International Center for Possibility Thinking, Los Angeles. Exterior detail. Architect: Richard Meier
The Center for Possibility Thinking building is located between the Crystal Cathedral, completed by Philip Johnson in 1980, the first church building made entirely out of glass, constructed of over 10,000 plates of mirror glass, and the Tower of Hope, designed by Richard Neutra in 1968, 13 storeys high and topped by a huge illuminated cross. The three famous architects, all of whom have been awarded AIA Gold Medals, were appointed by Reverend Schuller, a well-known preacher who has been appointed an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects for his patronage of quality architecture. MeierÆs new building welcoming pilgrims to the Crystal Cathedral Campus fits in between the existing buildings, creating a sort of internal courtyard, like an open-air room between the three buildings, all constructed at different times. The semi-circular construction is four storeys high, covered with a skin of plate glass and steel that matches the adjacent Crystal Cathedral perfectly. Four entrances lead into a 40-foot-high atrium affording access to a 299-seat auditorium, a chapel, a museum documenting the history of the religious community in photographs and artefacts, a library, a gift-shop and a coffee shop which extends outside the building. The Crystal Cathedral congregation is very popular in America, thanks in part to the publicity afforded by Reverend SchullerÆs popular television programme The hour of power, which has an audience of 20 million people all over the United States and brings at least one million visitors a year to the Garden Grove Campus.
Size: 2938px × 3689px
Location: USA
Photo credit: © John Edward Linden / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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