In recent years, the idea of sacred space has not been considered a relevant topic in contemporary architecture – a neglect that is even more pronounced in terms of debates about the city. The texts and projects collected together in Rituals and Walls: The Architecture of Sacred Space aim to redress this oversight, and re-open a contemporary understanding and discussion of the architecture of sacred space. The book itself is the result of a year-long investigation on the nature of sacred space and its manifestation developed in the AA’s Diploma Unit 14. It consists of design proposals that range from a multi-faith school in Strasbourg to the reconstruction of a festival hall in the city of Xian, China; from a Jesuit monastery in Detroit to a women’s Islamic centre in Paris. Each proposal is introduced by critical texts that analyse the political and ideological meaning of religious architecture. Edited by Pier Vittorio Aureli and Maria Shéhérazade Giudici. Thanks to AA Publications (London).

240 pages, 31 x 24 cm, softcover, AA Publications (London).