SHOP YOUR FAITH
This project suggests peaceful combination of different religions; however, the idea is not to merge all religions in one but to bring them together to give them a meeting and communication place. It is not only a place of worship, but also that of culture. People who already have their own religion are rarely interested in other religions, which results in ignorance and misunderstanding about them. Apart from political enmity, religious conflicts have been a serious social issue in cities such as New York City in which a variety of ethnic groups coexist. The religious shopping mall tower allows people to observe and experience various religions thoroughly and take his/her optimized choice.
Many of religious facilities have adapted single story building, maintaining relatively low density, which does not correspond to the demand for urban density; even in New York City, which has the highest property prices, religious facilities have been remaining low-rise buildings for a century. By stacking the floors, this new religious shopping mall would meet the proper density in the urban environment.
The vertical configuration of the religions tends to follow the concept of altitude in the religions; for instance, a certain religion prefer to be on ground, meanwhile another religion seek to be situated on a high place in order to reach the sky. The tower is located on the 5th Avenue, where flagship stores are along the avenue. As the flagship stores provide people with their essence, this new religious shopping mall will also offer a lot of opportunities for people to understand and learn various religions. Furthermore, the new tower would be an international religious hub of the world.