Is Genuine Interfaith Space Possible?

What might a space designed to accommodate the needs of all faiths look like? In 2004, an international ideas competition was held to design sacred spaces where people from all religious traditions could feel comfortable, safe, and respected. This challenge was embraced by architects, artists, scholars, students, landscapers, and many others in seventeen countries, resulting in 160 visionary designs.

There are two main paths through the designs. One path highlights the winners and honorable mentions chosen by the Jury. The other path does not. This second path may be useful to those who wish to view the designs without being influenced by the judgments of others.

Donald H. Frew and Karen Drozda, of the Planning Committee, and Kay Lindahl, a juror, each wrote articles on their impressions of the competition for the book: Sacred Spaces: 2004 Interfaith Sacred Space Design Competition. Those articles are also included here:

Reflections on the Competition by Karen Drozda

Reflections on the Competition by Donald H. Frew

Reflections on Interfaith Sacred Space by Kay Lindahl

The 2004 contest is closed now. Look for a new contest in 2006. But the competition kit that the contestants received before creating their designs is available for download. It is a 46 page PDF file, about 600K in size, and requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher to view.

Thank you for visiting.

Visit our partners:
Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions

United Religions Initiative

This site is run by the Interfaith Center at the Presidio

Site by Pipsqueak Productions, LLC