Windhover Contemplative Center

A small haven of serenity on a vast, busy campus, the facility is a composition of art, nature and architecture whose sole purpose is peaceful enjoyment.

Intended to promote and inspire personal renewal, the center houses a set of paintings inspired by the birds and landscape of the naturally resplendent campus. With an oak grove as its neighbor, the building is a vessel for the paintings and for the thoughtful repose of university students, faculty and staff.

"The building erases the boundaries between outside and inside and so successfully." - Jury comment

A glass wall on the building's east side opens to views through the grove to a sculpture garden. Natural light and ventilation infuse the interior with elements of the world outside, and finishes such as flooring were kept dark to minimize the intrusion of artifice into users' experience. The plashing of fountains and louvered skylights above bring in filtered light; thick, rammed-earth walls contribute to the sense of being in a secluded, protective oasis.

"Very nice use of the site and interior to create a space that provides equal focus on the project as well as the landscape." - Jury comment

Even the building’s systems contribute to the goal of quiet contemplation. Heating and cooling comes from a radiant system in the floor, and because ventilation is a natural flow-through from north-facing intake to south-facing outlet, there are no noisy or vibrating mechanicals to interfere with the quietude.