July 21, 2022

Craig Hamilton: Sacred Architecture, Dialogue and the Classical Tradition

1 hour 7 minutes

In Episode 32 of A is for Architecture, I speak with architect Craig Hamilton, whose work in the classical tradition, particularly his sacred work, represents another mode of 'doing' architecture in the contemporary period. We speak about his body of buildings, including his Chapel of Christ the Redeemer, at Culham, which Gavin Stamp described as demonstrating that 'classicism today can be resourceful, appropriate, and, in its own terms, truly original. It is a beautiful building.' We speak about the meaning of the classical languages of architecture, their dialogic character, and the possibilities of classical architecture for the contemporary public. Craig speaks about his approach to scared space too, which is embedded within a very old discourse around cult and the numinous, as well as his design method, based on hand drawing and the close study and deep knowledge of historic precedent, realised through very high quality making.

Craig's practice website can be found here, and contains a good selection of downloadable articles on his work. Gavin Stamp's article, Art and Soul is in Architecture Today and can be read here. You can watch Craig discussing his home, Coed Mawr, with the Architecture Foundation, here. There's much else online, so if you fancy, have a sticky. Ellis Woodman's book Temples and Tombs: The Scared and Monumental Work of Craig Hamilton can be found here, published by Lund Humprhies in 2019.