The process of establishing one’s identity in a foreign land has long been a challenge for diasporas. The consensus on ‘homemaking’, despite its positive connotation, often arises from struggles; thus, collective challenges underscore the formation of a community. Religion, as a shared belief among groups of people, functions as a foundational element of settlement, extending beyond the spiritual realm. It is not merely about divine connections; it also holds political, societal, anthropological, cultural, and geographical nuances. In studying the religious practices of diasporas, architecture becomes a critical factor that shapes, limits, and creates new approaches to adaptation. It elucidates the homemaking mechanism through the body, home, homeland, and cosmos.[1] These phenomena provide insights into settlement, which, despite being minimally stated in the main narrative, serves as an embassy for a group of people and is equally important.

The arrival of the Fo Guang Shan (FGS) temple in London, as a prominent Taiwanese Mahayana Buddhist organisation, is closely linked to the political, economic, and religious dynamics of Taiwan and Britain. The rise of rationalism and the post-World War II decline in church attendance have all contributed to Britain’s increasingly pluralistic religious landscape. As Taiwanese migration surged after the 1980s, particularly following the abolition of Martial Law in Taiwan, the need for religious and community spaces for the diaspora grew.

In 1992, FGS repurposed a Grade II*-listed former parish school on Margaret Street in London, transforming it into a Buddhist centre.[2] The building at 84 Margaret Street, designed by William Butterfield between 1868 and 1870, forms part of the seminal structures on Margaret Street, reflecting distinctive High Victorian Gothic architecture with its polychrome brickwork.[3] This adaptation separated the building life into two stages: its former Christian life and the Buddhist life.

During its first life, the interior has received significantly less attention in historical narratives. While the exterior characteristic was well-recorded on the listing, the interior was less described. However, after the building being repurposed, the interior became the main representation holding all the identities and the bond of the community.

Possessing a building with historical and architectural significance can help solidify FGS’s position in London’s architectural, historical, and religious landscape. However, the architectural adaptation embodies the broader quest of the community to preserve the building under restrictions while maintaining its cultural identity in an unfamiliar environment. Despite preservation constraints, FGS adapted the interior of a building of a different typology to fit Buddhist functions.

Interiorising the Faith Within

The traditional architectural typology of Mahayana temples presents an interpretation of Buddhist spatial principles, which the visualisation practice extends to the architecture.[4] Temples, as physical depictions of the Pure Land heaven, often feature circulation structures —platforms, bridges, and passages, that symbolise the spiritual journey towards enlightenment.[5] The buildings are characterised by tall, floating forms to encapsulate the Mahayana traditions of meditation, enlightenment, and nirvana.[6]

The layout of temples commonly adheres to a horizontal axis, surrounded by auxiliary structures.[7] This arrangement guides visitors through a sequential journey from the main gate to the central hall, showing the hierarchical importance of each building while reinforcing the sacred-secular dichotomy inherent in the temple’s design.

When transforming the exterior monasterial ideology into an interior of a multi-storey school building, the shift from a traditional horizontal temple layout to a vertical one centred around the building’s staircase redefines the flow of space and ceremony. distributed across each floor, rather than being placed separately, creating an intimate space while still attempting to maintain the traditional hierarchy. With this new arrangement, the sacred spatial experience was redefined. Rather than creating a serene and meditative journey through the complex, the building’s verticality compresses this experience, making the movement through sacred spaces more dynamic and chaotic.

This new arrangement affects ceremonial practices, particularly during significant events such as the Full Moon Offering and the Ullambana Festival. The central staircase serves as both a circulation path and a social space, where spontaneous interactions foster community engagement. Although this vertical layout challenges traditional notions of sacredness, it enhances the temple’s social fabric, illustrating how FGS adapts religious practices within an urban context.

Exteriorising the Community

Besides the adaptation of the interior, FGS also navigates its Buddhist identity within London’s broader cultural landscape through two strategies: anchoring itself within the local Chinese diaspora and extending outreach to the wider public. Community-focused activities, such as food offerings and traditional rituals, strengthen ties with the Chinese diaspora, creating continuity and familiarity. Vegetarian shared meals, for example, become a vital symbol of cultural identity and cohesion, enhancing a sense of belonging among community members.

The building of FGS also forms an architectural bond with the neighbouring ‘sister’ Christian church, All Saints Margaret Street, both of which were part of the same church complex. Annual visits and shared tea ceremonies promote inter-religious harmony and highlight the historical connection between the two buildings, forming interfaith engagement between communities. These interactions showcase FGS’s role in fostering religious pluralism in London and illustrate how architecture can facilitate dialogue between faiths. In its role of serving the community, the temple can be seen less as a place of worship and more as a cultural embassy.

The Embassy for Diaspora

Diasporic identity, alienation, community, and religious harmony are concepts that, while often presented clearly in theory, manifest in practice as fluid and nuanced. FGS London’s transformation presents the dynamic interplay between tradition and adaptation, revealing that architecture is not just as a backdrop, an active participant in the formation of community identity.

In this aspect, FGS serves not only as a temple but also as a community centre, a school, an exhibition space, and a home for the diasporic group. Therefore, it is equally important to be aware of the narrative of minority spaces, and multiple lives of a building while writing architectural history. A building encompasses more than just its exterior shell; it includes interior spaces, building elements, objects, ongoing functions and most importantly, its users, which informs a holistic understanding of the broader architectural landscape.