A few weeks ago Architect David Greusel wrote this article on the intersection of faith and architecture. In it he makes some great points about how faith impacts the culture in his workplace, but the part that grabbed my attention was a question about design itself:
“What does redeemed architecture look like?”
This is a question I’ve thought over for some time. If you have any faith for this world* this must be one of the foundational questions for your work. If you work in some other field you might similarly ask ‘What does redeemed medicine/teaching/cleaning/etc. look like?’ David Greusel proposes an answer for the architect:
“Does it have Bible verses encoded in the decoration? Scrolls of scripture hidden in the mortar joints? I think not. To my way of thinking, redemptive design seeks the good of the city and of the people in the city, whether they live or work in the building or not. This means the building has to be a good neighbor, reinforcing the street and not alienating passers-by. It should promote human flourishing, whether as a place of dwelling, work, or recreation, and help people to be, in Andy Crouch’s phrase, most gloriously themselves. And regardless of its use, it should point to a higher reality, not with encoded Bible verses, but with excellence in design and craft.”
This call to seek the common good, and to quality, is an affirmation both of design and of faith. However it feels to me like only part of the answer. After all, the RIBA code of conduct states something similar to this in respect of an architect looking to the impact on wider society and not just the interests of their client. Surely to be truly manifesting faith an architecture must go far beyond the standard idea of good practice in the world, and be radically different.
I’m still thinking over what my answer to the question might be, and am far from reaching a conclusion, but my first shot at it would be:
A Redeemed Architecture:
- Seeks the common good in the built environment,
- Is holistic in its approach to people,
- Is responsive to the individuality of people,
- Resonates with the depth, complexity and mystery of the world,
- Issues from a prophetic process,
- Any other attributes…?
[*As opposed to a faith that’s concerned exclusively with an afterlife and places little or no relevance on what we do in this world.]
Philip Benton 