The Sacred and Profane: Thoughts on Architectural Education and Pedagogy

Abstract

Institutions of higher education have distanced themselves from teaching anything related to the sacred in architectural education. While the education of the architect has remained a critical focus for practitioners since Vitruvius, architecture’s historical ties to the sacred have been forgotten and dismissed. Many are beginning to realize the importance of this topic for contemporary architectural education. Architects have an ethical task of defending the authenticity of human experience as well as creating a beautiful world that uplifts the human spirit and nourishes cognitive, behavioral, and emotional health. As the co-founder of a new architecture program, I discuss both the practical and operational experiences of teaching and developing curricula with sacred pedagogy in mind. The paper also reviews “where” and “how” academic programs might attempt to deal with the sacred in curricular development. The success of any pedagogical intent will ultimately take years to manifest itself in the built works of students. Integrating the sacred into architectural education is critical for the profession because it helps future architects cultivate their empathic imagination, increase their compassion for the building user, and nourish their love for humanity.