Finding the spirit

This is All Faiths Chapel at Texas A&M. A cherished building with a definite presence on campus. We studied this building during my sacred architecture course under Anat Geva during my last year of graduate school. I found this photo when searching through some of my old course work. I had forgotten about this photograph. It's such a wonderful surprise finding a photo you'd forgotten; sort of like finding that twenty dollar bill in your coat from last winter.

But, what's really special about this photo is that it reminds me about why I entered the world of architecture in the first place. I actually started off in architecture wanting to design churches and to focus on sacred architecture because that was, in my mind, the best avenue to make a positive impact. What I found as I got deeper into architecture was that making an impact on people's lives through the built environment was not exclusive to sacred architecture. And, that's about when I found healthcare architecture, around my junior year. I felt a connection between healthcare and my original passion. The goal of each architectural genre was the same, to design a healing and spiritual place.

Finally taking a course dedicated to sacred architecture during my last year of school was a nice "full-circle" experience. I discovered I hadn't betrayed my original passion, I had only come to understand it in a broader sense. I'd found the spirit of the idea.