A Celebration of Structure As Architecture—The Cathedral of Christ the Light

The Cathedral of Christ the Light is an artistic celebration of modest and common building materials used to transform a site on the north end of Lake Merritt in Oakland California. The structure uses the most advanced geometric and scientific approaches to created a building that satisfied the Diocese of Oakland's need to construct a new cathedral with the service life of at least 300 years; a request that was not unexpected considering the venerable cathedrals of the Catholic Church that have survived for centuries. The project site exists only 4.6 km from the Hayward Fault, one of the most active seismic faults in the world, making the request substantially more challenging. Ground motions expected at the site could result in an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 or more on the Richter Scale. The approach to design embodies lightness (both visually and structurally) and luminosity, hence its name, The Cathedral of Christ the Light. The structure is defined by sacred geometries and designed for lightness by using seismic isolation to manage ground motions and reduce the demand on the superstructure during an earthquake. It is the light that transforms the structure and its material throughout the day creating what the cathedral's lead architect and SOM Design Partner Craig Hartman calls a space of "ephemeral lightness" with a "primordial connection to the earth." In developing the design, Hartman thought that "the cathedral must be in the architectural language of our time. The Catholic Church has historically applied the most advanced architectural thinking to create architecture that illuminates, inspires and ennobles the human spirit." The cathedral incorporates a highly innovative use of natural, yet ordinary, materials with an ethos of sustainability. Glued-laminated timber from sustainable forests, exposed reinforced concrete using replacement slag and fly ash, recycled high-strength steel, aluminum, and glass create the symbolic form. The 1,350-seat cathedral, located on the northern edge of Lake Merritt, is the centerpiece of a 224,000-square-foot complex with a complement of facilities that includes a mausoleum, a conference center, administrative offices, bishop and clergy residences, a bookstore, a café, and community-serving ministries. A landscaped public plaza, accessible from all directions, firmly links the center with the city's commercial downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. As a whole, the structure honors its religious and civic obligations to both the Catholic Diocese and the city of Oakland.