Religious

Studio ST Architects’ renovation of the 94-year-old Ansche Chesed Synagogue revitalizes the space to encourage a greater sense of community and to accommodate twenty-first century needs. The main project challenge was redesigning the landmarked synagogue to make the spaces feel more contemporary yet reflective of the building’s past. Studio ST upgraded the functionality, aesthetics and security of the 1927 Romanesque-Byzantine synagogue while relating to its historic features. Bilyana Dimitrova The synagogue wished to increase the building’s security while maintaining a sense of an open and welcoming space. A new security office was created in the entry vestibule, and a lockdown system was installed in the main assem... More

St Andrew’s Hall in Parkville is home to a training facility for the Church Missionary Society of Australia (CMS). The Learning Centre and Accommodation Redevelopment project comprises a complete restoration of the original 19th century house and new student accommodation and teaching building. Responding to the ornate fretwork and detail of St Andrew’s Hall, the development is wrapped in a geometric patterned metalwork screen. This serves as solar control to the northern and western facades, and manages privacy to the development’s northern neighbours. Overall, the development reflects a considered and respectful approach to the site’s heritage, and will provide the ‘missionaries in training’ a welcomi... More

The Narre Warren North Mosque will provide a place of worship and assembly for the local Muslim community set within an expansive valley setting. A site-responsive approach integrates built form with the natural surrounds, while offering new prayer hall mosque, ancillary building, pedestrian walks and car parking. The development comprises two co-located buildings that work cohesively by juxtaposing height and scale. The form draws upon the site topography and orientation of Mecca. Caption The materiality of the building is sympathetic to its location and context. The external walls are dark concrete paired with landscape berms that immerse the building into the natural landscape. The roof material is dark and recessive to further g... More

Located on a prominent corner opposite Canterbury Gardens, the Canterbury Baptist Church has been serving the community since 1891. To support ongoing environmental and economic sustainability, an opportunity was identified to enhance the site through high quality, considered apartments and additional facilities for the Church congregation and local community. The proposed multipurpose hall is designed to reference the existing architecture of the Church, designed by prominent architect Keith Reid in 1962. Strategically replacing a number of separate buildings and spaces surrounding the Church itself, the architectural form and materiality directly relate to the neighbourhood context of established residential streets. The development c... More

The project was born from the study of the liturgical Christian space evolution and from an attentive look and comprehension of the complex morphology of the intervention site. A base built by a granite wall extends from the surroundings, sustaining the temple. A courtyard separates functionally the Main Hall from the Church, like an exterior antechamber which inspires the users to silence and recollection. At the courtyard stands out the sky, the sound of the magnolia leaves swept by the wind and the running water. A glass door invites anyone who enters the courtyard to be part of the big Christian family. Inside, presbytery and assembly rise up forward God through the large vertical clerestory which draws the passion of Christ on the wall... More

Motto: "Just like grapes in the press, even man is under pressure... a social one. " (MG jr., October 2017)•The St. Urban's chapel, dedicated to the patron of wine-makers, is located in the rural environment of the agrarian and historically valuable landscape around Nitra, the oldest town in Slovakia. The village of Zbehy used to be a well-known wine-producing area in the past. The first written record of the village is from 1156, however, the village officially dates back to 1292.The new chapel was built at the original location of the old chapel as per the will of the citizens. This unique conceptual and technical design was authored and materialized by the project author Ing. arch. Michal Gaj jr.. In collaboration with the Former mayor a... More

Designed as an intimate sanctuary for quiet, individual prayer, the new adoration chapel on the St Pius campus is a subtle sculptural addition to the landscape. In meetings prior to the start of design, congregants were clear that the new chapel should complement the formal character of the adjacent 1960s church and its striking, monumentally-scaled copper roof, which rises in orchestrated planes from ground level to more than 75 feet above the church floor. The new chapel is a delicately-placed, quiet counterpoint to the adjacent church, contrasting in scale but similar in form and material. The tall, angled shape of the chapel ties the building to its neighbor and creates a soaring space for worshippers within—a cathedral for on... More

At 18,000 SF, this project is the initial step to relocate LUMC to a 32-acre site that supports and encourages church growth. Emphasizing services for young families through contemporary worship, the project provides new, flexible worship space combined with classrooms. The foyer provides space for building relationships while framing views of the neighborhoods, reminding members of their mission to serve their community.Liberty United Methodist Church has a strong history filled with tradition and symbolism, not the least of which is the Cross and Flame. Researching the origins of the symbol and finding connections to Renaissance depictions of the Holy Spirit led to the development of an architectural expression of biblical scripture, Acts... More

Location : Golshahr, Alborz, IranArchitect in charge : Ahmad SaffarDesign Team : Marzieh Estedadi, Navid Shokravi, Bahar Mesbah,Niloofar Oji, Ghazaleh Eydi, Niloofar Zaker Vafaei, Elaheh AzarakhshDate of design: 2018Site area: 22,160 sqmBuilding Type : Public, culturalAwards : 3rd place in Golshahr Mosque & plaza competitionMaterial : Brick, concreteClient : Hajitarkhani FoundationThis masque is for the human and culture that have roots in the history and through the time their need can change and now they need some spaces that fit into their needs.Is it possible for a contemporary Architecture to pay attention to the culture and history and the landscape of the area?Can we ignore the history and the culture of that area to reach t... More

The new building for the crematorium in St. Niklaas (Belgium) has been divided into two parts: a reception building, and a technical building (the crematorium proper). The decision to separate the two buildings was based primarily on practical and environmental considerations, but it also provides an opportunity to give each building a character and look of its own deriving from its function. It also enables a spatial rite de passage on the site and in the buildings which is appropriate to the different stages of a funeral ceremony. Emptiness, space and clarity predominate in the new reception room. The use of clear spatial gestures and materials results in a room with a presence, but nowhere do the accents introduced take over. The... More

A place of worship is built-up of a community, it can be a social setting where the congregation can gather and people can come together in one scared environment. It is very important for the community to have a building that is worthy for this worship. This can be achieved when the visual and functional aspects of architectural and interior design is balanced. This building of worship located in Great Neck, New York has suited the needs of its congregation for many years. But with a growing population, the needs of the synagogue have changed. A renaissance of the temple has begun. The addition is currently in its infancy and the development of the space has been two-fold, to unify the old with the new, both in members and with physi... More

The concept for the Filamentary Chapel is to create a processional scheme, a peripheral pathway around the chapel that promotes an introspective process in preparation for the religious ceremony and for a personal spiritual seclusion.The traditional axial and finite scheme that ends at the altar, is turned around 180 degrees in order to create a peripheral procession that makes the altar the center of the composition.The emplacement of the chapel idealizes the duality between the absence and the presence; it is a construction that is built but it is also excavated. It is like an archeological finding that obliges to make a descendant course which is awarded by the unexpected entrance from the back and also that maintains the atrial cross as... More

Church in Równia Szaflarska near Nowy Targ, Poland is the first of its kind in the Europe. Made in technology of passive construction, the church is equipped with energy-saving FAKRO roof windows. The initiator of the energy-efficient solutions in the sacral buildings is parson Jan Karlak. The church was designed by Marcin Stelmach and Tomasz Piszczek from Passive Architecture studio, which specialize in passive constructions. Property through its form refers to the historical style of the region, and by technology means it has become a sign of deep respect for the earth's natural resources for many years. The project of the church, in the general assumption, is extremely energy efficient passive building with minimal energy consumption... More

Description: Salisbury Cathedral is a beautiful, historic building, an international symbol of Christianity and a world-class heritage attraction. Salisbury is unique amongst medieval English cathedrals, for the major part built within a generation (1220-1258). The building itself is remarkable, a testimony to the faith and practical skills of those who erected it. Salisbury to the southwest of London is a centre of pilgrimage for hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Every day, century after century, people come here to worship. So in 2003 the 60-year old chairs of the Salisbury Cathedral were ready for a much-needed replacement. Furniture solution: Secretary of The Friends Miss Jane Erith said that a yearlong extensive resear... More