SPIRITUAL VALUES BETWEEN SYMBOLISM AND SUSTAINABLE DESIGN STRATEGIES OF THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH ARCHITECTURE

Document Type : Articles and research extracted from theses

Authors

1 Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering Sciences & Arts, Misr International University

2 Department of Architecture, Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University

3 Architecture Department, Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University, Egypt

10.47436/jaars.2022.130718.1087

Abstract

Religious beliefs significantly affect individuals’ and groupings' behaviors, lives, and attitudes, shaping a sustainable future for new generations. In Egypt, the origin of forming Coptic Church architecture and urban design was revealed significantly in using sustainable factors as the environmental, economic, cultural, and political ones that shaped the Coptic Religious buildings from those brought from the West, in addition to enhancing the idea of God’s home on earth.
The study approach enriched the development of Coptic Churches affiliated with their interaction with and between people, places, and epochs. Its significant idea is to address the question of attaining spirituality whenever socially sustainable strategies are utilized in Coptic buildings.
The research ends with a set of conclusions and recommendations that constitutes a list of design principles for the Coptic Church, addressing both sustainable design strategies and symbolism to promote its spiritual value towards a contemporary Coptic Church design approach.

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