fear, finances, legal systems, etc.)? What do you think the future of sacred spaces might be? Do you think we'll continue to see increasing examples of ritual reuse, or do we think there will be a "plateau" in the face of secularization (as has been predicted by some)?
Thank you in advance for your thoughts!
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Rebekah Coffman
Historian, Preservationist, Curator
Chicago, IL
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