Richard Meier, Jubilee Church (1996) American architect Richard Meier won a design competition held by the bishop of Rome to create a church for the far suburbs of the Italian capital. Meier’s design recalls ships in a harbor, with three airy sails of self-cleaning concrete fanning out from the main chapel. Most miraculous, perhaps, is that the company that developed the special concrete for this project suggested that the material actually fights pollution and absorbs noxious chemicals in car exhaust. Photo courtesy Jeffrey Montes, Creative Commons Photo 4 of 10 in 10 Inspiring Modern Churches

10 Inspiring Modern Churches

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American architect Richard Meier won a design competition held by the bishop of Rome to create this 1996 church for the far suburbs of the Italian capital. His design recalls ships in a harbor, with three airy sails of self-cleaning concrete fanning out from the main chapel.