Universal Sacred Space by: Frank Lloyd Wright Group

Spirituality and Religion have always been integral and vital aspects of humanity as a whole. Throughout history to the present, several themes and characteristics are seen incorporated into places of worship that our group discussed and researched when writing about their chosen sacred space. We took this knowledge when thinking about a Universal Sacred Space and first discussed if it were even possible to design a sacred space in which all religions could worship. We all agreed that while there are many commonalities between religions, we doubted that any one sacred space could accommodate all of them because such specific symbolism and beliefs exist within religions. So we set about discussing what characteristics we could use to design a meaningful place for someone to worship and strived to create a Universal Sacred Space.
The most basic need for a sacred place is shelter for the congregation. Like almost all religions, our group wanted to incorporate symbolism into the sacred space and took the basic symbolism seen in many Eastern Religions regarding the circle and square. We thought it would be interesting and unique to have our sacred space be on an island where another religious characteristic comes into play: the concept of the journey is utilized to get to the sacred space through the use of a ceremonial boat. Our group felt that by making our sacred space less accessible, it also showed a level of commitment the worshipper would have to feel and thus, would honor the sacred space even more. Having the sacred space surrounded by water also was symbolic to our space as water is another common theme in many religions because it represents purity and regeneration.
Once on the island, the worshipper would find a complex consisting of alternating circle and square shapes. The circle represents the infinite, spiritual world whereas the square represents the limitations imposed by the physical world. Our group planned for the outer courtyard wall to be circular shaped to symbolize that the worshipper is coming into a spiritual place. Within the courtyard walls there will be ornate square shaped gardens surrounding the actual circular building in the center. By alternating the circles and squares within our design, it hopefully conveys that the spiritual and physical worlds are intertwined with one another.
The gardens are a beautiful way to incorporate nature into our sacred space and can contain sacred objects, such as ceremonial rugs used for kneeling in prayer and fountains with running water to once again represent purity and regeneration. Inside the center, circular building, sacred objects, such as scrolls with scriptures and teachings can be viewed and used during worship.
Although our group feels that because of the strict dogma of some religions, not all will want to worship in our sacred space. However, we have strived to create a space that utilizes the basic characteristics that are needed in worship and hopefully many worshippers could potentially have a spiritual and meaningful experience in our Universal Sacred Space.