Inherent in the brief for a place of worship is the requirement to create a powerful, transcendental experience for the user, a place of refuge and peace. This ephemeral demand in turn requires unusual sensibility and creative genius of the architect, yet also makes the architect’s task particularly intriguing. This special issue analyses the elements architects have at their disposal to conceive transcendental places and sanctuaries conducive to contemplation and prayer, illustrated in seventeen recent projects from around the world, from Archstudio’s Waterside Buddhist Shrine and John McAslan’s Msheireb Mosque, to Wirmboden Alpine Chapel and Skorba Village Centre.

Inherent in the brief for a place of worship is the requirement to create a powerful, transcendental experience for the user, a place of refuge and peace. This ephemeral demand in turn requires unusual sensibility and creative genius of the architect, yet also makes the architect’s task particularly intriguing. This special issue analyses the elements architects have at their disposal to conceive transcendental places and sanctuaries conducive to contemplation and prayer, illustrated in seventeen recent projects from around the world, from Archstudio’s Waterside Buddhist Shrine and John McAslan’s Msheireb Mosque, to Wirmboden Alpine Chapel and Skorba Village Centre.