Sacred Untold: Immersive Design Methodologies
摘要
The significance of sacred spaces in architectural development is evident, and the challenges faced in constructing those span centuries. While churches in many countries serve as historical witnesses, Egypt's built landscape is rich with diverse churches and mosques, seamlessly integrated into everyday life. Its presence is an impetus for the studio and stimulus to raise questions on how to design them in a contemporary way. How should we approach the design of sacred spaces in an architectural studio at university? Should consideration be given to the religious context that a design aims to elaborate? Introducing “SACRED UNTOLD,” a design methodology that employs intuitive and immersive tools. The aim is to uncover and cultivate future architectural positions that transcend again conventional considerations of sustainability, construction, and materials. Drawing inspiration from the diverse sacred places of Egypt, “SACRED UNTOLD” focuses on unearthing existing yet unformulated cultural tendencies within the next generation of architectural students. Amidst the daily presence of Islam, Coptic Orthodox Church, and Latin Church in our surroundings, the students’ designs challenge conventions. The results suggest a spectrum of sacredness, from personal and human experiences to community-inspired spatial arrangements that echo their constituting surroundings. Unlike the visually perspective-oriented staging of sacred space prevalent in Western churches since the Renaissance, SACRED UNTOLD concentrates on the phenomenon itself in architectural and spatial design. Utilizing storytelling, film, and virtual reality, the methodology emphasizes a conceptual and multifaceted design approach, encouraging individual, intuitive exploration of the sacred space. In virtual reality, students immerse themselves in the environment they are creating, allowing for a more profound understanding of the impact of their design choices on the user's experience. SACRED UNTOLD aims to address the conceptual, atmospheric, phenomenological, and communal aspects of sacred design.