Biography
Gilbrian Stoy is a Roman Catholic Priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross and a graduate student in Christian Ethics at the University of Oxford. His research interests include the intersection of ethics, economics, and ecology.
Paper Abstract
A strange reality of the modern world is that the average suburban home in Sydney, New York, or Pheonix look nearly identical, despite these cities drastically different climates. Furthermore, by some estimates, the construction industry alone contributes up to 40% of global greenhouse gases. Our architecture has become disembedded from place, to the detriment of the natural environment. Drawing of the deliberate architecture of Cistercian monasteries, I argue for an architectural approach grounded in a theology of particularity. I will draw upon the work of the Russian Orthodox theologian Sergei Bulgakov to describe how human activity, including architecture, can elevate the natural world beyond its finitude while working within the limits of the created order. This test case will provide a model for how human activity ought to both respect and transcend the order of creation.