History / Theory / Criticism
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Exploring the Beauty of Tradition: How Fractal Geometry Influences Visual Attention in Architectural Design
JOURNAL PUBLICATION CITATION: Brandon R. Ro and Xavier Parareda, “Exploring the Beauty of Tradition: How Fractal Geometry Influences Visual Attention… Read More
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Deciphering the ‘Jesus is Here’ Cave–Early Christian Worship, Sacred Space, and Hierophany at Horvat Beit Loya
New research by Brandon R. Ro explores a cave in Israel, possibly an early Christian worship site, featuring a Greek… Read More
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Facade for San Lorenzo – Student Work
Below are examples of several of my Utah Valley University students’ design projects. The focus of the project centered around… Read More
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Beauty and the Brain: Reconsidering the Role of Ornament in Architecture
Earlier last month I was privileged to present the following peer-reviewed paper titled “Technological Modes of Making Architecture” during the… Read More
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Recreating the Past-A Digital Exploration of the 6th Century Basilica at Horvat Beit Loya
This research project aims to digitally reconstruct the early 6th century Byzantine church complex at Horvat Beit Loya, often referred… Read More
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Discovering Ancient Sacredness: Exploring the Astro-Architectural Orientation of Christian Churches in Israel and Palestine
ABSTRACT: Churches have played a major role in society and are very specific to their religion. The very direction one faces… Read More
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Exploring and Mapping Ritual onto the Byzantine Church Complex at Horvat Beit Loya
ABSTRACT: The Beit Lehi (Loya) Basilica, a sacred site steeped in history, has captivated the attention of numerous researchers and archaeologists.… Read More
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Turning Towards the Lord: Latter-Day Saint Temple Astro-Architectural Orientation
ABSTRACT: This research analyzes the astronomical orientation of temples following the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.… Read More
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Exploring the Impact of the Divine – A Case Study on Sagrada Familia
ABSTRACT: Sacred architecture is created to leave an impression. To create a space that helps amplify and elevate one’s experience into… Read More
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Architectural design, visual attention, and human cognition: Exploring responses to federal building styles
ABSTRACT: This article examines the ongoing architectural debate surrounding styles for American government buildings. It tests the results of the 2020… Read More
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Archaeoastronomy at the Byzantine Church Complex at Horvat Beit Loya
NEW STUDY UNCOVERS ASTRONOMICAL SIGNIFICANCE AT BYZANTINE CHURCH COMPLEX – UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR EXPLORES CELESTIAL ALIGNMENTS AT ḤORVAT BEIT… Read More
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The Aesthetic City Podcast – Interview with Prof. Brandon Ro
Prof. Brandon Ro was interviewed on February 3, 2023 by Ruben Hanssen on The Aesthetic City Podcast based in the Netherlands. In… Read More
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How to Read Sacred Architecture: Reinterpreting Architectural Roots at Jerusalem, Rome, and Salt Lake
ABSTRACT: Many sacred spaces have the ability to speak to us, inspire us to act, or even transform our understanding of… Read More
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Beauty and Transcendence in Architecture: Four Ideals for the Secular Age
I was privileged to deliver a conference paper titled “Beauty and Transcendence in Architecture: Four Ideals for the Secular Age”… Read More
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Theatrical and Spatial Modes of Presenting the Endowment Ritual in Latter-day Saint Temples
I was privileged to present a paper titled “Theatrical and Spatial Modes of Presenting the Endowment Ritual in Latter-day Saint… Read More
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Blending the Subjective and Objective Realms of Sacred Architecture at the Pantheon: Creating a Comparative Framework for Evaluating Transformative Experiences in Ritual Contexts
“Sacred spaces have the potential of creating lasting and meaningful experiences for human beings. Recent studies in neuroaesthetics and neurotheology… Read More
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UVU Architecture Students Present their Research at UCUR 2021
I am proud of my Utah Valley University architecture students who are virtually presenting their independent research projects at the… Read More
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An Ominous Sign in the Heavens: An Interpretation of the 2020 Saturn-Jupiter Conjunction
By Brandon R. Ro, AIA, NCARB 21 December 2020 Figure 1. Computer simulation of the 2020 Saturn-Jupiter conjunction using Stellarium.… Read More
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Technological Modes of Making Architecture
Earlier last month I was privileged to present the following peer-reviewed paper titled “Technological Modes of Making Architecture” during the… Read More
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ARC 4520 – Architectural Theory (Fall 2023)
FALL SEMESTER 2023 – UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY COURSE DESCRIPTION … Read More
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Paper accepted for IETC 2020
My paper proposal titled “Technological Modes of Making Architecture” has been accepted for presentation at the Intermountain Engineering Technology and… Read More
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Temples as Text: The Swinging Pendulum of Shifting Ritual-Architectural Priorities
Earlier this month I was privileged to present the following peer-reviewed paper titled “Temples as Text: The Swinging Pendulum of… Read More
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The Hermeneutics of Gendered Sacred Space: Multivalent Perspectives from the Christian Tradition
I was privileged to present the following blind peer-reviewed paper titled “The Hermeneutics of Gendered Sacred Space: Multivalent Perspectives from… Read More
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Paper Accepted to ACSF 11 Symposium
My paper proposal titled “The Hermeneutics of Gendered Sacred Space: Multivalent Perspectives from the Christian Tradition” has been accepted for… Read More
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Archetypal Forms of Sacred Space
“Through history, architecture has been a means of mediating between the measureless cosmos and the scale of man, between divinities… Read More
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Paper Accepted to 2019 MHA Conference
My paper proposal titled “Temples as Text: The Swinging Pendulum of Ritual-Architectural Priorities” has been accepted for presentation at the … Read More
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The Transformative Power of Sacred Architecture: Exploring Ritual-Architectural Priorities and Evidence-Based Design for Sacred Spaces
Today (October 23, 2017) I was privileged to give an invited guest lecture to graduate students in Julio Bermudez’s Sacred… Read More
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Templum Dei: Exploring the Language of Sacred Architecture
Any study in search of the language of sacred architecture will eventually come to focus its attention on the temple.… Read More
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The Mormon Temple Ritual-Architectural Experience: Connections to Jewish and Catholic Ritual Contexts and Sacred History
The Mormon Temple Ritual-Architectural Experience: Connections to Jewish and Catholic Ritual Contexts and Sacred History To watch the video presentation,… Read More
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Sacred Time as One Eternal Round: Understanding the Chiastic Pattern of Temple, Cosmos, History
What does temple architecture, the revolutions of the cosmos, and the narrative of sacred history have in common? It is… Read More
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Transcending Architecture: Contemporary Views on Sacred Space
I am pleased to announce the publication of a timely book on sacred architecture edited by my former Professor Julio… Read More
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Architecture, Cosmos, History: Lessons from Sacred Space
UPCOMING PRESENTATION “Architecture, Cosmos, History: Lessons from Sacred Space” WHEN: 12-1pm – July 22, 2014 WHERE: VCBO Architecture, 524 South 600 East,… Read More
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(Re)Interpreting the Cosmic History of the Mormon Temple Experience
“(Re)Interpreting the Cosmic History of the Mormon Temple Experience: Theological Connections between Jewish and Catholic Sacred Space.” Author: Brandon Ro… Read More
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Effects of Catholic Sacred Architecture on Transformative Human Experience
THE EFFECTS OF CATHOLIC SACRED ARCHITECTURE ON TRANSFORMATIVE HUMAN EXPERIENCE: A (Re)evaluation of Evidence-Based Design through an Empirical Test of… Read More
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The Effect of Gender, Age, and Education in Extraordinary Aesthetic Experiences
“The Effect of Gender, Age, and Education in Extraordinary Aesthetic Experiences” Authors: Julio Bermudez, Brandon Ro Proceedings of the 44th… Read More
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The Idealized Temple Morphology: Surveying the Public Perception of Sacred Architecture
“The Idealized Temple Morphology: Surveying the Public Perception of Sacred Architecture” Author: Brandon Ro The Visibility of Research: Proceedings of… Read More
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