Cathedral of Creation

Traditional Cathedral, 2023

The Cathedral of Creation

Traditional Cathedral
ARC920 Advanced Architecture Studio
TMU, Fall 2023

Team

Ariel Weiss, Noah Spivak

Role

Project designed collaboratively, all presented images created independently

Tools

Rhinoceros 7 Grasshopper
Adobe Suite Blender
CNC Cutting, 3D Printing, Painting

Project Description

An ode to Saint Francis of Assisi, the cathedral of creation aims to fuse the Gothic grandeur of the past with a contemporary vision. Like the design of the great gothic cathedrals, this proposal rekindles a once vibrant legacy of catholic architectural innovation through a highly repeatable and delicately sculpted modular system. Not only does this system take advantage of contemporary fabrication efficiencies, but it forges a celestial connection to the heavens above - a rare combination in the design of sacred spaces.The result of this exercise is not simply a boutique cathedral - but a prototype for the future home of the SSPX.

Contemporary Vault

Can this proposal build on the past and ignite a new architectural era through the innovation of contemporary panelized vaults?

Gothic Vault

The invention of the ribbed vault and flying buttress also marks a new architectural era through architectural innovation in catholic architecture.

Romanesque Vault

The invention of the barrel vault, a fundamental architectural element, dates back to the birth of Christ and marks an architectural era.

Distinctions

DAS End of
Year Show

A Personal Artwork

In beginning to design a cathedral, I've created an individual artwork in order to dive deeper in the church's values. This expression aims to uniquely capture and articulate the essence of Catholic theology and the intricate design principles of sacred spaces.

It started with a sketch showing a man in the image of the heavens above, and evolved into a series of three paintings on glass, each representing the holy trinity as a core element of the church.

Initial Sketch

Finished Artwork

The Seed of Life & The Days of Creation

Sacred geometry based on the concept of creation is used in order to realize the idea of creation and ecology.

Creating an Architectural Module

An architectural module is then derived from the sacred geometry of ecology. The modular massing follows this form.

2D Composition

The floorplan of the cathedral is proportioned based off of the seed of life. Precession happens through the days of creation...

3D Composition

The volumetric modules of the cathedral is additionally proportioned based off of the seed of life's geometry

Design Rationalization Animation (Press Play)

Aggregation of Modules

The crux of this proposal lies in its distinct rekindling of the once vibrant legacy of Catholic architectural innovation. Like the creation of the gothic vault, the design introduces a highly repeatable modular system.


This system is not only aggregated through this proposal, but its a repeatable prototype for the future of the SSPX

Aggregation of Modules

The modular system can be used in a variety of settings such as an exterior statuary with rooftop gardens, or the interior aisles with sound-absorbing panels.

Exterior Statuary

Side Aisles

Making a 1:25 Prototype

In exploring a single module, we created a 1:25 scaled prototype. The base of the model is cast concrete with plywood floors and walls. The upper module section is a dark ash wood cut frame with laser cut MDF walls and structure, and FDM printed panels and spires.

Making a 1:00 Prototype

In exploring the aggregation of these modules, we created a 1:100 scaled prototype. The table is made out of CNC'd MDF, the walls, roofs, and floors are laser cut MDF. The parametric panels are SLS 3D printed, and the stairs spires, and furniture's are FDM 3D Printed.