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Volume 67 explores new religious practices 

Archis and Nieuwe Instituut present Volume 67: Worshipping, exploring the evolving landscape of global religious and spiritual practices. The issue examines how spirituality intersects with architecture, design, politics, and culture across diverse regions. It features global case studies—from universal prayer spaces and Mayan wellness rituals to revived religious music and architecture, and the blending of indigenous and Christian beliefs. How do religious and spiritual practices relate to architecture?

23 June 2025

Religions historically have formed the most inspiring client base for architecture and design worldwide. Whereas it was long expected that religion would eventually fade out with the growing importance of wealth and liberalism, the opposite is happening. Christianity and Islam are still growing worldwide. New and often hybridized forms of worshipping in mindfulness, wellness culture, and other bodily practices are sprouting. The realignment between religion and political life in India, Russia, and the United States makes exploring the contemporary role of religious life all the more urgent. When new versions of spiritual life are explored everywhere, the central question for an architecture medium remains: does this still relate to design and architecture?

Reports and photo essays from around the globe

Volume 67 brings inspiring reports from new and changing spiritual life in as many forms as possible around the globe: from building universal houses of prayer in Berlin, Hong Kong, and airports worldwide, to the bleakness of Mayan wellness worship in Tulum, forgotten religious dance moves in Paris, new church music that engages its architecture, the architecture of the dead on different continents, the return of Chinese god Guandi on the coattails of the Belt and Road Initiative in the Indian Ocean, feng shui design, Mormon underpinnings of Silicon Valley's attempts at new community designs, the hybridisation of indigenous belief systems and Christian faith in Nigeria, to the reversed missionary work of international Christian communities to bring faith back to the Netherlands, and much more. Volume 67: Worshipping includes photo essays by Iwan Baan, Bram Petraeus, Marieke van den Heuvel, Andreas Duscha, and others.

About Volume 67

Volume 67 includes contributions by Ana María Gutiérrez, Andreas Duscha, Annie Schneider, David J. Cross, Dongmei Yao, Erez Levanon, Guus Beumer, Iwan Baan, Jacques-Marie Ligot, Jeanne Halgren Kilde, Jess Myers, Kuen Malvezzi, Lou Mo, Madelon Grant, María Mazzanti, Marieke van den Heuvel, Mattha Busby, Michelle Gulickx, Mohamad Nahleh, Musquiqui Chihying, Natalia Guarnizo, Pam Virada, Paulo Tavares, Setareh Noorani, Sonder, Stephan Petermann, Susana Pérez Arias, Tosin Oshinowo, and Yotam Sion. Volume 67 is edited by Stephan Petermann (Editor in Chief) and María Mazzanti (Managing Editor). The magazine is materialised by Irma Boom Office.

About Volume

Volume is a bi-annual magazine for architecture and design and is a collaboration between Archis and Nieuwe Instituut. The magazine is a cross-pollinator between the in-depth editorial content of Volume and the research and programmes of the Nieuwe Instituut, while maintaining its editorial independence.

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