why-how-what imagines a house of gods for multiple religions

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dynamic typical street in singapore illustrating the building at its end

jul 19, 2014
Nicholas Gusttin

in today’s globalized world, people and cultures are mixing. cities used to host one religion gathering people together, and now many religions are separating the cities in different groups. in reply to this phenomenon, why-how-what has envisioned a scheme called ‘house of gods.’ according to a study by the pew research center, the share of nations with a high level of public hostilities involving religion reached a six-year peak in 2012. during that year, 33% of the 198 countries and territories included in the analysis had dangerous occurrences related to religion, up from 29% in 2011 and 20% as of mid-2007. looking at the overall level of restrictions – whether resulting from government policies or from social dilemmas – the research finds that constraints on religion are high in 43% of the countries, affecting 5.3 billion people throughout the planet.

these dramatic issues might result from the lack of communication and understanding between people and more specifically between denominations. innovative architectural approaches can drastically improve the current situation by bringing the different religions closer, allowing people to meet, chat, and learn from alternative ways of life.

the strategy should be considered in any location of the world, but because of its wide diversity, singapore can be considered as a city for experimentations. being a multi-racial society, the country is home to a collage of communities, cultures, and religions, each accompanied by a rich heritage that dates far back into time. beyond just co-existing with one another, there is also a mutual respect that can be seen in daily interactions and festive celebrations. as a result, it is an emblematic example of a present-day megalopolis and should be considered as a basis for future developments aiming to reduce social crises in multi-cultural environments.

the project introduces hub where places of worship are connected through a three-dimensional grid without disrupting each other’s rituals. the idea is developed as a light, blurry structure walled with mass amounts of glazing that providing a calm experience. this encourages visitors to meditate in peace and isolation with the knowledge that they are still connected to everyone else around them. meanwhile, privacy is still taken into consideration as the organization provides some level of intimacy with light curtains available to soften the visual continuity. on the exterior, spaces surrounding the sacred halls promote social interactions between the various sects. people can meet, and discuss political, philosophical, social, or religious matters in shared cafés, lounge areas, meeting rooms, party rooms and other common spaces.

http://www.designboom.com/architecture/why-how-what-house-of-gods-religion-07-19-2014/



light blurry structure providing a calm experience