White space in northern light: two churches analysed

The essence of the art of architecture is the medium of the enclosure of space at a scale that embraces the body as well as the eye. The medium has its greatest potential when it is revealed in daylight because it is the strongest, purest and most subtle of lights. This medium is the product of the synthesis of skills that are often held to be discrete, the ability to manipulate surface and the ability to manipulate volume. Across civilization the conjunction of these skills has been rare; moreover because architecture is a complicated applied art, it is only in the church and temple where the medium can be unfettered and attain great spirituality.