REFLECTIONS & CONCLUSIONS

REFLECTIONS

If I were to completely redo this project, from research to design, I know that the results would be completely different. This is partly due to me having learned so much over the past year, but more so to communicate that this is not a complete exploration by any means. The research and precedent analysis aspect could consume a person for years, let alone all of the avenues that it would open for design exploration. I hope that this thesis has stirred up thoughts and inspiration for others to dig and create further.

There are a few things that I would change or dedicate more time to if I had the chance. One of these would be the simple method of research. I would spend much more time in books and writings, soaking up different perspectives before I even use a pen. While I was satisfied with the amount of research I put in at the time, looking back now it could have easily been ten times the amount, and to a much greater depth.

Another change I would make is my dedication to artificial lighting. Originally I had plans to study and explore more alternatives for artificial lighting. However, with anything I was caught up in many other aspects of the design and research. A few things in this realm that I think would be a

nice touch would be designing overhead lighting fixtures for the sanctuary and the processional space. They would give a nice sense of scale to those interior spaces and could further distinguish the two conceptual spaces with different fixtures. With the depth of this artificial lighting, studying the effects at night and producing perspectives showing the outpouring of light would be excellent.

A change that would not come easy to me, would be implementing color into the design. Through research and visitation, I’ve seen really nicely done sacred spaces that incorporate color—Steven Holl’s St. Ignatius Chapel is a great example. However, in that instance I felt his conceptual backing with St. Ignatius’ colorful bottles allowed for a relatively simple implementation into the design. For me however, I really value representing the simplistic and true nature of materials, and simply pasting color on a few walls doesn’t do it for me. There is something powerful to me about the earth tones neutral that are brought out in such a design. So maybe with more time and nurturing I could bring myself to incorporate color, it would just be difficult.

Finally, I would document my process better. A simple and yet time consuming task during the process to actually do.

CONCLUSIONS

I wanted to end the thesis exploration with powerful images of models and a perspective, in hopes that my efforts to emphasize these methods in sacred design would come full circle. Overall, this thesis project and process was super engaging for me but also challenging and stretching at times. Because I am passionate about my faith and relationship with God, that definitely has affected how I’ve approached this subject and strove for a rewarding and glorifying project and design.

The difficult part, was finding my way through difficulties of researching and designing for specific religious means—which is always tricky. Part of my idea to include the homeless and less fortunate was a way of communicating that the design wasn’t only for Christians—or even homeless people, but everybody. I understand that there will be those who think it would have been best for me to pursue a program use that was less rigid, like designing an ambiguous religious space—a shared sacred space, welcoming all beliefs and religions. I understand the concern, as I have been mulling over the idea of inclusivity. However, my convictions and faith-based pursuit led me this direction and my hope is that it would still be engaging and beneficial to all—whether for spiritual or educational use.