Includes bibliographical references and index.

x Acknowledgements –-
xi Contributors –-
1 Introduction: Water and Sacred Architecture by Anat Geva –-
11 Part I Rituals –-
13 Beyond Baptism: Incorporating Water as a Primary Symbol in Contemporary Roman Catholic Church Architecture by Roberto Chiotti –-
29 Water and Ritual Wudu (Ablutions) in Canadian Mosques by Tammy Gaber –-
41 Chattri and Kund: The Architecture of Kusum Sarovar, Govardhan, India by Amita Sinha –-
52 Sacred Water Architecture for Every Jew: Rabbi David Miller and DIY Mikvah in Charleston, South Carolina by Barry L. Stiefel –-
67 Part II Water as Material Culture and Place Making –-
69 Architecture, Water, and the Sacred in the Sanctuary of the Great Gods on Samothrace, Greece by Andrew Farinholt, Jessica Paga, and Bonna Wescoat –-
84 Roman Waterscapes, Architecture, and Religion: Notions of Sacrality and Sensory Experience by Dylan K. Rogers –-
98 Purifying the Stupa: Symbolism of the Lotus in Buddhist Architecture by Di Luo and Gerald Kozicz –-
113 The Sacredness of Water and Place: African and Diasporic Religious Cultural Encounters by Peter F. Adebayo, Christopher S. Hunter, and Oluwafunminiyi Raheem –-
131 Part III Environmental Impact –-
133 The “Sacred” Architecture of Anupam Mishra’s Water-Culture by Ricki Levi –-
148 Sacredness in the Presence and Absence of Water: The Case of Stepwells in Ahmedabad, India by Priyanka Sheth –-
165 Tethering Buddhism to Climate Change: Lessons from the Ladakhi Ice Stupa by Carey Clouse –-
181 Part IV Water Systems –-
183 Hymn to the Waters: Anahita in Ancient Persian Architecture by Stephen Caffey –-
199 Tower and Temple: re-sacralizing Water Infrastructure at Balkrishna Doshi’s GSFC Township by Daniel Williamson –-
215 Geothermal Systems and Religious Ethics: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple, and First Unitarian Society of Madison by Joseph M. Siry –-
231 Part V Modern Practice –-
233 Sacredness and Water in Contemporary Japanese Architecture: Reinterpretation of Ancient Traditions by Galia Dor –
247 Baptistries in Marcel Breuer and Associates’ American Catholic Sacred Spaces by Victoria Young –
262 Strength in Weakness – Daoist Waters and Architecture of the Xinjin Zhi Museum by Ariel Genadt –-
279 Epilogue: The Expression of Water in Virtual Sacred Architecture: The Case of a Virtual Baptism by Nesrine Mansour –-
292 Index –-

"This edited book examines architectural representations that tie water, as a physical and symbolic property, with the sacred. The discussion centres on two levels of this relationship: firstly, how water influenced the sacredness of buildings across history and different religions; and secondly, how sacred architecture expressed the spiritual meaning of water. The volume deliberately offers original material on various unique contextual and design aspects of water and sacred architecture, rather than an attempt to produce a historic chronological analysis on the topic, or focusing on a specific geographical region. As such, this unique volume adds a new dimension to the study of sacred architecture. The book's chapters are compiled by a stellar group of scholars and practitioners from the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Africa. It addresses major aspects of water in religious buildings, such as, rituals, pilgrimage, water as a cultural material and place making, hydro systems, modern practices, environmental considerations, the contribution of water to transforming secular into sacred, and future digital/cyber context of water and sacredness. All chapters are based on original archival studies, historical documents, and field visits to the sites and buildings. These examinations show water as an expression of architectural design, its materiality, and its spiritual values. The book will be of intense interest to architects, historians, environmentalists, archaeologists, religious scholars and preservationists"--