Past Event: Conference | Sacred Space

Winchester Cathedral interior

This event has passed.

Location: Sterling Memorial Library, Auditorium
128 Wall Street
New Haven, CT

Open To: General Public

Admission: Free

Description: Architecture for Worship in the 21st Century, October 25 and 26, 2007

In an era of cultural, political, and ethical transition, a conscious reflection on sacred space offers individuals and societies in a post-modern and post-religious age new possibilities for charting their futures by drawing upon their pasts. The scholars and architects who bring their work to this conference interpret the complex ways in which sacred space continues to captivate a changing world.

The conference is offered in conjunction with the symposium Constructing the Ineffable: Contemporary Sacred Architecture October 26-27, presented by the Yale School of Architecture with support from Yale Divinity School and Yale Institute of Sacred Music. Registration for the symposium is FREE and coordinated by the School of Architecture. Information is available by calling 203-432-2889.

Speakers:

  • Gretchen Buggeln (Valparaiso University)
  • John Cook (Yale University)
  • Michael Crosbie, AIA (editor, Faith and Form)
  • Richard Giles (Rector, Cathedral Church of the Savior)
  • Friedhelm Mennekes, S.J. (Sankt Peter Köln)
  • Louis Nelson (University of Virginia)
  • Joan Soranno, AIA (Hammel, Green, and Abrahamson, Inc.)
  • Duncan Stroik, AIA (University of Notre Dame)
  • Arnold Isidore Thomas (education minister, Riverside Church, NYC)
  • Dr. Robert H. Schuller (founding pastor and chairman of the board of the Crystal Cathedral)
  • Victor Trahan, AIA (Trahan Architects)
  • Richard Vosko (liturgical design consultant) 
  • Organizers: Jaime Lara (Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Yale Divinity School) and Karla Britton (Yale School of Architecture)

Schedule:

Thursday afternoon, October 25 at Yale Institute of Sacred Music Great Hall (409 Prospect St.) 

Time Description
12:30 - 1:00 Check-in & coffee
1:15 Welcome and Introduction to the conference and symposium. Jaime Lara & Karla Britton, Yale University
1:30 “Rediscovering Sacred Space: Worship, Architecture, and Meaning in 20th century America,” Louis Nelson, University of Virginia
2:15 “Ecclesiology and Church Design: A Balancing Act In Times of Transition,” Richard S. Vosko, PhD, Hon. AIA, followed by Q&A.
3:15 Break
3:30 PANEL: “New Wine, Old Wineskins: Building and Rebuilding the House of the Church”
- Prof. John Cook, Yale University, moderator
- Prof. Gretchen Buggeln, Valparaiso University
- Rev. Richard Giles, rector, Episcopal Cathedral of Philadelphia
- Rev. Arnold Thomas, minister of education, Riverside Church, NYC
5:00 Reception in the Common Room.
6:00 Keynote speaker: Dr. Robert H. Schuller, Crystal Cathedral. Marquand Chapel

Friday morning, October 26 at St. Thomas More Chapel and Catholic Center at Yale (268 Park St.)

Time Description
8:45 - 9:00 Coffee
9:05 Introduction to the session. Jaime Lara & Karla Britton.
9:15 “A View from Europe: The Spirituality of Spatial Emptiness,” Friedhelm Mennekes, S.J., Sankt Peter Köln, followed by Q&A
10:15 10:15 Break

10:30

PANEL: “The Future of Church Architecture in the United States”
- Michael Crosbie, AIA, moderator
- Joan Soranno, AIA
- Duncan Stroik, AIA
- Victor Trahan, AIA
12:00 Announcements. Lunch on your own.
2:00 Constructing the Ineffable symposium* begins Yale University Art Gallery.