Hamburg, Germany – Angular, asymmetrical, colorful and just plain extraordinary, there are modern churches that will have one looking in vain for a traditional steeple. All around the world, architects are designing ever more eye-catching houses of worship – chapels and synagogues whose shapes and colors will be impressing visitors long after the upcoming holiday season has passed. Emporis, the international provider of building information, has now compiled a selection of the world's most spectacular churches, as summarized in the table below:
One of the most recent examples, the Neue Synagoge (New Synagogue) in the German city of Mainz, is reminiscent at first sight of building blocks in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, piled on top of one another and interspersed by slanting triangular and rectangular windows. In actual fact, this Jewish place of worship, completed in 2010, is intended to represent an outsized version of the Hebrew word Kedushah, meaning blessing. The architects of Iglesia Parroquial en Rivas Vaciamadrid in Madrid, Vicens + Ramos, also make strong use of corners and edges, with finger-like protuberances projecting like truncated pyramids out of the north side of the church. The building is also notable for its rust- colored facade, which sets it apart from other churches in terms of color.
With fewer angles, but all the more rotund instead, are the Cathe?drale de la Re?surrection in E?vry, France, and the Leaf Chapel in Hokuto, Japan. The former catches the attention with its circular footprint and the trees ringing its steep rooftop like a crown. The Leaf Chapel, on the other hand, is reminiscent of a cupola nestling against a slope. Its two-part shape consists of a glass half that is stationary and a second half made of steel that can be pushed up over the other. In favorable weather conditions, the indoor chapel can quickly be made into a location for an open-air wedding.
A harmonious combination of rectangular and round elements is displayed by the Jubilee Church in Rome, Italy. While the right-hand half is composed of rectangular blocks that house the various rooms and a bell tower, the left-hand side is characterized by three semi-circular layers that grow smaller as you move outward, and which lean over the other parts of the building like a cocoon. Especially for the "Eternal City" Rome with its countless Christian churches from two millennia of history, this asymmetrical house of worship does not just represent a feat of daring, but also a singular architectural highlight.
Wherever one looks, church architecture is undergoing a process of upheaval. Outstanding designs are making modern houses of worship stylish works of art. Whether this modernization of the appearance will benefit the image of church as an institution and lead to more people attending services, will remain to be seen. One thing, however, is already certain: These ten spectacular churches are unique architectural masterpieces.
1. Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida
Brasília, Brazil; Oscar Niemeyer, Architect
2. Cathédrale de la Résurrection
Évry, France; Mario Botta Architetto, architect
3. Chapel of the Holy Cross
Sedona, Arizona, U.S.; Anshen + Allen, architect
4. Hallgrímskirkja
Reykjavík, Iceland; Guðjón Samúelsson, architect
5. Iglesia Parroquial en Rivas Vaciamadrid
Madrid, Spain; Vicens + Ramos, architect
6. Jubilee Church
Rome, Italy; Richard Meier & Partners
7. Leaf Chapel
Hokuto, Japan; Klein Dythim architecture, architect
8. Neue Synagoge Mainz
Mainz, Germany; Manuel Herz Architects
9. Temppeliaukio Church
Helsinki, Finland; Timo & Tuomo Suomalainen, architects
10. U.S. Air Force Cadet Academy Chapel
Colorado Springs, Colorado; SOM, architect
About Emporis
Emporis is a leading database of information about building and construction projects, based in Germany. For over a decade Emporis has helped companies, organizations and individuals stay informed about the building industry. The Emporis Skyscraper Award is the world’s most renowned prize for high-rise architecture.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Oct 30, 2023
Top 100 K-12 School Construction Firms for 2023
CORE Construction, Gilbane, Balfour Beatty, Skanska USA, and Adolfson & Peterson top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest K-12 school building contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Oct 30, 2023
Top 80 K-12 School Engineering Firms for 2023
AECOM, CMTA, Jacobs, WSP, and IMEG head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest K-12 school building engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
MFPRO+ Special Reports | Oct 27, 2023
Download the 2023 Multifamily Annual Report
Welcome to Building Design+Construction and Multifamily Pro+’s first Multifamily Annual Report. This 76-page special report is our first-ever “state of the state” update on the $110 billion multifamily housing construction sector.
Smart Buildings | Oct 27, 2023
Cox Communities partnership levels up smart tech for multifamily customers
Yesterday, Cox Communities announced its partnership with Level Home Inc., a provider of next-generation smart IoT solutions for multifamily customers.
Student Housing | Oct 25, 2023
Pierce Education Properties acquires Penn State student housing
The two communities offer a wide range of amenities, including swimming pools with sun decks, study rooms with complimentary printing services, fitness centers, tennis court, and sand volleyball courts.
Senior Living Design | Oct 19, 2023
Senior living construction poised for steady recovery
Senior housing demand, as measured by the change in occupied units, continued to outpace new supply in the third quarter, according to NIC MAP Vision. It was the ninth consecutive quarter of growth with a net absorption gain. On the supply side, construction starts continued to be limited compared with pre-pandemic levels.
Warehouses | Oct 19, 2023
JLL report outlines 'tremendous potential' for multi-story warehouses
A new category of buildings, multi-story warehouses, is beginning to take hold in the U.S. and their potential is strong. A handful of such facilities, also called “urban logistics buildings” have been built over the past five years, notes a new report by JLL.
Building Materials | Oct 19, 2023
New white papers offer best choices in drywall, flooring, and insulation for embodied carbon and health impacts
“Embodied Carbon and Material Health in Insulation” and “Embodied Carbon and Material Health in Gypsum Drywall and Flooring,” by architecture and design firm Perkins&Will in partnership with the Healthy Building Network, advise on how to select the best low-carbon products with the least impact on human health.
Contractors | Oct 19, 2023
Crane Index indicates slowing private-sector construction
Private-sector construction in major North American cities is slowing, according to the latest RLB Crane Index. The number of tower cranes in use declined 10% since the first quarter of 2023. The index, compiled by consulting firm Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB), found that only two of 14 cities—Boston and Toronto—saw increased crane counts.
Office Buildings | Oct 19, 2023
Proportion of workforce based at home drops to lowest level since pandemic began
The proportion of the U.S. workforce working remotely has dropped considerably since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic, but office vacancy rates continue to rise. Fewer than 26% of households have someone who worked remotely at least one day a week, down sharply from 39% in early 2021, according to the latest Census Bureau Household Pulse Surveys.