A More Sacred Space – Research Paper

A MORE SACRED SPACE

A MORE SACRED SPACE

BFA Thesis Paper

by Sam Wood

1

To pass through the large wooden doors of Grundtvig’s Church in Copenhagen is to pass through a veil, into a space which transcends time. Six million bricks form soaring columns that shoot up into monumental arches and ribbed vaults. Whispers of awe echo through the nave as visitors enter, moved by the sunlight that streams through the windows onto the communion table. Whatever incidental thoughts or feelings occupied their minds before they entered are now replaced with something profound. Something visceral. Something sacred.

A MORE SACRED SPACE

What makes a space sacred? Is it merely a result of its function, or is it by design? When we reduce a space to mere shelter do we limit its potential to inspire, enlighten, and heal?

2

AN INTRODUCTION Although we are rarely conscious of the spaces we move through and occupy, we all respond to and interact with them at some level – whether it’s placing our hand on a railing or leaning against an empty wall. Some spaces feel better than others – a tense hospital waiting room versus a sunlit bedroom, for instance. Spaces have the ability to elicit powerful emotional responses.

But what is it that separates good spaces from bad? Is it purely a result of the space’s function? Or are there specific architectural features that shape how we feel about that space? Neurologists and architects have made significant discoveries which suggest that architecture can in fact have significant behavioral, emotional, and even physical effects.

Their findings are beginning to shape the way we design spaces for physical healing, such as hospitals and care facilities. However, the significance of this research reaches far beyond hospitals. Spirituality is a central component of the lives of billions, and sacred spaces for worship provide the ultimate setting for meaningful introspection and meditation.

There is then significant potential in the design of sacred space, and this essay will explore that potential in depth.

A MORE SACRED SPACE

(photo by Chris Yunker via Flikr Commons)

fig. 1 Basilica of Assisi

4

A MORE SACRED SPACE

THE BASILICA OF ASSISI AND SALK’S CURE FOR POLIO

5

In the early 1900’s, polio epidemics became common in nearly every part of the world. Polio left thousands of children paralyzed or dead, quickly becoming the most dreaded childhood disease of the 20th century.

Jonas Salk, a young Jewish scientist from New York City, became very active in the pursuit of a cure. After many frustrating months working in his basement laboratory, Salk retreated to Umbria, Italy; to the 13th Century monastery at the Basilica of Assisi (fig.1). Once Salk was able to clear his mind, the solution became apparent.

For the rest of his life, Salk attributed the discovery of his polio vaccine to the time he spent in the tranquil courtyards at the Basilica. When Salk established his own research institute in the 1960’s, he hired the famed architect Louis Kahn. Salk directed Kahn to design spacious laboratories that could be adapted to the ever-changing needs of research, with ample natural light penetrating the numerous windows and balconies. The structure itself flanks a magnificent courtyard, which offers grand views of the Pacific Ocean from the cliffs on which it stands. The Salk Institute truly pays homage to the considerable aesthetic insights that Jonas Salk received while in the courtyards of the Basilica in Italy.

A HEALTHY DOSE OF DESIGN Neurologists who study the brain’s response to architecture often refer to this anecdote as a basis for their research. After all, if Salk’s spatial environment could inspire him to discover a cure for polio, what effect could similarly designed environments have for hospital patients, students, or employees? Roger Ulrich, a Professor of Architecture at Chalmers University in Sweden, was one of the first who attempted to resolve these questions. As an architect, Ulrich understood the positive emotional and aesthetic effects of introducing the natural world into a space. In 1984, Ulrich concluded to quantify these effects. His results were not surprising, but gave birth to a different way of studying architecture: “Because most natural views apparently elicit positive feelings, reduce fear in stressed subjects, hold interest, and may block or reduce stressful thoughts, they might also foster restoration from anxiety or stress.”

Ulrich’s study was one of the first of its kind, reinforcing a principle that good designers had intuitively understood. Encouraged by the results, Ulrich continued to study what other architectural features could facilitate healing and positivity.

In 2012, Ulrich published a similar study, this time listing seven additional architectural features which he and his colleagues found to reduce stress and aggression in psychiatric facilities. These features are: (1) Single patient rooms, (2) Smaller ward size, (3) Movable seating, (4) Noise reduction, (5) Patient-accessible gardens, (6) Artwork, and (7) Exposure to natural light. Although this study was

specifically conducted to understand the design features which could positively affect patients in hospitals or care facilities, their application to sacred space is unquestionable.

Single Patient Rooms

Research on shared-room settings suggests that stress, illness, aggression, and social-withdrawal strongly correlates with the number of persons sharing the room. While many see the practice of providing patients with private rooms as impractical and exorbitant, it is also the most significant design feature for expediting the healing process.

Smaller Ward Size

A MORE SACRED SPACE

Crowding creates stress, but it also makes it more difficult to develop meaningful relationships – an integral part of our well-being. In studies conducted in student dormitories, those who live in large floors with more students reported having fewer friends than students who lived in smaller floors with less students.

Within care facilities, smaller ward sizes also give doctors and nurses the ability to understand their patients’ needs more intimately.

6

Moveable Seating

The ability to control the environment you occupy and regulate personal space is critical to our emotional response to that space.

In shared spaces within hospitals, an effective method of giving users control is the addition of moveable seating (as opposed to fixed seating like benches). Moveable seating allows the user to adjust their spatial interaction with the people around them, giving the user control over maintaining personal space.

Noise Reduction

Introducing noise-reduction features into a space has been shown to reduce blood pressure in patients by lowering stress. Although these features typically include acoustic panels, items such as upholstered and wooden furniture can also reduce noise significantly.

Patient-Accessible Gardens

Observing a natural environment has been shown to significantly affect well-being, instilling calm in even the most acutely-stressed patients.

Patients and visitors with access to gardens display reduced stress, higher satisfaction, and positive emotional well-being.

Artwork

When patients have relevant and pleasing artwork to look at, it has been shown to substantially reduce blood pressure, intake of medicine, and the length of a hospital stay. The best artwork for healing environments are unchallenging, representational, and rich nature scenes.

Natural Light

As human beings we thrive on natural light. Through brief exposure to daylight, patients experience an improvement to their overall satisfaction and an increased ability to overcome mental conditions such as depression. Although natural light can be replicated with certain artificial bulbs, daylight works best.

In order to see if these features made a quantifiable difference in patient care and healing, Ulrich and his colleagues compared a psychiatric hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden to the older facility it replaced. The new hospital contained roughly all

A MORE SACRED SPACE

“Through brief exposure to daylight, patients experience an improvement to their overall satisfaction and an increased ability to overcome mental conditions such as depression.�

7

of the design features mentioned

by Ulrich, whereas the old hospital had virtually none of them. They measured the number of incidents involving the use of physical and chemical restraints with patients. The number of incidents involving both types of restraints dropped significantly – physical restraints by 44% and chemical restraints by 22%.

SUCCESSFUL ANCIENT SACRED SPACE

A MORE SACRED SPACE

Ulrich’s research has earned him deserved acclaim among neuroscientists and architects. The implications of his research on the practice of architecture, particularly in spaces of healing, are significant. But is the articulation of the design principles themselves groundbreaking? Before medicine was an effective science, many sick persons would make pilgrimages to sacred spaces in order to find healing and solace. If we are to use Ulrich’s list of features as a scale with which to measure the healing and calming potential of a space, then most important ancient temples would stand with the greatest hospitals of today.

8

The Temple of Asclepius

Few ancient temples exemplify this better than the temples of the cult of Asclepius, Greek god of healing and medicine (fig.2). Constructed in the early 4th Century b.c., the Temple of Asclepius at Epidauros was the center of healing and inspiration in Ancient Greece. It was a place where those who were ill, physically and emotionally, came to be rejuvenated.

As other temples of Ascelpius, that at Epidauros was constructed far from any major cities, on a hilltop overlooking the Mediterranean sea.

The temple was well-integrated into its lush hillside environment, with no harsh distinction between structure and nature. The open courtyards gave the afflicted persons ample access to daylight. It was a place where they could enjoy music and bathe in natural springs. Social interaction and sleep were also important activities, as was rest and dream interpretation. Above all, the temple was a sacred space where the afflicted could offer up prayer to their gods, and take generous amounts of time to meditate upon spiritual things.

Although it was constructed thousands of years before Ulrich’s studies in care facilities, its existence is clear evidence that our ancient predecessors had a strong grasp of the same significant aesthetic truths and their potential to heal and inspire in application.

Navajo Hogans

A hogan is the traditional structure built by the Navajo people, and different varieties exist for different purposes such as everyday living and sacred ceremonies.

Although nearly two dozen people can be seated within a typical hogan, it is particularly intimate. The hogan is shaped in a hexagonal formation, constructed with stacked logs. The structure is typically enveloped in clay, the wooden frame only visible in the interior. The clay covering provides both insulation and soundproofing. The thick silence within the hogan is tangible. Besides the door, the only other void in the space is for the chimney, which emits smoke from the stove in the center. The doorway faces east, so as to let in the sun as it rises.

Though the materials which constitute the hogan are humble, the

A MORE SACRED SPACE

9

fig. 2 Asclepius

(photo by Sebastia Giralt via Flikr Commons)

10

(photo by Graeme Mclean via Flikr Commons)

A MORE SACRED SPACE

(photo by teteenlair via Flikr Commons)

“Though the materials fig. 3 Male (left) and Female (right Hogans) the hogan are humble itself is thoughtful and

fig. 4 Hogan Interior

s which constitute e, the construction nd precise.”

construction itself is thoughtful and precise. It stands as proof that the spiritual significance of a sacred space does not correlate with expense. Rather, the potential of a sacred space lies in the “synthesis of form and content,” as the designer Paul Rand famously stated.

In other words, a sacred space is most successful when it is relevant to the function of worship, while still considering aesthetic features like those in Ulrich’s studies. The hogan is precisely that – it is an intimate setting where the Navajo can interact and pray together, while the structure itself contains features which enhance the experience of being within the space.

CONTEMPORARY SACRED SPACE I have highlighted several ancient sacred spaces which exemplify Ulrich’s principles of healing environments. But what of the sacred space

of today? Obviously, the aesthetic principles which designers understood in Ancient Greece have not vanished, and the contemporary architects and structures featured in this next section are proof. For the purpose of this essay, “contemporary” will refer to architecture produced from the 20th Century on.

Grundtvig’s Church

The most successful piece of contemporary sacred architecture that I have experienced is Grundtvig’s church (fig. 5), described at the beginning of this paper. Grundtvig’s church was designed by architect Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint, who designed the chapel for a competition in honor of the late Danish philosopher N.F.S. Grundtvig. The structure was conceived by Jensen-Klint in 1913, and was finally completed in 1930, by the architect’s son – famed architect and furniture designer Kaare Klint.

12

A MORE SACRED SPACE fig. 5 Interior of Grundtvig’s Church

A MORE SACRED SPACE

(photo by Sonderborg via Flikr Commons)

13

A MORE SACRED SPACE

14

does exactly what a sacred space is supposed to do; it connects the individual to deity, while simultaneously giving glory to it through its design. It is a successful marriage of form and concept; a truly sacred space.

Church of the Light

Although flat, horizontal planes and smooth concrete certainly do not sound like a recipe for beauty, the Japanese architect Tadao Ando achieves it wonderfully in his building “The Church of the Light” located in Osaka, Japan (fig.6).

As the name of the building suggests, Ando’s masterful manipulation of light

(photo by Chris HE via Flikr Commons)

If you approach the chapel from the West, you will find yourself on a perfectly straight and narrow path, neatly encompassed by tall trees.

In the distance, the church’s unique facade comes into view. The stepped gabled exterior is a cultural reference to the architecture of traditional Danish country churches. The yellow bricks which compose Grundtvig’s Church and the surrounding apartment buildings are a common building material in Denmark, giving Grundtvig’s church an apparent cultural relevance.

Although heavy use of symbolism and ornamentation are inappropriate in Protestant churches, small statues and paintings are displayed in the enclosed entryway. The familiar messianic scenes from the New Testament serve as subtle reminders to the nature of the space. The first thing you notice as you walk into the chapel is the light, which enters in through the dozens of windows encompassing the chapel. Jensen-Klint evidently understood its uplifting potential.

The seating in the chapel consists of hundreds of beautifully crafted wooden chairs, which not only help absorb any sound from the congregation, but also allow visitors to adjust their spatial relationship with others.

The impressive brick columns lead your eyes upward toward the magnificently simple ribbed vaults above, as well as the windows through which natural light passes.

The beauty of the space is overwhelming, but it does not merely overwhelm like the garish churches of southern Europe. The attention to detail is impressive, but it is clearly not meant to simply impress. The function of the space is apparent – to connect man with the divine.

In this regard, Grundtvig’s Church

(photo by Marc Capitanio via Flikr Commons)

A MORE SACRED SPACE

fig. 6 Exterior of Church of the Light

15

fig. 7 Church of the Light Chapel

is the most striking feature of the building. Through thoughtful contrast, Ando creates an environment which feels deeply sacred. About his approach to light, Ando writes:

A MORE SACRED SPACE

“Light, alone, does not make light.

There must be darkness for light to become light – resplendent with dignity and power. Darkness, which kindles the brilliance of light and reveals light’s power, is innately a part of light… Today, when all is cast in homogenous light, I am committed to pursuing the interrelationship of light and darkness.”

16

Like Jensen-Klints church in Copenhagen, Ando’s church is unadorned, yet strikingly beautiful. The chapel itself appears to contain no lightsource, save the cross-shaped extrusion which stands luminously at the front (fig.7). The structure is well integrated into its lush environment with surrounding gardens through which visitors can walk. It is not so much a building as it is a work of art, yet its beauty does not distract or detract from its sacred function.

Rather, it augments it, inviting the thoughts of those sitting in the pews to their ultimate source of light, stimulating introspection and meditation.

The effectiveness of Ando’s church is beyond question. It stands as an exemplary model for the potential of sacred space.

A MORE SACRED SPACE The purpose of this paper is not to suggest that inspiration and critical thought are not achievable in poorly-designed spaces (coming from one who frequently receives inspiration in the shower). I am, however, convinced that we can enrich

our worship through good design.

It has also been my experience that well-designed sacred space is rare. It appears that in most cases, beauty is sacrificed for utilitarian function. This may be for several reasons, such as the perceived cost of good design or the urgency with which some buildings need to be constructed.

The Perceived Cost of Good Design

With regards to cost, the great irony is that good design can be affordable and in some cases less expensive in the long-run. Greater sources of natural light eliminate the need for electricity during most of the day, for instance. These features become especially affordable when considered in the design and building process, as opposed to post-construction renovations. However, I would argue that even if the cost of good design is slightly higher, allocating extra funds towards well-designed architecture shows that those responsible for the building value the true function of sacred space above expense, especially when such funds are readily available.

The Comfort of Mediocrity

In response to the latter argument, I am sensitive to the fact that sometimes, it is more important that a space simply exists than it is for that space to have great aesthetic and functional value. However, I would submit that most of the time, poorly-designed space is the result of ignorance and convenience. It is much easier to build a mediocre chapel, chosen from binders of pre-existing templates than it is to thoughtfully consider context, form, and function. And I would imagine that most people who have the duty of seeing that chapels have not been

been informed of the value that design can add to a space, or are perhaps constricted by dreadfully misplaced standards which must be adhered to. However, buildings are permanent in nature and deserve to be scrutinized more carefully. Most importantly, as one who believes in God, I believe that aesthetic mediocrity shows disrespect for the immensely beautiful and diverse world which we’ve been given divine stewardship over; a world which we know the Creator himself was proud to have created: “And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.”

A MORE SACRED SPACE

The Responsibility of the Designer As the designer, we have a vital responsibility to inform. I do believe that the unsuccessful sacred architecture which is prevalent is more often the result of ignorance. It is our duty to address opportunities to share our aesthetic insights, as others endowed with various talents have the same opportunities to inform.

The apostle Paul himself writes that such insights ought to be welcomed in a spiritually-centered environment:

17

“Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Although ignorance is a difficult obstacle to overcome, the beneficial potential of a more sacred space is too vital to remain unaddressed.

CONCLUSION Thanks to studies like Ulrich’s, we are more informed than ever about the neurological impact of space, and how thoughtful manipulation of space can in fact positively influence thought and behavior. The implications of these exciting discoveries have significant application in architecture, particularly sacred architecture. As the ultimate setting for enlightenment and meditation, well-designed sacred space has the potential to enrich the act of worship for billions. Although the field of research is relatively new, the architectural features which are believed to accelerate healing and inspire thought certainly are not, and we can see both ancient and contemporary examples to prove it. Despite a more democratic understanding of spatial aesthetics, the majority of existing sacred architecture remains uninspiring and debilitating. There exists several reasons for this, most prevalent being the misinformed idea that good design is an unaffordable luxury. While this is not the truth in the first place, the expense of good

Works Cited Baum, Andrew, and Glenn E. Davis.

“Reducing the Stress of High-density Living: An Architectural Intervention.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 38.3 (1980): 471-81.

Beauchemin, K. “Sunny Hospital Rooms Expedite Recovery from Severe and Refractory Depressions.”

Journal of Affective Disorders 40.1-2 (1996): 49-51.

Britton, Karla. Constructing the Ineffable: Contemporary Sacred Architecture. New Haven, CT: Yale School of Architecture, 2010.

Print.

Burns, A., and S. Vallins. “Architectural Mediation of Residential Den-

sity and Control: Crowding and the Regulation of Social Contact.” Advances in Experimental Social Pscyhology 12 (1979): 131-75.

A MORE SACRED SPACE

Emily, Anthes. “Building Around the Mind.” Scientific American May 2009: 52+.

Hagerman, I. “Influence of Intensive Coronary Care Acoustics on the Quality of Care and Physiological State of Patients.” International Journal of Cardiology (2004).

19

Hart, Gerald D. Asclepius, the God of Medicine. London: Royal Society of Medicine, 2000.

Nabokov, Peter, and Robert Easton. Native American Architecture. New York: Oxford UP, 1989.

“Om Kirken (About the Church).”

Grundtvigs Kirke. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

Sommer, Robert. Personal Space: The Behavioral Basis of Design. Englewood Cliffs,Nj: Prentice-Hall, 1969.

Sternberg, Esther M. Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-being. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP, 2009.

Ulrich, R. “Health Benefits of Gardens in Hospitals.” Plants for People Exhibition (2002): 2.

Ulrich, Roger. “View through a Window May Influence Recovery from Surgery.” Science 224.4647 (1984): 420-21.