Spirituality in Place: Building Connections Between Architecture, Design, and Spiritual Experience

Abstract

Contemporary urban design practice in western society primarily focuses on addressing basichuman needs (physical and physiological) without sufficient attention to higher-order needs, which are defined as ‘self-transcendence'. Using psychological theory to establish a basis for well-being and health, an argument can be made for gaps in the hierarchy of human needs that current urban design practice does not address. And while contemporary urban design often addresses social aspects of public space it can still lack meaning for users, resulting in places that are not environmentally and socially responsible, and are, to a degree, devoid of elements that create a sense of humanity in place. How then does the builtenvironment, public and private alike, address the more personal, and intimate needs of an individual? How do buildings and streets engage an individual in personal growth, creating a means of contemplation, curiosity and exploration, and knit together ideals and convictions that guide our lives? This project uses the notion of ‘spirituality in place' to seek out the qualities of the built environment that contribute to places which, through their physical design, allow users to find greater meaning in their surroundings. Designers and architects often talk about meaning, beauty, poetics, connection, atmosphere and other ethereal, invisible aspects of a place. It is the objective of this research project to make more visible these invisible qualities of the built environment, by exploring the relationship between Buddhism and Taoism and contemporary architectural and urban design practice. This project defines spirituality in the context of the built environment, theorizes a framework for spirituality in place consisting of humanity, sensuality and sustainability, and deploys this framework to identify ways in which spirituality is manifest in the built environment through a critical analysis of select sites.