Temples 01 - ArchitectureWeek Topics Library

NAVY TEMPLE

In addition to the usual challenges facing an architect designing a synagogue, Joseph Boggs confronted a few special ones at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Any contemporary U.S. synagogue designer has to create a sanctuary large enough to hold the High Holiday full house while creating a space that still feels intimate when mostly empty during the weekly services. — Published 2006.0503

POSTCARD FROM BAGAN

Dear ArchitectureWeek,

In an expanse of land almost as arid as a desert, lies a relatively unknown architectural jewel � one that is well worth investigating further for those with a spirit of adventure. This region of 16 square miles (40 square kilometers) was once filled with over 13,000 stupas, temples, and pagodas, and some 2000 or so remain today. Bagan, in the center of Myanmar (formerly Burma), can be thought of as a sister of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, though here tourists are fewer, and the most common form of transport is the horse cart. — Published 2006.0315

QUARRY TO KITCHEN

For thousands of years, people have used granite and marble to protect their places of power and wealth. Communities have built palaces, libraries, temples, and banks from stone, but most individuals have found it too expensive to install in their homes or workplaces. Recently, a group of companies from southern Brazil have joined forces to provide affordable finished products made from these luxurious materials. — Published 2005.1109

ST. MARTINS ANEW

Among all the great places of worship in London � St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Southwark Cathedral, Temple Church � one of the best known is St. Martin-in-the-Fields. It is situated on the edge of Trafalgar Square near the National Gallery of Art and Charing Cross Road. — Published 2005.0615

POSTCARD FROM HALEBID, INDIA

Dear ArchitectureWeek,

During a drive of four hours from Bangalore, India's hub of information technology, one seems to slip gently back in time. The landscape gradually changes as we move through groves of coconut and banana trees. Past rocky outcrops scattered with temples, and with the coffee-growing hills of Chikmanglur on the horizon, one reaches Halebid � the site of the ancient city of Dwarasamudra, the 12th- and 13th-century capital of the Hoysala empire. Repeated invasions have left few traces of the once flourishing city, now known as Halebeedu or "the ruined city." One survivor is the Hoysaleswara Temple, built in the mid-12th century. It is set among ancient trees and verdant lawns and gleams like a gem in the afternoon light. — Published 2004.0331

PARLIAMENT LIBRARY, NEW DELHI

The recently completed Parliament Library in New Delhi, India is a response to its monumental context and yet is ingenious in its originality. Designed by architect Raj Rewal, the library is a fine example of postcolonial Indian architecture. It displays high technology with a regional expression, it is modern yet rooted in precolonial history, and it responds thoughtfully to its challenging colonial and political context. — Published 2003.1022

POSTCARD FROM ZHOUZHUANG

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Zhouzhuang, China, located between Shanghai and Suzhou, is a marvelous place of art and architecture. Two-thirds of the architecture in this canal town dates back to the Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644), and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Temples and houses line the zigzagging streams that cut through the town, and 14 arched bridges enable people to travel within the city walls on foot. The canals are responsible for the city's survival: during times of war, they were effective defenses against invading forces. — Published 2003.0219

RELIGIOUS DESIGN REWARDED

Among the winners of this year's Religious Art & Architecture Awards are new buildings, sensitive additions, and renovations that impressed the jury with their sense of resourcefulness � making the most out of "found" space in existing buildings or saving an older facility from an ignoble end. — Published 2002.1218

CLASSICAL GLASS

When choosing glass as a structural material, architects have traditionally accepted translucency as a necessary tradeoff for strength. A recent awards program, however, has demonstrated an application for clear, laminated glass which both performs structurally and, through its transparency, defers to its historic surroundings. — Published 2002.0605

CALIFORNIA PRESERVATION AWARDS 2002

The California Preservation Foundation presented its 19th Annual Preservation Design Awards in February 2002 to 21 projects that have rescued diverse historic resources. — Published 2002.0410

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