I think it’s fair to say that churches are very prominent in the history of Western Architecture. Clearly they are deeply loaded with symbolic meaning. I was brought up a Christian, but the “plain meeting room” kind, and I’ve been an atheist for at least 45 years now, so what meaning would I find in a church building? Why would I set about modeling and analysing a church?
I can look at the technology, materials & structural forces. We could think about response to climate (I guess, although that aspect is probably less relevant that in a dwelling) and of course we can look at aesthetics in a fairly abstract way (rhythm, proportions, symmetry) but without meaning it all falls a bit flat. Music is much more interesting when it evokes an emotional response.
I carried out a series of studies of Hawksmoor’s London churches some years ago, but that was handled at the Urban Design level and strongly influenced by my excitement about rediscovering the city that I first fell in love…