Archinect - News

Henning Larsen unveils its new design for a 'modern monument' in Copenhagen

2022-10-07T12:34:00-04:00

Henning Larsen has announced their recent commission to design a new church in Copenhagen — the Danish capital’s first in over 30 years.

Set amongst a clearing of trees in a forested area, the Ørestad Church is designed to be a communal gathering nexus that "offers solace" to parishioners and is "untouched by the bustle of the city," according to Global Design Director Jacob Kurek.

Rendering by VividVision. Courtesy of Henning Larsen.

Made of wood and wood shingle, the 18,837-square-foot (1,750-square-meter) church is said to reflect the open landscape and expressive architecture found in Ørestad.

A linear arrangement of clustered volumes aims to reference the treeline of a forest when approached from the adjacent Amager Fælled, a nature reserve in Copenhagen.

Image courtesy Henning Larsen.

Rendering by VividVision. Courtesy of Henning Larsen.

The design's inverted facade creates an "urban shelf" activated by seating niches, gaming areas, and a book exchange that was included as the...

Beyer Blinder Belle renovates mid-century modern landmark church in Washington, D.C.

2021-11-01T17:17:00-04:00

New York-based architecture practice Beyer Blinder Belle (BBB) is known for projects that focus on the "planning, restoration, and the design of new buildings." Their latest project for the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., focuses on expanding and renovating one of D.C.'s historic mid-century modern church sites.

Designed by American architect Harold E. Wagoner in 1967, BBB continued with its 2016 master plan for the Church by designing two additions that offer new meeting rooms and added public space for members. According to firm Partner Hany Hassan, FAIA: "Our work introduces a contemporary entry and new central staircase, expressive and open in design, to draw people through all three levels of the Church."

National Presbyterian Church Image © Alan Karchmer/Courtesy of Beyer Blinder Belle

The new buil...

House of One, Berlin's new worship space for Christians, Muslims, and Jews, to start construction this spring

2021-02-26T14:46:00-05:00

On the site of a church torn down by East Germany’s communist rulers, a new place of worship is set to rise that will bring Christians, Jews and Muslims under one roof – and it has already been dubbed a “churmosquagogue”.

Designed by Berlin-based architects Kuehn Malvezzi, the $57 million House of One project for the historic Petriplatz in Germany's capital has been in a lengthy planning process for the past ten years.

Previously on Archinect: Designing the House of One, a Worship Space for Three Religions by Kuehn Malvezzi

According to The Guardian, the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone for the building that will incorporate dedicated spaces for each of the three main Abrahamic faiths is scheduled for May 27.

"People of other faiths and denominations, and those of no faith, will be invited to events and discussions in the large hall," reports the paper.

Learn more about the project and the inception story behind it in Archinect's 2016 interview with the architects, Designing the House of One, a Worship Space for Three Religions by Kuehn Malvezzi.

Fernando Romero to design world's tallest statue of Christ

2019-01-16T14:18:00-05:00

An actor from Tamaulipas has created a project that would give the state’s capital, Ciudad Victoria, the world’s tallest statue of Jesus Christ. Eduardo Verástegui Córdoba explained that the 77-meter-high statue and a complex to be built around it will be known as The Christ of Peace. He said that the purpose of the project is to leave a legacy of peace for the state in which he was born.

Besides the enormous statue of Jesus Christ, the ambitious project is also expected to provide a large plaza for 10,000 people, a church of course, a convention center as well as facilities for retail, dining, hospitality, shopping, entertainment, transportation, and housing.

Mexican actor Eduardo Verástegui Córdoba, the driving force behind the Cristo de la Paz vision, hopes to send a message of peace while also bringing pilgrims, tourists, and thus commerce to his drug war-ravaged home state of Tamaulipas, one the country's most violent.

Fernando Romero, a lead architect of Mexico City's recently canceled NAICM airport development, will reportedly design the project.

It's unclear how much the endeavor will cost and who is paying for it, but construction is set to start soon.

Museum of the Bible is DC's latest spectacle

2017-12-01T19:44:00-05:00

The Museum of the Bible recently opened in Washington, D.C. packed with screens and interactive exhibits. The 430,000-square-foot building was designed by SmithGroup JJR and cost a total of $500 million. Formerly a refrigerated warehouse, this space has been turned into quite an extravaganza. The museum, hailed by some as a religious indoor amusement park, boasts 12 different movie theaters, one 140-foot-long LED screen, and several immersive exhibits simulating historic, biblical environments.

Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. Photo: Alan Karchmer.

Visitors will also experience Morgan Freeman's voice reading scripture, a computer animated film recounting the New Testament, and the parting of the Red Sea via a walkthrough light installation (pictured above). While this space is branded for social media, the museum also houses some quieter galleries focused on the Bible’s influence on the United States.

The World of Jesus of Nazareth in the Museum of the Bible. Photo: Alan Ka...

Stunning royal crematorium for late Thai monarch ready to go up in flames this week

2017-10-23T15:03:00-04:00

At the center of the royal funeral is a $30 million, nine-spire structure where the beloved monarch’s body will be cremated. For months now, legions of Thai architects, designers, artisans, and craftsmen have been working on the funeral complex in Bangkok’s Sanam Luang field. They’ve erected a series of golden pavilions festooned by thousands of elaborate sculptures, textiles, art works and sandalwood flowers.

Architect Theerachat Weerayuttanon and art technician Korkiat Thongphut of the Thai Ministry of Culture — and fervent devotees of the country's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej — worked feverishly to present a crematorium design fit for a deity when they were tasked with the job only hours after the monarch's passing last year.

Their work, and that of countless craftsmen and artisans, will go up in flames at 10 p.m. this Thursday.

Hossein Amanat, the architect of Tehran's iconic Azadi Tower, reflects on religion and architecture in Iran

2017-08-15T15:29:00-04:00

In 1966, a 24-year-old architect who had just graduated from Tehran University hesitantly entered a competition to design a monument to mark the 2,500-year celebration of the founding of the Persian empire. [...] The architect, Hossein Amanat, had no idea that his hastily prepared design, which went on to win the competition, would one day become a focal point of the Iranian capital’s skyline, serving as a backdrop to some of the country’s most turbulent political events.

The Azadi tower, he said, was an opportunity to “design modern architecture using old language, to preserve the good things about a culture, leave aside the meaningless parts and create something new and meaningful”.

AIA officially states it is pro-immigration and travel-positive

2017-02-21T12:43:00-05:00

What would America be without immigrants? More to the point, what would architecture be without the ability for those working within it to freely travel and collaborate with (much more affordable) talent from around the world? In recognition of these facts, the AIA has released an official statement that raises concerns about broad anti-immigration policies, and confirms the institute's dedication to reciprocal "free moment and association" around the globe. Here's the full text of the press release:

As discussion on immigration continues, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) today joins with many American businesses, industries and universities in calling for fair and impartial immigration policies, and in expressing deep concern about policies that restrict immigration from specific countries or regions based on overly broad factors, including religion.

“Beyond the essential considerations of fairness and equity, restrictions targeting specific areas of the world can have prof...

2016 Faith & Form Religious Architecture Awards name Koning Eizenberg, John McAslan & Partners, John Ronan among winners

2016-12-14T17:43:00-05:00

Whether you frequently visit a religious space or not, there are plenty of projects out there that are worthy of praise in their own right, as seen in the 2016 Faith & Form/IFRAA Awards Program. Founded in 1978 and co-sponsored by Faith & Form Magazine and the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture (IFRAA), the annual competition scopes out the best in religious architecture, liturgical design, and art for religious spaces.

Open to all, from architects to clergy to students, the 2016 Faith & Form/IFRAA Awards concluded with 28 winning projects based worldwide. Categories included New Facilities, Restoration, Liturgical/Interior Design, Sacred Landscape, and more. Here are a few of the winners:

Sacred Landscape: Shoji Oshio + UA architects; 8-Shaped Passage; Ueno, Tokyo, Japan

Liturgical/Interior Design: John McAslan + Partners; Sacred Heart Cathedral of Kericho; Kericho, Kenya

Adaptive Reuse/Repurpose: Koning Eizenberg Architecture; Temple Israel of Hollywood; Los Angeles, California

Murphy Burnham & Buttrick Architects; St. Patrick’s Cathedral; New York, New York; Restoration

New Facilities: John McAslan + Partners; Jumaa Mosque; Doha, Qatar

Student Work: Rafaela Paes; “City of Spirits”; Recife, Brazil

cover image: New Facilities: John Ronan Architects; Chapel of St. Ignatius; Chicago, Illinois

Find the full list of winners on Bustler.

For more about religious architecture on Archinect:

LeRoy's Ark: LeRoy Tro...

Indian Hindu temple planned as world's tallest religious structure

2016-12-07T14:18:00-05:00

With its indoor theme park and helipad, this building might seem more like it would belong in Las Vegas, but this towering Hindu temple is set to become the world's tallest religious skyscraper. [...] At 700 feet (210 metres), the temple will be taller than India's Taj Mahal, which stands at 239 feet (73m) tall, as well as St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, which measures 422 feet (128.6m).

The illustration below shows the greater master plan for Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir. The project website has this description:

"The skyscraper temple-cum-heritage project, conceived of by the devotees of ISKCON-Bangalore, will consist of a grand temple of Lord Sri Krishna at its centre. The grand temple shall be of monumental proportions and its iconic architecture shall harmoniously combine elements of both Indian temple architecture and modern architecture. This temple is poised to become the tallest, grandest and largest religious structure in India. The temple has a footprint of about 5.5 acres and rises to a height of about 700 feet (213 metres or 70 floors). The temple is planned to be vibrant with festivals and religious activities throughout the year."

Vedic Cosmology is an integral part of the design concept. The project website explains:

"A capsule elevator takes visitors from the ground level to the 700 ft. tall viewing Gallery giving an immersive 3D sound and light experi...

Noah's Ark replica opens in Kentucky biblical theme park to “compete with the Disneys and the Universals”

2016-07-12T15:09:00-04:00

The park’s centerpiece features three decks of exhibits explaining Answers in Genesis’ views of the biblical flood account..[It] also features a two-story restaurant, aerial zipline cables and the Ararat Ridge Zoo... “...in a world that we see becoming very secularized before our eyes, it’s really time for Christians to do something of this size, of this quality, that competes with the Disneys and the Universals to get a message to the world.”

This might be worth a pitstop for anyone planning a U.S. summer road trip. Envisioned by the Creationist apologetics ministry Answers in Genesis, a replica of Noah's Ark — measuring 510 feet long, 85 feet wide and 51 feet high — opened last week as the centerpiece of the Ark Encounter theme park in Williamstown, Kentucky. As it goes, the theme park [which apparently has a total construction cost of more than $150 million] is “more than just entertainment” and aims to promote the ministry's views on evolution. As it goes, criticism ensues.

Artist catalogs the drab architecture of America's megachurches

2016-05-03T13:50:00-04:00

Lisa Anne Auerbach created a ‘megazine’ of structures reminiscent of shopping malls or warehouses, hidden away from city centers, where thousands of people worship every week [...] The conception of the cathedral is not only where one goes to be spiritual or commune with God, but to feel awe through the grandeur of the architecture [...] the US megachurch buildings are stripped wholesale of that sense of wonder and connection to the past; they are also far from the focal point of a city.

Omaha is building a Tri-Faith campus with a church, a mosque and a synagogue (no joke)

2015-12-29T14:35:00-05:00

A mosque, a church and a synagogue go up on the site of an old Jewish country club ... It sounds like the setup to a joke — but it's not. It's actually happening in Omaha, Neb. The Tri-Faith Initiative may be the first place in history where these three monotheistic faiths have built together, on purpose, with the intention of working together. [...] Similar initiatives are underway elsewhere. One in Berlin would house all three religions in a single building.

Similar tri-faith building initiatives are also germinating in other parts of the world: A church-mosque-synagogue, in Berlin

Legal limbo continues for Christoph Büchel's Venice Biennale Mosque

2015-08-12T14:20:00-04:00

A court in Venice has refused to fast-track a legal claim filed by the Icelandic Art Center (IAC) seeking the reopening of artist Christoph Büchel’s mosque, which launched earlier this year in a disused church in Venice as part of the Biennale. The IAC is the commissioner of the controversial project, which was housed in the former Catholic church [...]. The mosque closed at the end of May after only two weeks when city officials claimed that it breached health and safety regulations.

Previously in the Archinect News: Police Shut Down Mosque Installation at Venice Biennale

Plans revealed for the future European Center of Judaism in Paris

2015-06-30T20:59:00-04:00

Construction has begun on the future Centre Européen du Judaïsme (European Centre of Judaism) in the 17th arrondissement of Paris [...]. The planned cost of the project is €10m, with €2.7m in state and regional public funding, and it is due to be completed in spring 2017. Covering 4,900 sq. m over eight floors, the Jewish centre will include a synagogue, library, theatre and classrooms. The new building has been designed by the local architects Bruno Fléchet and Stéphane Maupin [...].

The "Lunatic Builder" who spent 50 years (and counting) building a cathedral

2015-06-30T14:25:00-04:00

There were never any construction plans or official permission. Everything is in my head. I am not an architect or a stonemason. I have never had any training in the building profession. My basic education was interrupted by the Civil War. I was inspired by books about cathedrals, castles and other religious buildings and they gave birth to my own work...—Don Justo Gallego Martínez

Born into humble means in the Spanish town of Mejorada del Campo in 1925 and having worked as a farmer and a bullfighter, Don Justo Gallego Martínez lived in a Trappist monastery for eight years until he was forced to leave when he contracted tuberculosis. Don Justo, who never had any training as an architect or a builder, was "left with [nothing but] the strong conviction that God wanted him to build a temple." And so he did. The year was 1963 when Don Justo first laid the foundation of the Cathedral in Mejorada that he continues to build today.

Perceived by neighbors as "The Lunatic Builder" because he was building without any authorized permission, Don Justo remained steadfast in his spiritual mission — with the help of public donations and technical advice — to keep working on his temple until "the end of [his] days".

Sounds like a movie, right?

Well, director James Rogan created a short documentary in 2010 based on Don Justo's ongoing story called "The Madman and the Cathedral". Y...

Hawaii protesters block construction of giant telescope on sacred mountain Mauna Kea

2015-06-26T13:02:00-04:00

Builders pulled back from Mauna Kea as hundreds of protesters set up roadblocks to oppose construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on top of Hawaii’s sacred mountain. State and local police arrested a dozen demonstrators.

"Protesters say they are taking a stand to defend Mauna Kea, sacred to native Hawaiians, from the international conglomerate attempting to build the mega-telescope, also known as the TMT. They say the 18-story building represents an unacceptable desecration of the mountain."

The Thirty Meter Telescope, or TMT, was designed to be one of the largest telescopes in existence — at a price tag of $1.5 billion USD.

Previously on Archinect: The $1.5B 30m telescope (TMT) will be the biggest ever

Police Shut Down Mosque Installation at Venice Biennale

2015-05-22T17:21:00-04:00

The police in Venice closed an art installation in the form of a functioning mosque on Friday morning, after city officials declared the art project a security hazard and said that the artist who created it, Christoph Büchel, had not obtained proper permits and had violated laws by allowing too many people inside the mosque to worship.

"There is no mosque in Venice, so the thousands of Muslim tourists visiting Venice must pray in a converted factory in Mestre, which is the polluted part of Venice.

This until the swiss artist Buechler converted an abandoned and unused former catholic church into a functioning mosque for the duration of this year's Art Biennial.
Short lived though, Venice Municipal Authorities just yanked the permit.
Reason: Security andSafety-it was too popular, too many people wanted to see it or pray in it.
As usual security trumps everything"

As quoted by a friend.

What makes a building sacred?

2014-10-22T13:47:00-04:00

The new science of neuroaesthetics [...] tells us much about the way pure form is dealt with by the brain. [...] V S Ramachandran, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego, and William Hirstein, a philosopher at Elmhurst College in Illinois, argue that we are innately attuned to recognise things as unified objects – such that we find brushstrokes or architectural features that can be mentally assembled into a coherent whole more beautiful.

Blowing up Mosul's historic mosques is 'a war crime'

2014-07-28T13:12:00-04:00

Leading British archaeologist and member of the House of Lords, Colin Renfrew, says the destruction of historic mosques in Mosul, northern Iraq, by Islamic state militants (Isis) “is a disaster for the cultural heritage of Iraq, and indeed of Islam”. The Prophet Jirjis mosque and shrine in Mosul was destroyed on 27 July, according to unconfirmed press reports. The 14th-century mosque was the latest in a series of holy sites targeted by the jihadist group.

Previously: Islamic State jihadis destroy ancient mosque in Mosul

Islamic State jihadis destroy ancient mosque in Mosul

2014-07-24T18:38:00-04:00

The mosque was built on an archaeological site dating back to 8th century BC and is said to be the burial place of the prophet, who in stories from both the Bible and Qur’an is swallowed by a whale. It was renovated in the 1990s under Iraq’s late dictator Saddam Hussein and until the recent militant blitz that engulfed Mosul, remained a popular destination for religious pilgrims from around the world.

Sculptures on NYC's Cathedral of St. John the Divine depict a modern-day apocalypse

2013-10-08T20:09:00-04:00

On the Portal of Paradise on the western façade of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan are sculptures of the end of modern New York. The Brooklyn Bridge is breaking in two, a bus plummeting from it into the water while waves rise up over the toppling skyline. People run in a panic below the Stock Exchange, and next to them a scorpion, snake, and other signs of pestilence swarm a skeleton.

Romania's church-building boom

2013-08-07T13:54:00-04:00

Romania's Minister of Religious Affairs, Victor Opaschi, concedes that there is a close working relationship between the church and politicians during electoral campaigns, and that this is "not a good thing".

Tessa Dunlop reports in from Romania where the Orthodox Church is in the midst of a growth spurt with as many as 10 new places of worship being completed every month, and the enormous Cathedral for the People's Salvation is slowly taking shape. However, Romanians have begun to question the use of public funds for such purposes, especially in one of the poorest countries in the EU.

The Roman Catholic Church is coming to the Venice Biennale

2013-05-14T20:44:00-04:00

The Vatican’s presence at the Biennale is the brainchild of Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, an exuberant polymath who as president of the Pontifical Council for Culture since 2009 has tried to build bridges between the church and contemporary culture, two worlds that have often clashed.

Ghazni's undiscovered Afghan architectural treasure trove

2013-04-15T12:08:00-04:00

The ancient Afghan city of Ghazni has been designated an Asian city of Islamic Culture by the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation. But outsiders will find it difficult to see the city's famous Islamic and pre-Islamic architectural wonders because of the Taliban insurgency.

Holy architecture: Not a curve out of place

2013-01-10T14:03:00-05:00

Muslim scriptures are laconic on mosque design. The holy building must only face Mecca and be “guarded from enemies”. That gives a free hand to experimental architects and adventurous clergy. In Albania’s capital, Tirana, BIG, a Danish architectural firm, is erecting a mosque with walls like breaking waves. Their clever geometry helps it face Mecca—inconveniently askew from the city’s north-south grid layout.

Are US Muslims abandoning domes and minarets out of fear?

2012-02-02T11:05:00-05:00

"You can have a grand dome and grand minaret, but if it doesn't really serve the purpose, if it only has a large prayer space and nothing else, then you're not really fulfilling the needs of the community," he says.

In post 9/11 America the construction of new mosques in the US has sometimes sparked controversy and even confrontation. Is that why some new Muslim houses of worship are being built without the most recognisable features of Islamic architecture - minarets and domes?

Alain de Botton's 'temples for atheists' have a foundational flaw

2012-01-26T14:16:00-05:00

Perhaps emboldened by the success of the atheist bus, or his own Living Architecture initiative (in which top architects design desirable holiday homes), or the fact that he's got a new book to promote, Alain de Botton is now proposing a series of temples for atheists to be built around the UK.

Competition launched to decorate Moscow churches

2011-12-15T11:55:25-05:00

“These churches must become not only a decoration of our city, but truly a phenomenon of civic and church art of our 21st century,” said Archimandrite Tikhon Shevkunov, the executive secretary of the Patriarchal Council for Culture, at a news conference. “They must become a kind of pearl of ancient tradition, uniting historic Moscow with its new districts and buildings.” He said the terms of the competition would be announced by the end of the year.

Crystal Cathedral congregants ‘devastated’ by church sale

2011-11-21T13:19:55-05:00

Some congregants at Crystal Cathedral said they felt blindsided by the church board after it threw its weight behind a bid from the Catholic Church –- an offer that effectively boots them from their landmark site in Garden Grove. The ruling by U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Kwan to allow the sale of Crystal Cathedral to the Diocese of Orange was met with tears.

Philip Johnson's iconic church gets purchased by the Catholic church.