Thank you for this article and all of your work. It truly is a delight. On the theme of architecture, I would recommend Roger Scruton's writings on the topic, in particular Building to Last in Confessions of a Heretic:
"[T]he real meaning of the modernist forms is that there is no God, that meaning has fled from the world, and that Big Brother is now in charge...A city is a constantly evolving fabric, patched and repaired for our changing uses, in which order emerges from an 'invisible hand' from the desire of peopel to get on with their neighbours. That is what products a city like Venice or Paris, where even the great monuments...soothe the eye and radiate a sense of belonging."
This reminds me of the different styles you once presented. Brutalism was my least favourite. The first picture you show here made me sigh in approval at the building on the left and grind my molars at the one on the right. I am old ...
Intriguing idea that spaceship values build spaceship churches.
I don’t think people today realise to what extent churches were once built on the human form. A cathedral isn’t just a building - it’s a body: The nave is the torso, the dome is the skull, the transept is the arms, etc. When filled with people, it comes alive as the body of Christ. That’s why older churches feel alive, while modern ones so often feel empty.
I actually have a piece on exactly this going live tomorrow, funny timing that you posted this today.
Both my parents are architects and i'm an industrial designer, so im always looking and analysing everything around me, i really like this read, it make me think that nowadays (almost) every new building looks the same and that look it's ugly, it only reflects capitalism and profit, i myself live in a appartments building that has a really crappy design, por perhaps has no design at all, they just build in as many units as possible, focusing on earning more and not in habitants confort and safety.
Praha je Praha, we say. Prague is Prague, period. There's no city like it on earth. And now Dan Brown's latest novel is set there, which means, even more tourists...
The King said that the RIBA had done more damage to London than the Luftwaffe. That encapsulates my opinion of the profession, which is now in revolt over Trump's classicism directive.
Absolutely to all of this! This is the part we mean when we place architecture as an art. That sense of the space is moving through you, or in Gaudi, it’s how the building feels alive. The best advice I ever received was when I studied architecture; wherever you find yourself, always take a moment to stop and look up!
Architecture of suburban homes in the US is maybe similar--goal is to optimize cost and efficiency with just a small allowance of individuality. When these values start dictating the type of space you live in as a 'home,' it feels like you're participating in something corrupt.
Now I really want to visit Prague! My wife, Raili (Finnish) and I were in Helsinki last year and we saw many impressive churches where we appreciated their traditional architecture, as well as a newer church that is shaped like a huge flying saucer (!) with massive stone walls inside and outside - it somehow created a feeling of dignity and solidity and awe. If I knew how to do it I would share some photos of these churches but I guess all I can do is share this story from our trip:
Wow. I didn't think I'd enjoy it but I thoroughly did. I'm as sad as I enjoyed it. Looking at black Africa we lack so much, and truly, our buildings reflect the state of our being. Fake, copycats.
I enjoyed reading this piece very much but there are a few things that I think should be addressed regarding the "spaceship churches" and "humanist" values attributed to them. Humanism is an idea that is (or "can be" for those who choose not to embrace the ideas of social/community justice and the communal nature of the Church vis-a-vis Vatican II) central to both secular and Catholic/Christian thought since the dawn of the Enlightenment.
I personally prefer more ornate churches with stained glass, statues, and symbols to be seen everywhere but I also think that there is beauty to be found in those modern Churches too. In fact, the centralization and circular/semi-circular worship spaces found in many of those new churches could actually be seen as being more traditionalist than the ideas of what churches started to look like in the European Middle Ages in that they hearken back to the first millennium of Catholicism and to the very time (pre-Constanine and more Greek and Aramaic influenced than Roman influenced) of the early Church. Mass was celebrated in open public spaces and, like Greek theatres, often in the round!
I guess what I am trying to get at is that we should strive, as St. Ignatius implores, to "see God in all things." If folks like going to spaceship churches and that keeps them in touch with the Spirit, great. If others (like me) prefer more European-style Gothic and Romanesque churches, that is great too. The subtle argument here reads like an argument against Mass in the vernacular by attempting to position a certain type of architecture as inherently "good" and another as inherently "flawed" and linking those to the types of Catholics who choose to worship in those respective spaces. I don't want to make God that small.
I do agree that architecture is not neutral and I do think that all of this should be looked at, discussed, and embraced as part of the beauty of God's creation! Thank you for the interesting articles and for the opportunity to comment!
The top photo is horrifying. No. 1 Poultry is a monstrosity. And the fact that a beautiful, elegant, timeless building was demolished to make way for it makes it even more monstrous.
That you think what you do/what you build is what you are is so seriously problematic and so very foundational fucking why our society sucks I can’t even begin. It’s fundamentally flawed logic.
I really enjoyed this read. It’ll make me look at architecture in my area differently. I appreciate the insight, Thank you!
Thank you for this article and all of your work. It truly is a delight. On the theme of architecture, I would recommend Roger Scruton's writings on the topic, in particular Building to Last in Confessions of a Heretic:
"[T]he real meaning of the modernist forms is that there is no God, that meaning has fled from the world, and that Big Brother is now in charge...A city is a constantly evolving fabric, patched and repaired for our changing uses, in which order emerges from an 'invisible hand' from the desire of peopel to get on with their neighbours. That is what products a city like Venice or Paris, where even the great monuments...soothe the eye and radiate a sense of belonging."
This reminds me of the different styles you once presented. Brutalism was my least favourite. The first picture you show here made me sigh in approval at the building on the left and grind my molars at the one on the right. I am old ...
Intriguing idea that spaceship values build spaceship churches.
I don’t think people today realise to what extent churches were once built on the human form. A cathedral isn’t just a building - it’s a body: The nave is the torso, the dome is the skull, the transept is the arms, etc. When filled with people, it comes alive as the body of Christ. That’s why older churches feel alive, while modern ones so often feel empty.
I actually have a piece on exactly this going live tomorrow, funny timing that you posted this today.
Both my parents are architects and i'm an industrial designer, so im always looking and analysing everything around me, i really like this read, it make me think that nowadays (almost) every new building looks the same and that look it's ugly, it only reflects capitalism and profit, i myself live in a appartments building that has a really crappy design, por perhaps has no design at all, they just build in as many units as possible, focusing on earning more and not in habitants confort and safety.
Anyways, great article! Thank you
Praha je Praha, we say. Prague is Prague, period. There's no city like it on earth. And now Dan Brown's latest novel is set there, which means, even more tourists...
The King said that the RIBA had done more damage to London than the Luftwaffe. That encapsulates my opinion of the profession, which is now in revolt over Trump's classicism directive.
Absolutely to all of this! This is the part we mean when we place architecture as an art. That sense of the space is moving through you, or in Gaudi, it’s how the building feels alive. The best advice I ever received was when I studied architecture; wherever you find yourself, always take a moment to stop and look up!
Architecture of suburban homes in the US is maybe similar--goal is to optimize cost and efficiency with just a small allowance of individuality. When these values start dictating the type of space you live in as a 'home,' it feels like you're participating in something corrupt.
Now I really want to visit Prague! My wife, Raili (Finnish) and I were in Helsinki last year and we saw many impressive churches where we appreciated their traditional architecture, as well as a newer church that is shaped like a huge flying saucer (!) with massive stone walls inside and outside - it somehow created a feeling of dignity and solidity and awe. If I knew how to do it I would share some photos of these churches but I guess all I can do is share this story from our trip:
https://liveyosemite.wordpress.com/2023/06/14/summer-trip-to-finland/
Wow. I didn't think I'd enjoy it but I thoroughly did. I'm as sad as I enjoyed it. Looking at black Africa we lack so much, and truly, our buildings reflect the state of our being. Fake, copycats.
I enjoyed reading this piece very much but there are a few things that I think should be addressed regarding the "spaceship churches" and "humanist" values attributed to them. Humanism is an idea that is (or "can be" for those who choose not to embrace the ideas of social/community justice and the communal nature of the Church vis-a-vis Vatican II) central to both secular and Catholic/Christian thought since the dawn of the Enlightenment.
I personally prefer more ornate churches with stained glass, statues, and symbols to be seen everywhere but I also think that there is beauty to be found in those modern Churches too. In fact, the centralization and circular/semi-circular worship spaces found in many of those new churches could actually be seen as being more traditionalist than the ideas of what churches started to look like in the European Middle Ages in that they hearken back to the first millennium of Catholicism and to the very time (pre-Constanine and more Greek and Aramaic influenced than Roman influenced) of the early Church. Mass was celebrated in open public spaces and, like Greek theatres, often in the round!
I guess what I am trying to get at is that we should strive, as St. Ignatius implores, to "see God in all things." If folks like going to spaceship churches and that keeps them in touch with the Spirit, great. If others (like me) prefer more European-style Gothic and Romanesque churches, that is great too. The subtle argument here reads like an argument against Mass in the vernacular by attempting to position a certain type of architecture as inherently "good" and another as inherently "flawed" and linking those to the types of Catholics who choose to worship in those respective spaces. I don't want to make God that small.
I do agree that architecture is not neutral and I do think that all of this should be looked at, discussed, and embraced as part of the beauty of God's creation! Thank you for the interesting articles and for the opportunity to comment!
The top photo is horrifying. No. 1 Poultry is a monstrosity. And the fact that a beautiful, elegant, timeless building was demolished to make way for it makes it even more monstrous.
That you think what you do/what you build is what you are is so seriously problematic and so very foundational fucking why our society sucks I can’t even begin. It’s fundamentally flawed logic.
Explain your logic.
This word soup doesn't provide any insight as to why it's problematic. Enlighten us, please