2009 Honor Award: Architecture

Cathedral of Christ the Light

Oakland, California

Designed by Craig Hartman of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, with associate architect Kendall/Heaton Associates, this 226,000-square-foot cathedral complex on a 2.5-acre site replaces a building destroyed during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The new structure, including an abstracted, curvilinear sanctuary 118 feet high that seats 1,350, is an artful composition of concrete, wood, and glass, which lends a thoroughly Modern accent to its representation of Catholic devotion. Jury members noted the project for its creation of connections: to the city, to a nearby park, and to each visitor’s own spirituality.

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