21ST CENTURY CATHEDRAL : STUDENTS ENVISION RADICAL REBIRTH FOR ST. VIBIANA'S.

Byline: Anne Burke Daily News Staff Writer

The award-winning Spanish architect picked to design Los Angeles' new cathedral might do well to stop by Woodbury University the next time he's in town.

As a senior class project, fifth-year architecture students at the small, private school designed cathedrals glorious enough to take the Los Angeles Archdiocese into the 21st century.

Some of the designs might be a bit too radical for Cardinal Roger Mahony and his flock of 3.5 million Roman Catholics.

Tony Quach's cathedral includes 30-foot-high television screens behind the altar and smaller televisions with video cameras at the end of each fifth pew.

``I'm speculating how people will use the cathedral in the year 2000,'' said Quach, 24, of Alhambra. ``People could use the video cameras to tape their weddings in case they have relatives in foreign countries who aren't able to be there.''

Jeff Kloss' cathedral features a roof with four, uneven planesforming an abstract cross. ``It almost has a caved-in look,'' said Stan Bertheaud, one of three professors who oversaw the six-month project.

Then there's Elmer Evangelista's cathedral. His roof is suspended, almost Golden Gate-style.

Mahony hasn't yet seen the Woodbury designs, which will be on public display at a reception in the school's architecture building from 7:30 to 9 p.m. today.

But it's a good guess there's at least one thing about them he will like: Eight of the 10 students demolished the old cathedral, St. Vibiana's, but incorporated artifacts into the new structure.

That's what Mahony wants to do with St. Vibiana's, a 120-year-old city landmark that has been red-tagged because of earthquake damage. Preservationists are waging a court battle to spare the old cathedral from the wrecking ball.

Geraldine Forbes, chairwoman of the architecture department, cautioned Mahony not to read too much into the students' enthusiasm for demolition.

``You have to understand that because these students are in architecture school, most of them want to demonstrate what they can do with a new building,'' Forbes said.

Jose Rafael Moneo's selection as cathedral architect was announced just last week. The Pritzker Award winner is at home in Madrid now, presumably pondering his design - the details of which remain a mystery.

The Woodbury students, many of whom are admirers of Moneo, said he's free to drop by any time to check out their models. Would the students mind if he borrowed an idea or two?

``Not at all,'' Quach said.

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PHOTO Architecture student Tony Quach shows his detailed mo del for a new St. Vibiana's.

Gus Ruelas/Daily News