| Location: NYC | Category: Culture | Size: 400 SQM | Status: Concept Development Places of worship are amongst the most important and enduring domains within architecture. Of all the religious forms it is arguably the architecture of Christian churches that has captured the imagination and bridged the gulf between the spiritual and the concrete. Thus, when we were approached to design a chapel in NYC we jumped at the opportunity. This is not our first encounter with religious architecture. We were commissioned in the past to design a museum for the Virgin Marie in Nazareth yet due to budgetary constraints the scheme was never realized. Yet even that initial project was inspirational for at the very core of Christian iconography are some of the most critical elements that determine quality within the architectural form. Among the most magical churches ever created are those envisioned by the Cistercians. Although their churches date back to the 11th & 12th century, they share many of the concerns of modern architecture. Their preoccupation with light and shade and their abandonment of all decorations served as a basic inspiration for our work. Form, proportion, light and shade are among the means by which architecture can transcend the mundane and give expression to those needs that reside beyond function. Irrespective of faith or lack off, architecture has the power to inspire and to endow space with qualities that may be immaterial yet are nevertheless present. .
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