Numinous Christian Study Center

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Within the climate of the secular world, Christians are tempted with doubt and those who do not believe are tempted by faith. Christians experience brutal droughts of faith amidst the immanence of our world. Sometimes it proves difficult to see the transcendence of God in our surroundings, but awareness of its existence remains and longing for that transcendence does too.

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Non-believers do not have an identical experience, but that haunted longing also maintains its ground. That haunted longing is that feeling you get when you see a painting that illustrates a heavenly world you’d give anything to be at, it’s that “happily ever after” ending that disappears when the TV turns off, or even deeper, it’s that emptiness that never quite leaves despite the money, the relationships, or the accomplishments. As Charles Taylor shares, “our secular age is haunted and always has been.” This inherent haunted longing is a calling from Jesus to draw near to Him to receive eternal fulfillment. Therefore, haunted longing satisfied in the transcendent gospel must be accentuated.

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Architecture possesses the power to awaken longing through the numinous, to act as a form and space which proposes the presence of The Divine. Numinous, The University of Michigan’s Christian Study Center, haunts the passerby with its glowing presence, prompting longing into the viewer beckoning them to venture towards an enchanting world, immersed in fellowship and thought with God and others. The Christian Study Center’s intricate, natural form hints at something enchanting. Something beyond the physical world in which we collectively acknowledge. This study center questions the ordinary and leads its viewers to transcendent thought.

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 The experience of the Christian Study Center parallels our pursuit to satisfy this constant longing with a physical experience from the garden space, to the prayer chapels and reading room, to finally reach the central chapel. In our lives, Jesus is reached through a narrow path that encounters the essentiality of individual formation and community discourse. This journey towards Jesus gradually increases spiritual satisfaction. Similar to a spiritual journey, the path to reach the chapel caters to both an individual and collective journey, slowly satisfying the longing within.

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The Christian Study Center’s facade presents itself as an enchanting form dressed in ethereal lighting, beckoning a longing from the passersby. As the user commences the journey, they are immediately greeted by a procession reflecting the gospel. The first encounter with the Christian Study Center begins with Eden, a communal garden space. This space enables a sincere, reflective mindset. The garden narrows into an entrance defined with repetition in structure, accentuating self-reflection designed to parallel the fall of humanity and sinful patterns. The entrance leads into the building with a view of the chapel entry. The chapel entrance is bathed in diffused lighting that runs down the wall, representing Jesus’ light and intermediate position between humans and God.

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Secondary spaces such as the prayer chapels and reading room offer further moments to dwell in contemplation both in community and individually and extend the representation of the intermediate space between humanity and God. The lighting and views of the chapel spill into surrounding prayer chapels intimately design with warmth and privacy. The reading room tenders an ethereal vantage of the chapel that beckons longing to reach the central space. The reading room is met with diaphanous lighting from the chapel and lighting communicating absolute time from the East façade.

Finally, transitioning from those intermediate spaces into the chapel, the user experiences how light weaves down through the delicate structure, immersing the transcendent chapel space, echoing life, fully satisfied, in God’s presence. This creates a transcendent moment and welcomes pensive discourse with God and others.

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The Christian Study Center’s intimate correlation with a spiritual journey of satisfying our haunted longing directs the user to a world beyond the physical and offers many opportunities for deep reflection and thoughtful discourse with both God and others.