Faith & Form’s 2017 Religious Architecture Awards Recognizes the Best in Religious Architecture and Art


© Ieva Saudargaite

© Ieva Saudargaite

How does contemporary religious architecture adapt to the needs of the modern world? Each year, Faith & Form magazine and the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture (IFRAA) award acknowledges the best in religious art and architecture. This year’s winners included 27 projects spanning in religious denomination, size, and location. Beyonds this, the award recognizes three common trends present in religious architecture today: re-adaptation of existing facilities, community-based sacred spaces, and simplicity in design. Read on to see all 27 winners.

Calcagnini Contemplative Center / Dynerman Architects

(Bluemont, VA, USA)


Courtesy of Alan Karchmer Photography

Courtesy of Alan Karchmer Photography

RLJ Chapel / Ricaro Yslas Gamez Arquitectos

(San Juan Cosalá, Jalisco)


© Jaime Navarro

© Jaime Navarro

Vajrasana Buddhist Retreat Centre / Walters & Cohen Architects

(Bury Saint Edmunds, UK)


© Jim Stephenson

© Jim Stephenson

Stella Maris Chapel / Alejandro Beautell Arquitecto

(Tenerife, Canarias Island, Spain)


© Efrain Pintos

© Efrain Pintos

Garden Chapel Pavilion / archimania

(Memphis, TN, USA)


Courtesy of archimania

Courtesy of archimania

Liberty United Methodist Church / Dake Wells Architecture

(Liberty, MO, USA)


Courtesy of Architectural Imageworks LLC

Courtesy of Architectural Imageworks LLC

New Faith Baptist Church Worship Center / Harding Partners

(Matteson, IL, USA)


Courtesy of Christopher Barrett Photography

Courtesy of Christopher Barrett Photography

Park Plaza Synagogue / Epstein-Principal Designer Andrew Metter

(Chicago, IL, USA)


Courtesy of Ballogg Photography

Courtesy of Ballogg Photography

Tegami-Dokoro / Shoji Oshio + UA architects

(Funabashi, Chiba, Japan)


© Ken'ichi Suzuki

© Ken'ichi Suzuki

Amir Shakib Arslan Mosque / L.E.FT Architects

(Moukhtara, Lebanon)


© Ieva Saudargaite

© Ieva Saudargaite

Bellevue First Congregational Church / atelierjones llc

(Bellevue, WA, USA)


Courtesy of Lara Swimmer

Courtesy of Lara Swimmer

Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun Synagogue Chapel / FXFOWLE

(New York, NY, USA)


© Chris Cooper

© Chris Cooper

Redeemer Presbyteraian / archimania

(Memphis, TN, USA)


Courtesy of Hank Mardukas Photography

Courtesy of Hank Mardukas Photography

SGI New England Buddhist Center / Touloukian Touloukian Inc

(Brookline, MA, USA)


Courtesy of Photo Anton Grassi Photography

Courtesy of Photo Anton Grassi Photography

Redemption Arcadia / DeBartolo Architects

(Pheonix, AZ, USA)


© Bill Timmerman

© Bill Timmerman

Westport Presbyterian Church / BNIM

(Kansas City, MO, USA)


© Michael Robinson

© Michael Robinson

Congregation Beit Simchat Torah / Architecture Research Office

(New York, NY, USA)


© Elizabeth Felicella/Esto

© Elizabeth Felicella/Esto

The Sheridan Center Chapel / Jackson & Ryan Architects

(Houston, TX, USA)


© Mark Scheyer

© Mark Scheyer

Chai Spice Box / Ellen Hunt

(Chicago, IL, USA)


© Ellen Hunt

© Ellen Hunt

Duke University Chapel Woodwork Restoration / Century Guild

(Durham, NC, USA)


© KC Ramsay

© KC Ramsay

‘Pieta’ / Salvatore LaRosa


© David Mitchell

© David Mitchell

Eid Prayer Ground / Allies and Morrison

(Doha, Qatar)


© Gerry O'Leary

© Gerry O'Leary

Cathedral Campus / Strada Architecture LLC

(Wheeling, WA, USA)


© Dennis Marsico

© Dennis Marsico

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption / Moto Designshop

(Port-au-Prince)


Courtesy of Moto Designshop

Courtesy of Moto Designshop

Funeral Home / Edyta Paula Konstantynowicz

(Biolystok, Poland)


Courtesy of Edyta Paula Konstantynowicz

Courtesy of Edyta Paula Konstantynowicz

Sacred Space of a Modern Man / Joanna Wierzbicka

(Warsaw, Poland)


Courtesy of Joanna Wierzbicka

Courtesy of Joanna Wierzbicka

The Mhuysqa Offering / Travis Price Architects with The Catholic University of America

(Tenjo, Columbia)


© Travis Price

© Travis Price