What makes a space sacred?
If the winners of Faith & Form's 2014 Religious Art & Architecture award are any indication, it may be something different every time. A high ceiling, curved walls, stained glass windows or lush landscaping -- no two winners are alike, and yet each offers viewers a fresh way of interacting with the divine.
"What [the jury members] were looking for was great design that was willing to take some risks, and not be just traditional in appearance," Faith & Form editor in chief Michael J. Crosbie, told HuffPost by email.
The architects, whose works live in cities around the globe, all took on challenging projects, Crosbie said, that attempted to demonstrate the ways religious structures must adapt to declining attendance in mainstream religions. Even with this contemporary challenge, the tradition of religious architecture goes back millennia.
"[Religious structures] are found all over the globe," Crosbie added, "and are special because they touch something very deep and basic in human beings: a fascination with the spirit, with the unquantifiable. Whether you are a believer or not, great religious buildings have an ability to transport us to another realm."
Take a look at some of Faith & Form's 2014 award and honor award winners for religious architecture:

Ridgewood, New Jersey
Newman Architects, PC

Dallas, Texas
OMNIPLAN Architects

Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Shim-Sutcliffe Architects

Toronto, Ontario, Canada
architectsAlliance

Guaimaca, Honduras
Paul Lukez Architecture

Shangkhaburi village, Thailand
Kochi University of Technology

Sarasota, Florida
JNW Studios Architecture • Interior Design

Salve Regina University - Newport, Rhode Island
Robert A.M. Stern Architects, LLP

New York, New York
CetraRuddy Architecture

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
HOK

Tarzana, California
Herman Coliver Locus Architecture

Bluemont, Virginia
Dynerman Architects, PC

Agrigento, Italy
Pellitteri & Associati Studio

Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Northeast Collaborative Architects

Athens, Georgia
Houser Walker Architecture, LLC

Cambridge, Massachusetts
Frank Shirley Architects

Burbank, California
domusstudio architecture

Estoril, Portugal
Roseta Vaz Monteiro Arquitectos