Designed by SpaceMatters, the Baha’i House of Worship at Bihar Sharif is India’s second Baha’i temple. The House of Worship has been designed with an intention of using the spiritual power of architecture to deliver a sense of spiritual oneness, equality, and inclusion. The concept is drawn from the teachings of the Bahá’u’lláh. The first Baha’i temple in India, ‘Lotus Temple’, Delhi, became an inspiration for the architects where they understood the power a space can hold. Delhi’s iconic Lotus Temple, the first Bahai’ House of Worship remains an inspiration for generations for architects as well as millions of visitors who come to experience the power of space.
When referring to architectural design, a concept is an idea or a thought that forms the backbone of a project and drives it forward. When a monument or a place of worship (dedicated to an individual /a deity/or a religion) is combined with the teachings of faith, it can produce a space that is meaningful to the body and mind. The design philosophy for this project has been derived from Bahá’u’lláh.
- “ …by His remembrance, the eye is cheered and the heart is filled with light”
- “… make them as perfect as is possible in the world of being ……..’
- “ …Belonging to the land from which it has risen..”
Baha’i teachings are both rooted and transcendent in the universe. This philosophy has been incorporated and can be seen in multiple design aspects such as the form, materiality, and visual motifs. The designers have found their sense of expression in the form of a dome and have derived inspiration from the different natural elements.
The main edifice located at the centre of the 7.5 acres site.
Located at the centre of a 7.5 acres site, the main edifice of the House of worship stands tall on a star-shaped, 5-metre high plinth with a radius that is double of the dome’s radius. The landscape around the structure is designed to complement the geometry of the 16 m high Edifice. The relief work on the dome derives inspiration from fractals and the Madhubani folk art of Bihar. This unique mixture of local and universal themes contributes to a holistic visitor experience.
The entrance has been designed in a way that the visitors climb up the gently-sloping ramps through shallow pools and gardens to reach the Edifice. The structure steps up from 9 sided arched segments. These segments multiply themselves to form a singular geometry, the Oculus, there is a circular opening for light at the vertex of the dome. The place/role of an individual in a community is a story transcribed in space through the single module of an arch which comes together with other modules, ultimately forming the entire dome.
9 sided arched segments multiply themselves to form a singular geometry, the Oculus.
The Oculus allows light in while drawing the attention of the visitors below towards the superior power. The rings of the brick arches contain openings that allow the natural light inside the structure. Natural light is filtered through a veneer of local Indian marble to bring in soft light.
At the House of Worship, brick is the material of choice. It “brings together millennia of human intelligence while its construction systems draw inspiration from modern innovation and technology”.
The humble brick has been used in the ordinary as well as the monumental architecture of Bihar and its use in the edifice establishes a connection to this larger cultural heritage of this site.
The seating has been designed in a way that it faces in the direction of Baha’i Qiblih while praying. The circular hall accommodates 210 people in a fixed seating arrangement and 500 people at full capacity. Intricate elements like small openings for natural light act as cavity resonators, a traditional acoustic design element used in domes through centuries. A low-cost passive cooling system utilises the geothermal heat sink of the surrounding earth to cool the edifice from below.
The landscape around the structure reduces in its formality and geometry as we move away from the Edifice. The formal and highly geometric layout of the centre gives way to an organic landscape of trees that invite birds and other creatures. Native forestry based on the Miyawaki technique is proposed along the site peripheries with clearings and water features embedded in this dense landscape as sites for informal, community activities.
Natural light penetrates through the openings formed by the arches illuminating the seating area.
The House of Worship in Bihar Sharif strives to fulfil two simultaneous design ideals – into the ‘every day‘ while celebrating the ‘extraordinary’.
The design caters to a greater power while emphasising the power of the ordinary. The designers feel privileged to be able to contribute to the vision of the Baha’i community across the world.
Spacematters
Visit: www.spacematters.in
Email: mail@spacematters.in
Contact: 011-46035647
Photo Credits: Spacematters
9 sided arched segments multiply themselves to form a singular geometry, the Oculus. 
9 sided arched segments multiply themselves to form a singular geometry, the Oculus. 
Natural light penetrates through the openings formed by the arches illuminating the seating area. 
The main edifice located at the centre of the 7.5 acres site.
