New Article on Oakland Cathedral now Online

Sacred Architecture Journal has just posted an article I wrote about a year ago examining the design of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill's massive glass, wood and concrete Oakland Cathedral. I think it is one of the better pieces I have written. It is not simply enough to say, at a very superficial level, "Yes, this does not look like a church, we must replace it with something with Gothic doodads stuck to it" (though it may be a start, depending on how nice the doodads are), but if we are to make any headway in a lasting revival of traditional architecture, we must understand what does and does not succeed in revealing the sacred at a deeper, more elemental level, at what goes on beneath and below the surface. Then we can add as many or as few doodads as appropriate, if they're well-designed and placed in a logical and beautiful manner. I hope you enjoy reading it.