Key prayer places for current architecturE 2

22 Jan Key prayer places for current architecturE 2

The last November we talk about some of the most interesting prayer temples at the architectural level. We made a selection, we could not leave without mentioning the ones we bring today.

The Parthenon and the Acropolis of Athens.

The Parthenon is, without a doubt, the symbol par excellence of Athens. Its effigy is embodied in countless paintings, photographs, films, plates, vessels, ornamental motifs … But none do justice to the magnificence of the best known temple in all of Greece. All expectations are exceeded by the live contemplation of this majestic architectural work that stands dominant at the top of the Acropolis of Athens.
The plans of the project were made by the architects Calícrates and Ictinio. The works began in 437 B.C. and they were finished in 432 BC, giving rise to a Doric order building with approximate dimensions of 70 meters long by 31 meters wide, with columns more than ten meters high, almost all pure marble brought from the quarries of the Neighbor Mount Pentelis.
A huge inner chamber housed the spectacular sculpture of Athena Parthenos, from which the name of the temple, Parthenon, derives. It was sculpted by a ton of gold and marble by Phidias, reaching a height of 12 meters.
The perfection of the work reaches such a point that the foundation on which the temple is erected is curved on purpose to correct the optical defect that occurs in the human eye in the perception of a straight surface. A masterpiece that we should all visit at least once in a lifetime.

Seinajoki Church, Alvar Aalto

This church was built between 1958 and 1960, and the center of the parish between 1964 and 1966.The main features of the complex are the following: on the north side is the bell tower, 65 meters high, in the form of a stylized cross.
Monumental vertical, visible from afar are the symbol of the city.
The interior of the wedge-shaped church, symmetrical 47 meters long.
Despite the rudimentary halls, the church speaks of the language of modernity, with constructivist details in its columns, and Cubists in the pulpit, and the organ’s facade.
Aalto designs the chandeliers, and projects the fusion of the vertical and the horizontal in the window system.
The sacristy is behind the altar, and between it and the bell tower there is a small wedding chapel with a stained glass window designed by Aalto.

The Ribbon Chapel

The Ribbon Chapel, is the work of the architect Hiroshi Nakamura, and is located in the Hotel Resort Bella Vista Sakaigahama, on Onomichi. This is one of the projects nominated in the religious buildings section of the last World Architecture Festival 2015. A design that refers to marriage, the union of two different people that intertwine their lives. The structure formed by two spiral staircases with their two starts in different places that join to become one at the top, is responsible for the complete load of the building, roofs, eaves and walls, including the central nave that Contains seats for up to 80 people. These stairs have a great symbolic load, since the ceremony, which takes place mostly in the diaphanous glazed space on the ground floor, culminates with the rise of the bride and groom for each of them, materializing both material and spiritual union at the highest point. The building has an anti-seismic foundation of concrete and steel, and a vertical structure based on 10 cm metal pillars that support the stairs, which support each other horizontally. The interior is covered with wooden panels that provide the required warmth to the space and allows constant dialogue with the environment. The architect describes the concept on which this project is based as a life experience, a design for which he was inspired by the feelings of the couples who would use it. This type of concept is one of the most important characteristics of Japanese architecture, which is why the Japanese architect himself wanted his culture to be reflected in his work.

In our company, as top Miami architecture firms, we find in this kind of symbols, sources of inspiration for the current modern life.