At the heart of this building there is a belief and an aspiration: that even now, in the fractured 21st-century, we can respond to a human yearning to come together, to connect to one another, and to something that moves the spirit. The Temple sits on the edge of Santiago and nestles against the spine of the Andes mountains. It was commissioned by the Bahá‘í House of Justice and is the eighth and final continental temple for the Bahá‘í Faith. But, central to its brief and its design is that it be a place of welcome, community and meaning for everyone.
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The Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS), is located on the Education City Campus, Doha. The scheme provides world class teaching and faculty space and the Education City campus mosque.

QFIS is based on the Islamic ‘Kulliyya’ or ‘place where all knowledge is sought’ and the building provides a progressive learning environment which places the institution at the forefront of contemporary Islamic pedagogy countering the pejorative image of Islamic education.
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Hybrid Architecture for Religious Facility (high low- tech design and construction)

The mosque has been designed to become a religious and urban landmark playing a central role within the rural community. It is positioned at the center of the two-major axis of the urban development, joining the rural park with the main commercial artery and the two large urban pedestrian plazas (one with shops, the other without).

This privileged setting signifies unity and centrality, reflecting the role played by Islam in everyday life. The mosque has two main entrances (one for men and one for women) opening directly to the non-commercial pedestrian plaza which can accommodate groups of worshipers before entering or exiting the mosque. Two reflecting pools establish a reverential distance and a peaceful quiet threshold between on one side, the park, and the other, the main street. At the same time the pools flow from the place of worship to the origin of the irrigation system, suggesting the sublime connection between the nourishment of the soul and that of the earth.
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This is a place for Buddhist mediation, thinking and contemplation， as well as a place satisfying the needs of daily life. The building is located in the forest by the riverside. Along the river, here is a mound, behind which is a great stretch of open field and sporadic vegetable greenhouses. The design started from the connection between the building and nature, adopts the method of earthing to hide the building under the earth mound while presenting the divine temperament of nature with flowing interior space. A place with power of perception where trees, water, Buddha and human coexist is thus created.
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Design considerations

• Our intention is to create a recognizable object, its shape comes from a fish, and the exterior covering reminds of scales.
• We decided not to put the picnic area in the bridge, it is nicer to have a picnic on the grass, besides it would make it too expensive and it would be too wide. We created a picnic garden outside the plaza , just upon arrival form de bridge and stairs, it has a view to the lake and it is shaded by big trees, and at the same time it is adjoining but not together with the plaza events.
• The green wall in the Plaza creates a contained place and together with the shadow of the church it generates a microclimate, it acts like a veil which allows discovering through it the surrounding landscape.
• Parking is possible under crypts with direct access from west side.
• The crypts are like a library, a maze you can walk or stroll.
• All the building is ADA accessible, even without the use of mechanical devises.
• Sustainability and emphasis on Culiacan weather condition is a considered in all of the design.
• Three-dimensional modulation is based on a 4 ft by 4 ft grid , this guarantees order, coincidences, besides there is no waste all the material is used at it maximum expression allowing the acquisition of better material.
• The design is based in a series of structural frames that create grids where all the other materials are hanged, screwed or attached in a mechanical way, allowing the service replacement and access to inner wiring plumbing etc. and also setting a job process of installing bases on prefabrication instead of jobsite construction.
• The stained glass presbytery is a fundamental part of the architecture; I fuses into it, and is part of the structural support of the building besides being recognizable from the outside.
• We added a fire pit on the centre of the plaza to provide heat in cold nights and also as a gathering point.

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The parish center is located on a corner plot in a residential area between Historiador Dozy and Francisco Azorín streets. The extended side is situated in front of a green zone and the lateral side faces residential buildings. The rest of the surroundings are still undeveloped. To the north and west of the plot the structure is set back four meters off the boundaries. On the north side, the entire surface which coincides with the length of the structure is occupied by an English style garden at the height of the basement, to allow light and ventilation and give a courtyard that can be accessible by the public.
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© Martine Doyon

One of Montreal’s leading architectural lighting designer creates a new landmark for the city’s Quartier des Spectacles Church of St. John the Evangelist is an important part of life in Montreal for a tripartite of reasons and Lightemotion has exemplified this with a stunning design for the external illumination of the building that changes with the different uses of the church. Francois Roupinian, founder of Lightemotion, explains: “The church is used as a place of religious worship, a mission and also a venue for concerts and so we felt we should reflect and respect the three different roles within the lighting design. It also sits at the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles and so we wanted to bring attention to this historic building, located amidst the city’s wealth of cultural offerings.”
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“Dar HI is not a hotel nor a classical SPA but more a place where you can experience withdrawal and benefit from a spiritual thalassotherapy a few hours away from Paris and in the middle of the desert”. Patrick Elouarghi

© Jérôme SPRIET

After the experience of the HI hotel in Nice, now Dar HI in Nefta which is the fruit of the collaboration between matali crasset, Patrick Elouarghi and Philippe Chapelet with a new concept of eco-retreat. Matali literally rose a citadel, from the sand, dedicated to well being. Protected by surroundings walls you find a composition of elevated houses that constitute the Dar HI as a small village. The overall architectural goal was to give a strong proposition while in harmony with the natural site and the local life.

Dar HI’s main colours are ochre and sand with a comprehensive choice of body and spirit care within areas that are private or communal, a pool, a restaurant and a Spa.
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