Designing Spaces That Unite Faith and Community
Designing Spaces That Unite Faith and Community
Religious Projects
Our religious projects blend tradition with modern design, creating sacred spaces that inspire worship and foster community. From places of worship to spiritual centers, we design environments that honor faith and uplift the soul, ensuring each project reflects the unique needs and traditions of the community.
CHURCH OF OUR LADY FATIMA, PATIALA, 1985
The Church of Our Lady Fatima was built on a triangular piece of land in 1985 to replace the old one which was constructed by the Roman Catholics of the town in 1957. The whole structure has been so designed that it enhances the light and ventilation but eliminates the outside noise, thus maintaining peace and tranquillity within. Skylights are provided in the sanctuary area to embrace the morning sun, which augments the holiness of the church.
The sculptured porch which highlights the plasticity of concrete makes the entrance to the prayer hall inviting. The semi-circular barrel vault magnifies the verticality of the nave along with the slanted ceiling, which rolls over the aisles. The converging front walls solve acoustical problems inside the building, whereas the vaulted roof and dominating cross on the entrance represent folded hands raised in prayer.
BAPTIST CHURCH, CHANDIGARH, 1989
The Baptist Church, established by the North-West India Baptist Association (NWIBA), is located in Sector 44, Chandigarh. This religious building represents an efficient environment-responsive design attitude specific to the region and local culture. The Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Government of India had chosen this church among 41 best energy-efficient buildings in India.
In modern times, like other religious buildings, this church is being reduced to functional needs excluding the non-functional symbolism, on the argument that it is only a place of assembly with the altar as the focus. So, the new Baptist Church is built on this line of thought. The structure stands as a representative of the changing concept of religious architecture in India today.
The plan is conceived so as not to disturb the oneness of the congregation. An unobstructed view of the sanctuary has been created by avoiding the columns, giving this holiest part prime focus.
SHIVA TEMPLE COMPLEX, TRILOKPUR, 1989
Trilokpur is a religious village in Himachal Pradesh state of India. It is located on a hillock nearly 24 kilometres south-west of Nahan. This village is visited by three million devotees every year. Mata Bala Sundari temple was originally built here by ruler of Sirmour state in 1570 AD. The site of the complex is on the outskirts of village. This location in the hilly area is a place of great veneration and profound religious significance.
The complex was planned to be entered through four gateways of imposing size. The entry is generally rectangular in plan and topped by a barrel-vault roof. The temple is built on a rectangular platform surrounded by a pool of water. There is a proposal to build a vaulted veranda around the pool. The temple is placed in the centre of this sacred pool, like the Golden Temple of Amritsar, to highlight its sculpted form. This sacred pool, with a flight of steps on all sides, is provided for ablutions. It creates its mirrored image in the still waters below. This holy place is connected to the entrance gateway with a bridge. The temple faces the east, so that the rising sun filters in a golden cadence through its opening.
CHURCH OF GOD, CHANDIGARH, 1991
Church of God, Chandigarh had merged with the Church of God International with its headquarters in Cleveland, Tennessee in the USA in 1981. The group in active in 125 nations and has a world-wide membership. This church in Chandigarh serves as its headquarters in North India. The construction work started in May, 1989 and was ended in February, 1990.
The Church of God located in Sector 41 of Chandigarh, has been designed as a sculpture within a fixed volume of 14 x 20 x 11 metres following the restrictive building bye-laws of the Chandigarh Administration.
The plan’s free shape has been designed to develop a close relationship and eye contact between the congregation and the preacher. Columns within the double-height prayer hall are intentionally avoided to create an obstruction-free space and an appropriate assembly area. The sanctuary has a 1.5-metre deep Baptism pool at the back of the stage. Efforts have been made to dramatise the interior with light.
Since the plot faces south-west, which is not an ideal alignment because of the afternoon glare, the entrance has been deliberately designed facing the south-east with a wall encircling the naive. The circular-shaped building houses the main hall and balcony, with a seating capacity of about 250 people. A large opening allows the sunlight to illuminate the holy altar. Keeping in mind the contemplation of the worshippers, very few openings are provided in the seating area so that the activity outside does not distract the worshippers. Nevertheless, these openings provide sufficient cross-ventilation and light.
SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS CHURCH, CHANDIGARH, 1994
Seventh Day Adventists, a section of Christian community is fully devoted to the development of social, mental, physical and spiritual faculties.
In the city of Chandigarh they had been organising their religious discourses in rented buildings. They acquired land in Sector 41 in the year 1989. The site is a rectangular piece of land surrounded by mango groves. As per the building byelaws by Chandigarh Administration, only three-storey structures are permissible, that too within the mandatory setbacks. As per the client’s brief, the church consists of a hall for about 175 persons with additional spaces for other activities.
The plan of this church is rectangular in form with chamfered corners. With a vestibule, conceived to welcome the visitors, the sanctuary has been kept small. The aisles between the pews have been reduced, resulting in creating more space for seating in the prayer hall. The vestries are kept close to the altar for the convenience of the pastor. The walls of vestries converge behind the sanctuary, which reflects the preacher’s voice towards the laity. The podium has a provision for the baptismal font.
GURUDWARA SACHKHAND ISHER DARBAR, JURASI KHURD, 2020
Named after Saint Isher Singh, the holy Sikh shrine Gurudwara Sachkhand Isher Darbar is located in the Jurasi Khurd village in Kurukshetra district of Haryana.
The site is part of a religious complex and is surrounded by agricultural land. It is on the outskirts of the village, away from the tumult of the city. After innumerable tendentious discussions, the architects convinced the founder of this complex, Baba Mann Singh to move forward with the concept of gurudwara which revolves around the nine saints. The design proposal consisted of nine domes, each symbolising a saint. The 45 metre high main central dome represents Saint Isher Singh. The remaining eight domes symbolise the other saints. It is a five-storey octagonal building that is standing perfectly in the complex. The gurudwara has entrances on all the four sides signifying that the shrine is open to one and all without any discrimination whatsoever. The gurudwara can accommodate 4000 people at a time. The building also consists of a library where people can attain knowledge of the Sikh religion.
Guru Granth Sahib is recited in an octagonal-shaped prayer hall. Usually, the congregation assembles on the floor. The holy book is placed on a high platform and under a canopy. Also, in this hall, there is another platform where preachers sit and play their musical instruments and recite ‘gurbani’. This gurudwara has a scripture room that contains additional copies of Guru Granth Sahib. A circulation path is running around the prayer hall which eliminates the direct visual relationship with indoor space. It allows devotees to move around the prayer hall before entering the hall.