(RNS) — For religious architecture this year, some of the most creative designs took the old and made it new — and sacred.
Sponsored by the journal Faith and Form, the annual International Awards Program for Religious Art & Architecture this year highlighted the growing trend in sacred architecture to adapt existing facilities, or to transform secular buildings into religious ones.
Several of the 27 winning entries in 2017 fell into the “Adaptive Re-Use/Re-Purpose” category.
With the continuing shrinkage of mainline Protestant congregations, churches are more focused on getting the most out of their existing spaces, in some cases adapting them so they can be used for both spiritual and secular uses, according the the contest sponsors.
The awards also reflect simplicity in design, a part of a growing social value of voluntary simplicity in lifestyle — decluttering consumer-oriented lives.
See the winners in the gallery below.
Calcagnini Contemplative Center, Dynerman Architects. Photo by Alan Karchmer Photography
RLJ Chapel, Ricardo Yslas Gamez Arquitectos. Photo by Jaime Navarro
Vajrasana Buddhist Retreat Centre, Walters & Cohen Architects. Photo by Jim Stephenson
Stella Maris Chapel, Alejandro Beautell, Arquitecto. Photo by Efrain Pintos
Garden Chapel Pavilion, archimania. Photo courtesy of archimania
Liberty United Methodist Church, Dake Wells Architecture. Photo by Architectural Imageworks LLC
New Faith Baptist Church Worship Center, Harding Partners. Photo by Christopher Barrett Photography
Park Plaza Synagogue, Epstein—Principal Designer Andrew Metter. Photo by Ballogg Photography
Tegami-Dokoro, Shoji Oshio + UA architects. Photo by Ken’ichi Suzuki
Amir Shakib Arslan Mosque, L.E.FT Architects. Photo by Ieva Saudargaite
Bellevue First Congregational Church, atelierjones llc. Photo by Lara Swimmer Photography
Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun Synagogue Chapel, FXFOWLE. Photo by Chris Cooper
Reeder Presbyterian, archimania. Photo by Hank Mardukas Photography
SGI New England Buddhist Center, Touloukian Touloukian Inc. Photo by Anton Grassl Photography
Redemption Arcadia, DeBartolo Architects. Photo by Bill Timmerman
Westport Presbyterian Church, BNIM. Photo by Michael Robinson
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, Architecture Research Office. Photo by Elizabeth Felicella/Esto
The Sheridan Center Chapel, Jackson and Ryan Architects. Photo by Mark Scheyer
Chai Spice Box, Ellen Hunt. Photo by Ellen Hunt
Duke University Chapel Woodwork Restoration, Century Guild. Photo by KC Ramsay
‘Pieta’, Salvatore LaRosa. Photo by David Mitchell
Eid Prayer Ground, Allies and Morrison. Photo by Gerry O’Leary
Cathedral Campus, Strada Architecture LLC. Photo by Dennis Marsico
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, Moto Designshop. Rendering by Moto Designshop
Funeral Home, Edyta Paula Konstantynowicz. Rendering by Edyta Paula Konstantynowicz
Sacred Space of a Modern Man, Joanna Wierzbicka. Rendering by Joanna Wierzbicka
The Mhuysqa Offering, Travis Price Architects with The Catholic University of America. Photo by Travis Price
Link copied!
Be part of the one percent
You may have noticed, you never hit a paywall when you come to our site. That's by design. We keep our journalism and commentary free for all to read because we believe, especially today, that everyone deserves access to fair, thoughtful, inclusive coverage of the world's religions.
As a nonprofit, though, we also depend on the generosity of readers to support our work. Today, far fewer than 1 percent of the 500,000+ people who visit this site in an average month are also donors. But if just a few of the you who read all the way to the bottom of this note decide to join us as supporters, we'd be sure to have the resources to continue, and expand, our journalism.
So if you value this kind of reporting, we ask you to consider making a gift today. Be part of the one percent and help ensure our reporting is always there for those who depend on it.
