Community Temples Workshop

A teaching and inter-religious experience at Federico Santa María Technical University

Abstract

When designing any sacred building, it is not enough to review the relevant literature, but it is necessary to observe the ritual of life, even when one does not share a faith. Therefore, the Community Temples Workshop considered the design of temples and spaces of socialization for the Lutheran, Muslim and Masonic communities, in the context of an architectural career within a secular university, which has been passed on through generations based on a testament stating that religion would not be attached to its classrooms.
It was an experience in which communities served as leaders with the power to explore their real opportunities for building, while students agreed to observe and design spaces for a ritual they did not practice. Everything was done within an environment detached from proselytizing, one that was culturally diverse and welcomed differences in faith, accepting that the common challenge of all creeds is to design a space that steps back from the mundane in order to cherish the most sacred rituals of community life.