Current Work of SSCS Faculty

The Sacred Space and Cultural Studies (SSCS) concentration faculty is engaged in a variety of activities that would be impossible to list in this page. Therefore, we include only a summary of the most relevant and recent(since January 2012) and/or ongoing efforts. The faculty appear in alphabetical order (by last name)

Julio Bermudez

Scholarship: his current work looks at how the experience of architecture is able to induce the most profound sense of the divine in sacred and secular spaces. In order to do this, Bermudez is using normative scholarly methods (e.g., texts, argument, hermeneutics) as well as non-traditional empirical/scientific methods (e.g., neuroscience, surveys)

Publications : seven conference papers (2012-16), eight journal articles (2012-2016), and two books: Transcending Architecture published by CUA Press (Feb 2015) and Architecture, Culture and Spirituality published by Ashgate (Nov 2015)

Grant: fMRI Study of Architecturally Induced Contemplative States (CUA and Utah Brain Institute)

Lectures (Jan. 2012-Sept 2016) at the Universidad de San Juan (Argentina 2012, 2016), the Academy of Neuroscience For Architecture (2012, 2014 and 2016), Harvard Divinity School (2013), University of Utah (2013), University of New Mexico (2013), AG Arte Gallery (2013 and 2015), Universidad de Mendoza (Argentina, 2013), Universidad Francisco Marroquin (Guatemala 2015), Universidad Catolica de Santa Maria (Peru, 2014), Mississippi State University, (2016), University of Hartford (2016), North Carolina State University(2016).

Service: leadership role at the Forum of Architecture, Culture and Spirituality (ACSF) at multiple levels (President, Membership, Public Relations, Executive Board, etc.)

Michael Gick

Scholarship: his present studies are directed to (1) the origin and history of liturgy in the Hebrew, Christian and Muslim traditions n relation to current liturgical celebrations of each tradition.; (2) the Hebrew sense of celebration in the current age: (3) the primal religious sense of the native North Americans; and (4) preparations for trip to Spain to do the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.

Practice: (1) Publishing the renovations (MGMA 2012) to the United States Chamber of Commerce’s historic Reception Room at Lafayette Square (Cass Gilbert circa
1924); (2) Finalizing renovations to Good Shepherd Catholic Church (MGMA 2013); (3) Renovations of Little Flower Church Bell Tower located off Massachusetts Avenue in Bethesda, Maryland (MGMA 2013) as well as renovations to Little Flower School; and (4) Finalization of Wesley Theological Seminary’s New Graduate Residence Hall (MGMA 2013) located off Massachusetts Avenue near American University inWashington, DC.

Service: member of the IFRAA leadership group to organize a 2015 symposium on the “Church in the City” (American Institute of Architects – Virginia Society).

Travis Price

Lectures: Aspen Institute Ideas Conference (2013), nominated for 2014 TED Talks, four 2013 Lectures (Royal Institute of Architects of  Ireland plus 3 at Irish Schools of Architecture ), Keynote ath the International Solar Energy Society Conference in Baltimore,  MD (2013), Keynote  in Florence Italy(2012)

Publications (of design work): several major Design publications of Private Practice built works and CUA Spirit of Place Installations.

Publications (scholarly) : contributing chapter to book "Transcending Architecture" (CUA Press, 2015); and book The Mythic Modern (2012).

Awards: Washington DC AIA Design Awards for 3 Spirit of Place Projects (2012, 2014, 2015), ibp Pride of Place 2015 for Spirit of Place, and one IFRAA Design Award 2012, 2014 and 2015