Tag: sacred-space | ArchDaily

When Movement Becomes Sacred Space: The Architecture of India’s Pilgrimage Landscapes

Ananya Nayak — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 07:30:00 +0000

At the helm of architectural discourse on sacred architecture, attention almost always settles on the monument. Temples, mosques, monasteries, and churches dominate architectural histories, design criticism, and photography alike, becoming the physical symbols through which faith is understood. For millions of pilgrims across India, the most consequential architectural experience begins long before the shrine comes into view. It unfolds across mountain roads, river ghats, shaded streets, temporary camps, queue systems, bridges, water kiosks, medical stations, and countless ordinary pieces of infrastructure through which pilgrimage actually takes place. The architectural work of pilgrimage may lie less in the shrine itself than in the environments that allow millions of people to reach it.

The Ecological Intelligence of Sacred Landscapes

Ananya Nayak — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Architecture often speaks about ecological design as though it were a recent discovery. Biodiversity corridors, regenerative landscapes, sponge cities, and more-than-human urbanism are presented as emerging responses to contemporary environmental crises. Across India and the SWANA region, landscapes shaped through religious practice have long organized relationships between people, water, vegetation, and animals. Long before ecological performance became a design metric, temple tanks stored monsoon water, sacred groves protected biodiversity, and oasis settlements sustained life in some of the world's most arid environments. Few of these places emerged from explicit environmental agendas. They emerged through cultural and spiritual practices. Their environmental logic remains highly relevant today. Many of the conditions now discussed through more-than-human design have existed for centuries within landscapes architects rarely study as ecological infrastructure.

Monasteries in Transformation: 8 Projects that Redefine Architecture and Devotion

Camilla Ghisleni — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Monasticism emerged from a deep impulse to withdraw—a radical pursuit of spirituality and transcendence. The word itself comes from the Greek μόνος (mónos), meaning “alone,” reflecting the ideal of the holy hermit who retreats from the world to dedicate life entirely to the divine. By the late 3rd century, in Egypt and Palestine, the first Christian monks began to follow this path, creating ways of life that would later give rise to a distinct architecture centered on seclusion.

Between Geometric Shapes and Raw Materials: The Case of Brutalism in Italy

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Born in the post-war period in the United Kingdom, the Brutalism movement was first met with skepticism but has found a new appreciation in the last decade, capturing the imagination of new designers fascinated with the interplay between striking geometric shapes and the exposed raw materials in which they are rendered. From Britain, the movement spread throughout Europe, Southeast Asia, and Africa, gathering different variations influenced by the cultural and socio-economic status of each area. In this article, we delve into the particularities that define Italy's contribution to the Brutalist movement, exploring the style through the lens of Roberto Conte and Stefano Perego. The two photographers have also published a photographic essay on the subject, taking the form of a book titled "Brutalist Italy: Concrete Architecture from the Alps to the Mediterranean Sea".

Interfaith Spaces: Architectural Responses to Religious Diversity

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Fri, 27 Dec 2024 04:00:00 +0000

In an increasingly diverse world, the emergence of multi-faith spaces represents a significant shift in architectural design, reflecting the evolving religious landscape of contemporary society. These spaces, which began to be formally established in the 1950s in public buildings like airports and hospitals, serve as microcosms of social transformation and peaceful coexistence. They allow various traditions to harmoniously share environments, embodying principles of inclusivity, flexibility, and adaptability.

Aesthetics Alone Do Not Give Sacred Space Its Meaning

Doug Staker — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 03:30:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

Buildings Are Not Sacred, but We Can Find Beauty Through Them

Duo Dickinson — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 03:30:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

Shaping the Future of Islamic Architecture: Diriyah Biennale Foundation Unveils AlMusalla Prize

Nour Fakharany — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 05:30:00 +0000

The Diriyah Biennale Foundation has just unveiled the competition details for the AlMusalla Prize, along with the shortlisted architecture studios and the jury. An addition to the Islamic Arts Biennale, this international architecture competition focuses on designing a musalla, a flexible space for prayer and reflection accessible to people of all faiths. Situated in the Western Hajj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the musalla will be an integral part of the Biennale’s upcoming edition. The winner of the competition will be announced later this year, and the opening of the musalla will be held on January 25th, 2025.

Finnish ‘Architect of Light’ Juha Ilmari Leiviskä Passes Away at 87

Maria-Cristina Florian — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 06:30:00 +0000

Juha Ilmari Leiviskä, one of Finland´s foremost architects recognized for his design of light-filled poetic spaces, passed away on November 9, 2023, at the age of 87. Born in Helsinki and educated at Helsinki University of Technology, Leiviskä developed a personal style throughout his six decades-long career, working with his own family of forms to design buildings with unique identities, yet unified by their treatment of light and geometry. His architecture has been praised for its serene, hones, and timeless qualities, earning him numerous awards and international recognition.

What Would Jane Jacobs Do? Toward a New Model for Houses of Worship

Rick Reinhard — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 03:30:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

How to Frame Dawn in England's Cathedrals

Thomas Schielke — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 03:30:00 +0000

Using only natural light to document English cathedrals can turn into a logistical and technical challenge. However, Peter Marlow's photography has resulted in a remarkable series of iconic spiritual sites whose contemplative atmosphere is rarely accessible to others. Looking east with the camera towards the nave as the dawn light streamed through the main window opens a purist and mystical perspective to the time when these sacred structures were erected.

Campus Sacred Spaces Are Changing

Michael J. Crosbie — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 03:30:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

Architect Trey Trahan on Building Sacred Spaces for Connection in Design and the City Podcast

Andreea Cutieru — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 05:30:00 +0000

In this episode of Design and the City - a podcast by reSITE on how to make cities more liveable – Trey Trahan, founder of Trahan Architects, discusses the importance of designing spaces that foster human connection and encourage self-reflection. With ecology and the poetics of space as core values, the work of Trahan Architects focuses on creating impactful cultural venues and in this podcast, Trahan argues for a design centred around elevating the human experience.

Adapting The Sacred To Be Profane

Duo Dickinson — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 03:30:00 +0000

It is easy to show cool images of adaptive reuse. The contrast of living history and control over it makes for dynamic visuals. But there is a deeper meaning to adaptive reuse. Architecture embodies humanity and humanity changes, so our buildings change.

Architecture Classic: al-Nouri Mosque / Nur ad-Din Zangi

Kaley Overstreet — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 02:30:00 +0000

Islamic architecture has been perhaps one of the most culturally significant typologies throughout history. Not only do the buildings themselves serve as centers for community and social services, but their designs reflect Muslim beliefs and morals, and reveal the rich history of nations in the Middle East.

What Is Sacred Space?

Duo Dickinson — Sat, 04 Jul 2020 06:00:00 +0000

We are in an unholy mess. It is a pandemic, with insane politics, and centuries of hideous racial injustice screaming out humanity’s worst realities. Each day reveals more disease, more anger, more flaws in our culture than anyone could have anticipated.

Sacred Architecture Models Crafted from Hand-Cut Paper by Michael Velliquette

Niall Patrick Walsh — Fri, 10 Aug 2018 12:30:00 +0000

American artist Michael Velliquette has produced his latest series of paper-based artwork, creating intricate paper models of sacred architecture. His hand-cut paper shapes are assembled into complex forms “akin to sacred architecture and three-dimensional mandalas.”

Is Religious Architecture Still Relevant?

Yiling Shen — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 09:30:00 +0000

Some of the greatest architectural works throughout history have been the result of religion, driven by the need to construct spaces where humanity could be one step closer to a higher power. With more people choosing a secular lifestyle than ever before, are the effects that these buildings convey—timelessness, awe, silence and devotion, what Louis Kahn called the “immeasurable” and Le Corbusier called the “ineffable”—no longer relevant?