AIA HONOR AWARDS 2009 In creating the Horno3: Museo Del Acero in Monterrey, Mexico, Grimshaw Architects converted an abandoned 1960s steel blast furnace facility into a museum of industrial history. The architects balanced historic preservation with reinvention and expansion to establish a dramatic new landmark. — Published 2009.0211
	CATHEDRAL OF LIGHT The soaring Cathedral of Christ the Light designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has transformed an old retail and commercial district in Oakland, California, into a vital sacred and civic gathering place. The all-new 224,000-square-foot (20,800-square-meter) complex for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland brims with amenities, including a public plaza and garden, health clinic, conference center, gift shop, and cafe, as well as clergy living quarters. — Published 2008.1105
	NEW SACRED SPACE Chartres Cathedral in France is the "thought of the middle ages made visible," according to art historian, Emile Male. Through sculpture, stained glass windows, and high arches, it is understood as encapsulating an essence of the Christian spiritual mind of the time. Today, in an increasingly secularized world confronted with diversity, confusion, and a continued decline in church attendance, is there still a need for sacred architecture? If so, what is its contemporary expression? — Published 2007.0509
	BOTTANICAL SPA The Tschuggen Bergoase spa, nestled in the mountains near St. Moritz, Switzerland, takes on a cathedral-like quality. It was designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta who is renowned for his museums and sacred spaces. In contrast to the neighboring Tschuggen Hotel, the spa wears a sleek, timeless design that signals a shift into an interior space of natural quiet. — Published 2007.0207
	HOW BOTTA BUILDS Creating an edifice draws on an almost mystical process of imagining and materializing something from nothing, of developing original thought forms and manifesting them in the physical environment. Swiss-born Mario Botta provides a unique perspective on this creative process. He is best known in the United States for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and is considered one of the world's foremost architects for churches and museums. — Published 2006.0830
	SACRAMENTAL RESTORATION The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament has been an impressive landmark of California's capital city of Sacramento ever since its 1889 completion. But by the turn of the 21st century, it had deteriorated and been found incapable of withstanding the next big earthquake. Now, a $34.5 million restoration has rescued this spiritual oasis in a political city. — Published 2006.0329
	POSTCARD FROM CORDOBA Dear ArchitectureWeek, The Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain (also known as La Mesquita) is a famous architectural and cultural collage. It is a dizzying blend of Moorish arches and Gothic spires, frequently illuminated by the flashbulbs of hoards of tourists. — Published 2006.0118
	NEW ORLEANS BETWEEN STORMS News reports since late August have been full of stories of human tragedy and governmental incompetence in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Understandably less prominent has been information about the architectural victims, which express the unique character of historic New Orleans. The fate of these buildings is emblematic of the fate of the city itself. — Published 2005.0921
	POSTCARD FROM SANTA ANA Dear ArchitectureWeek, An hour's drive northwest from San Salvador takes you to the mountainous, volcanic area of El Salvador, to an altitude far above the heat of the coast and the congestion of the capital. Near the Volcán de Izalco is Santa Ana, El Salvador's second largest city. It is surrounded by beautiful green peaks and sky-blue lakes and, unlike most other cities here, has retained much of its colonial heritage. — Published 2005.0316
	POSTCARD FROM OVIEDO Dear ArchitectureWeek, With its 263-foot- (80-meter-) high spire visible from most parts of town, La Catedral de Oviedo serves as a city symbol and directional landmark in the heart of Oviedo, Spain (not to be confused with Orvieto, Italy!). The cathedral stands on one side of a historic square with government buildings lining the other sides. The street is closed to motor vehicles, but is always busy with pedestrians. The church continues to hold services and is a popular site for weddings and baptisms. — Published 2004.0818

Cathedrals page: 01 | 02 | [next]