 |
Designing for Devotion: Columbus Attracts Clerics, ArchitectsWhy is it that the arches and open spaces of a cathedral inspire faith, yet so does the comfort and familiarity of a small country chapel?
The connection between design and devotion is under study by a group of clerics, neuroscientists and architects who are trying to understand how the mind reacts to the sensations of entering a house of worship. The result, they hope, will be better designs that enhance the meeting of the sacred and earthly.
"This whole quest is more than learning that things do happen -- but why do they happen?" said Norman Koonce, chief executive of the American Institute of Architects and father of the partnership.
Koonce became interested in neuroscience over a decade ago after he met Jonas Salk, who developed the polio vaccine. The doctor told Koonce that while stymied on a breakthrough, he made a retreat to Assisi, Italy. The great buildings of the monastery town inspired Salk to think more deeply and design the research that produced the breakthrough.
Learning about such experiences was the focus recently as about 30 representatives from religion, science and architecture gathered for two days in this small city, an architectural mecca set amid the cornfields of southern Indiana. The meeting was the latest in a series of "exploratory workshops" into architecture and neuroscience organized b
more: www.indystar.com/articles/4/17010... (56)
August 16, 2004 | Viewed 24,016 time(s)
|
|
