Building the ecocentric space for body and soul : concepts deriving from theology and lithurgy

To the present day, sustainable building only meant paying attention to the physical environment. However, if we search beyond this limit and focus on other disciplines of research than building, the meaning of sustainability could be enriched. Therefore this paper will focus on the interplay of sustainability and an inspiring second discipline. The paper is based on the hypothesis that there is a strong interplay between architecture and theology/liturgy. The main question in the research is how theological and liturgical points of view can contribute to the innovation of sustainable architecture. The aim of the paper is in the first place to search for basic qualities in general as well as qualities related to mental health that can renew and enrich thinking on sustainable building. Secondly the aim is the translation of some of these qualities into possible architectural concepts. Based on literature, the paper elaborates two lessons which are derived from research on church architecture. The first is the ‘ecocentric’ vision, based on a contemporary interpretation of the story of the Creation in Genesis. It provides normative qualities for building in general, which stress sustainability and the position of mankind in nature. The second is the vision that mental health is not only an integral part of liturgy (and church architecture), but should be an integral part of all building activities. This lesson supplies the view of the church building and its environment as a possible influence on mental health. To conclude, the qualities related to the ecocentric lesson are translated in four innovating architectural concepts for sustainable building. One of the conclusions is that research on church architecture has provided the view that building a healthy environment should not only imply taking care of physical and quantifiable values (the body). It provides the ‘ecocentric’ way of thinking and opens the perspective of qualitative mental aspects (the soul) of building. The latter is sustained by the World Health Organisation, which defines ‘health’ as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity