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CoG/E: Places of "worship"
Jul. 11th, 2006 12:25 pmA typical church of Gaia/Earthseed will be a tall dome, like the blunt nose-cone of an enormous rocket sticking up out of the earth. It will be surrounded by trees that are carefully trained as they grow so that they begin to help support the building, without impeding their ability to grow further. Every month or so, the congregation will do some construction work to help the building grow along with the trees. A growing congregation may expand the lower part of the building to encompass the lowest few meters of the tree trunks, which would then emerge through holes in the roof.
Inside, there will be an inward-curving support member for each tree, along which will run a set of marquee-style lights softened by a covering of some translucent green material. The lights will run up the walls to converge on a skylight at the top, in the form of a large lens. Motors and a flexible roof material will allow this lens to turn and focus the light of the sun on the floor below for a good part of the day. The electricity for the lights and motors, as well as for any ventilation fans, etc. will be provided by renewable energy if at all possible.
This vision is mutable. The walls between the light strips can be anything the congregation wants them to be--murals, regular or stained-glass windows, etc. Strata of different designs may build up as the building grows. For some congregations, the trees alone may be sufficient; with care, the light strips could perhaps be affixed directly to their trunks and upper branches, or they could simply be left out.
The floor, of course, will consist of rings of seats facing in toward a large central stage, which will be at the bottom of a depression in the ground. A pulpit and altar are optional and can take any form the congregation agrees upon. Anyone can stand in the center and speak his/her mind; of course, some poeple will want to do this more than others, and these will become the de-facto "ministers of the church," but only as long as the audience enjoys listening to their speeches. Debate among the entire gathering is encouraged, as long as it remains friendly.
Like any space with a stage, these churches can and should also be used for music, plays, and other forms of performance art.
Inside, there will be an inward-curving support member for each tree, along which will run a set of marquee-style lights softened by a covering of some translucent green material. The lights will run up the walls to converge on a skylight at the top, in the form of a large lens. Motors and a flexible roof material will allow this lens to turn and focus the light of the sun on the floor below for a good part of the day. The electricity for the lights and motors, as well as for any ventilation fans, etc. will be provided by renewable energy if at all possible.
This vision is mutable. The walls between the light strips can be anything the congregation wants them to be--murals, regular or stained-glass windows, etc. Strata of different designs may build up as the building grows. For some congregations, the trees alone may be sufficient; with care, the light strips could perhaps be affixed directly to their trunks and upper branches, or they could simply be left out.
The floor, of course, will consist of rings of seats facing in toward a large central stage, which will be at the bottom of a depression in the ground. A pulpit and altar are optional and can take any form the congregation agrees upon. Anyone can stand in the center and speak his/her mind; of course, some poeple will want to do this more than others, and these will become the de-facto "ministers of the church," but only as long as the audience enjoys listening to their speeches. Debate among the entire gathering is encouraged, as long as it remains friendly.
Like any space with a stage, these churches can and should also be used for music, plays, and other forms of performance art.
