flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Ten spectacular contemporary churches [slideshow]

Ten spectacular contemporary churches [slideshow]

German building-information provider Emporis compiles a photographic tour of inspirational spaces.


By Emporis | December 20, 2013
Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida, Braslia, is one of 10 contempor
Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida, Braslia, is one of 10 contemporary churches singled out as "spectacular" by Emp

Hamburg, Germany – Angular, asymmetrical, colorful and just plain extraordinary, there are modern churches that will have one looking in vain for a traditional steeple. All around the world, architects are designing ever more eye-catching houses of worship – chapels and synagogues whose shapes and colors will be impressing visitors long after the upcoming holiday season has passed. Emporis, the international provider of building information, has now compiled a selection of the world's most spectacular churches, as summarized in the table below:

One of the most recent examples, the Neue Synagoge (New Synagogue) in the German city of Mainz, is reminiscent at first sight of building blocks in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, piled on top of one another and interspersed by slanting triangular and rectangular windows. In actual fact, this Jewish place of worship, completed in 2010, is intended to represent an outsized version of the Hebrew word Kedushah, meaning blessing. The architects of Iglesia Parroquial en Rivas Vaciamadrid in Madrid, Vicens + Ramos, also make strong use of corners and edges, with finger-like protuberances projecting like truncated pyramids out of the north side of the church. The building is also notable for its rust- colored facade, which sets it apart from other churches in terms of color. 

With fewer angles, but all the more rotund instead, are the Cathe?drale de la Re?surrection in E?vry, France, and the Leaf Chapel in Hokuto, Japan. The former catches the attention with its circular footprint and the trees ringing its steep rooftop like a crown. The Leaf Chapel, on the other hand, is reminiscent of a cupola nestling against a slope. Its two-part shape consists of a glass half that is stationary and a second half made of steel that can be pushed up over the other. In favorable weather conditions, the indoor chapel can quickly be made into a location for an open-air wedding.

A harmonious combination of rectangular and round elements is displayed by the Jubilee Church in Rome, Italy. While the right-hand half is composed of rectangular blocks that house the various rooms and a bell tower, the left-hand side is characterized by three semi-circular layers that grow smaller as you move outward, and which lean over the other parts of the building like a cocoon. Especially for the "Eternal City" Rome with its countless Christian churches from two millennia of history, this asymmetrical house of worship does not just represent a feat of daring, but also a singular architectural highlight.

Wherever one looks, church architecture is undergoing a process of upheaval. Outstanding designs are making modern houses of worship stylish works of art. Whether this modernization of the appearance will benefit the image of church as an institution and lead to more people attending services, will remain to be seen. One thing, however, is already certain: These ten spectacular churches are unique architectural masterpieces. 

1. Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida

 

Brasília, Brazil; Oscar Niemeyer, Architect

 

2. Cathédrale de la Résurrection

 

Évry, France; Mario Botta Architetto, architect

 

3. Chapel of the Holy Cross

 

Sedona, Arizona, U.S.; Anshen + Allen, architect

 

 

 

4. Hallgrímskirkja

 

Reykjavík, Iceland; Guðjón Samúelsson, architect

 

5. Iglesia Parroquial en Rivas Vaciamadrid

 

Madrid, Spain; Vicens + Ramos, architect

 

6. Jubilee Church

 

Rome, Italy; Richard Meier & Partners

 

7. Leaf Chapel

 

Hokuto, Japan; Klein Dythim architecture, architect

 

8. Neue Synagoge Mainz

 

Mainz, Germany; Manuel Herz Architects

 

9. Temppeliaukio Church

 

Helsinki, Finland; Timo & Tuomo Suomalainen, architects

 

10. U.S. Air Force Cadet Academy Chapel

 

Colorado Springs, Colorado; SOM, architect

 

About Emporis

Emporis is a leading database of information about building and construction projects, based in Germany. For over a decade Emporis has helped companies, organizations and individuals stay informed about the building industry. The Emporis Skyscraper Award is the world’s most renowned prize for high-rise architecture. 

 

Related Stories

| Jun 11, 2018

Accelerate Live! talk: How advanced digital fabrication techniques are driving design innovation

In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), SOM’s Lucas Tryggestad and Kyle Vansice present the firm’s 3D-printed building project and explore how digital fabrication is pushing design innovation.

Libraries | Jun 1, 2018

New library offers a one-stop shop for what society is craving: hands-on learning

Beyond lending books and DVDs, the Elkridge (Md.) branch library loans household tools like ladders, wheelbarrows, and sewing machines.

| May 30, 2018

Accelerate Live! talk: Seven technologies that restore glory to the master builder

In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), AEC technophile Rohit Arora outlines emerging innovations that are poised to transform how we design and build structures in the near future.

| May 30, 2018

Accelerate Live! talk: Why the AEC industry must adapt to the Internet of Things boom

In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), building systems expert Jeff Carpenter explores established and emerging IoT applications for commercial and institutional buildings, and offers a technology roadmap for navigating the IoT landscape.

| May 30, 2018

Accelerate Live! talk: T3 mass timber office buildings

In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), architect and mass timber design expert Steve Cavanaugh tells the story behind the nation’s newest—and largest—mass timber building: T3 in Minneapolis.

| May 30, 2018

Accelerate Live! talk: An AEC giant’s roadmap for integrating design, manufacturing, and construction

In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), Skender CEO Mark Skender and Chief Design Officer Tim Swanson present the construction giant’s vision for creating a manufacturing-minded, vertically-integrated design-manufacturing-build business model.

| May 30, 2018

Accelerate Live! talk: From micro schools to tiny houses: What’s driving the downsizing economy?

In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), micro-buildings design expert Aeron Hodges, AIA, explores the key drivers of the micro-buildings movement, and how the trend is spreading into a wide variety of building typologies.

Market Data | May 29, 2018

America’s fastest-growing cities: San Antonio, Phoenix lead population growth

San Antonio added 24,208 people between July 2016 and July 2017, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

| May 24, 2018

Accelerate Live! talk: The rise of multi-user virtual reality

In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), two of CannonDesign's tech leaders present their early findings from pilot testing multi-user VR technology for AEC project coordination.

| May 24, 2018

Accelerate Live! talk: The next frontier of post-occupancy evaluations

In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), ZGF Architects’ Chris Chatto outlines methods for conducting meaningful, holistic evaluations from design to occupancy.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Great Solutions

41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors

AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021