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Chapels: The Latest Architecture and News

From Churches to Homes: Conversions and Contemporary Renovations That Fuse Past and Present

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What does a change in use and/or scale in buildings imply? How can a church or chapel be transformed into a home? While the architecture of many contemporary sacred spaces shows a remarkable capacity for adaptation and evolution, the creative boundaries of many professionals extend beyond their conception as structures of spirituality or worship. Globally, the conversion of large churches and small chapels into private residences reveals a wide field for intervention and exploration, one that can preserve, restore, adapt, and/or renew the character of spaces originally conceived for other uses and scales, which for various reasons have been abandoned, become obsolete, or now require transformation.

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Architecture and Spirituality: 12 Churches and Chapels in Latin America

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Latin America is home to the largest Catholic population in the world—more than 25% of all Catholics globally live on this continent. Here, faith has shaped not only spiritual life but also cities' cultural, social, and urban fabric. Since the first temples, built during European colonization, the architecture of Catholic churches in the region has undergone profound transformations. The once-imposing features of colonial Baroque and richly ornamented façades have gradually given way to bolder, more contemporary expressions that reflect local realities, a search for identity, and a spirit of architectural experimentation.

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Europe's Brutalist Churches and Chapels, by Stefano Perego

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Rich in symbolism and tradition, religious architecture has always been marked by the grandiosity and extravagance of its interior spaces. For the architects and designers who created these spaces, everything from the scale, to the materials, to the lighting were tools to be used in optimizing their form and function and creating a place for users to connect with their faith.