Millennial Church: A Contemporary Gothic Inspiration

Abstract

My design thesis is the Millennial Church, a Contemporary Gothic Inspiration. It is an endeavour to design a Catholic Church of the 21st century, a contemporary take on the Gothic architecture, developed through the religious and non-religious conditions of the modern society. Essentially, the thesis and its research aims for a design response to the current youth generation, considered as the least religious generation of today. Why appeal to the current generation? The need for religion (specifically Catholicism) is declining. However the importance of religion is still significant through its teachings of the appropriate morals, values and ethics – philosophies that make us human. The church becomes a place of connection, not only to a religious figure and a sacred devotion, but also to one’s self and our human values. It can potentially become a personal place, a space that allows one to be open and vulnerable. Within a generation that exhibits a decline with face-to-face disconnection, the thesis aims to remind the importance of the church to the Millennials through the visuals, the atmosphere and the spatial grandness. Conversely, the sacredness and the religious nature of the church needs to be present. Gothic becomes the medium and inspiration of the church architecture. Medieval Gothic architecture is proclaimed as the pinnacle of Catholic faith, and Gothic Revivalists believe that it is the best manifestation of the house of God. Gothic designs and principles also provide a great deal of representation towards the immediate connection to God, specifically the essential use of height and light. And so, the Gothic influence is imperative. However it is not bringing back the pure Gothic look, but using these principles and ideas as tools to help design my thesis. My Gothic is simply the Gothic expression: the vertically, the brilliance of light, and the sensation of the sacred space. It is then a contemporary take on these Gothic design principles that will give me direction in designing a millennial church of the 21st century.