The greatest challenge facing architects when designing religious spaces pertains to the profundity of program: how do you create an atmosphere befitting such weighty functions as worshiping, professing faith, celebrating new life, or grieving death? One way in which many firms achieve answers to these questions is by harnessing an intangible element that possesses greater visceral power than any built object: light.
As illustrated in Phaidon’s book Sacred Spaces, architects can channel natural light to transform the ambience of these spiritual places by perforating, slicing, or fracturing a building’s façade. At the same time, manmade illumination can give these buildings a second life as hallowed lanterns after dark — with many chapels forming beacons of hope for people long after the sun has set. Here are seven exemplars that combine architecture and light to create the perfect ambiance for prayer and reflection:
Sunset Chapelby Bunker Arquitectura, Guerrero, Mexico
Situated on a mountainside in Southern Mexico, the Sunset Chapel is a physical manifestation of the contrast between two functions of a religious structure: the celebration of life in a marriage ceremony and the mourning of death during a funeral. The building juxtaposes the atmospheric qualities of light and shade, transparency and solidity, and vulnerability versus the indestructible. The boulder-like concrete building has slits cut into its upper reaches that allow sunlight to permeate the interior and offer stunning views across the surrounding landscape.
© Sandro Lendler
© Sandro Lendler
© Sandro Lendler
Pope John Paul II Hall by Randić and Associates, Rijeka, Croatia
Designing a new addition to a Franciscan monastery originally constructed in the 15th century, Randic and Associates wanted to create a contemporary religious space while respecting the heritage of this important pilgrimage site. The architects used a continuous skin of terra cotta bricks with a pixelated composition that allows light to seep through hidden windows and softly illuminate the monastery’s Great Hall.
Public Crematorium in South India by Mancini Enterprises, Coimbatore, India
Mancini Enterprises’ Crematorium in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu was designed for last-rites ceremonies with a large number of mourners. For this reason, large, open-plan areas are incorporated inside and outside the two main pavilions. Voids between each cast concrete element of the façade allow each space within this tropical climate to be naturally ventilated and also allow light to flood the interior of each hall.
LJG Synagogue by SeARCH, Amsterdam, Netherlands
SeARCH sought to reinvigorate the architectural identity of synagogues by hollowing out a solid volume to create a hall of tiered balconies that terminate with a distinctively shaped window echoing the seven arms of a menorah chandelier. Circular reflectors are speckled across the façades — with some forming Jewish script that is illuminated by ambient light in the surroundings.
Ruta del Peregrino Refugies by Luis Aldrete, Jalisco, Mexico
Luis Aldrete’s striking terra cotta structure forms a refuge for people traversing the famous Ruta del Peregrino pilgrimage route in Mexico. A series of linked modules were designed to allow for adaption and growth of the structure as needs change over time. Two hues of adobe clay are used to form a lattice of bricks creating a play between light and shade across the internal spaces throughout the day.
De La Piedra Chapelby Nómena, near Lima, Peru
Nómena deliberately stripped away the usual typological or symbolic references of religion for this chapel in Peru, instead creating a solemn place for reflection with the use of an austere and elemental form. The textured concrete walls are solid but for a constellation of round perforations high up on the façade, which emit a soft glow after dark and transform this monolith block into a sculptural projector of subtle light.
Water-Moon Monastery by Kris Yao | Artech Architects, Taiwan Province, Taiwan
In Taiwan’s Water-Moon Monastery, the translucence of the central reflecting pool is juxtaposed with the solidity of the glass reinforced concrete shading screens situated along the upper half of the temple walls. Each panel has hundreds of perforations that spell out sacred scripts allowing light to stream through. According to the architects, “When the scripture is imprinted onto the interior surface by the sunlight, it is as if the Buddha’s teaching, in an unspoken manner, is revealed.”
Interested in seeing more spectacular places of worship? Check out Phaidon’s book Sacred Spaces.
