ABSTRACT
Architectural projects signal contemporaneous cultural, political, and economic values. It originating in non-Euro/American regions cannot be evaluated by the contrastive "modern" vs. "traditional" dichotomy. Rather than relying on fixed definitions of "traditional" or "local" to explain what they see, writers must utilize terms that are more precise and less Western-privileging. Most studies privilege European projects which posit Western-centric projects at the apex of architecture. That process reiterates and re-authorizes Eurocentricity. A study on investigating religions offers insight into how architectural narratives on religious space have become so entrenched. Architecture historians are participants first, observers second. The disregard for peer-reviewed research and sources is an unfortunate casualty of the emphasis on aesthetics which begins in the educational system. And while aesthetics are an important component of architecture, there are other, equally vital forces at work. People find that initially, secular architecture can be transformed into sacred architecture and the obverse is also true.
