Won Dharma Center Location - AIA New York Chapter

Project Name:
Won Dharma Center
Location:
Claverack, New York
Completion Date: January 2012
Category:
Institutional
Narrative Description:
The Won Dharma Center, USA, is a 28,000 square foot recreational
and spiritual retreat in Claverack, New York for the Won Buddhists,
a Korean organization that emphasizes balance in one’s daily life
and relationship to nature. The center is located within a 500-acre
property on a gently sloping hill with views west to the Hudson River
valley and the Catskill Mountains. The buildings for the Center, including
permanent and guest residences, an administration building
and a meditation hall, are sited as far as possible from the highway
and are oriented toward the west and south to maximize views and
light. The symbol of this organization is an open circle, suggesting
both a void without absence and infinite return. The buildings are
organized around these dual concepts of void and spiral.
The clients requested that the architects design the retreat using as
many natural materials as possible in harmony with the rural character
of the region. The architects selected wood as the best material
to address the client’s philosophy. The wood screens recreate the
dappled effect of sunlight coming through tree canopies, while also
providing solar protection. The 3,000 square foot Meditation Hall is
conceived as a simple rectangular void and a lightweight frame to
the natural surroundings. Its wooden structure is exposed on three
sides to form entrance and viewing porches, while the interior offers
views of the mountains from the meditation space itself. The only
interior intervention in this extremely pure structure is a cubic volume
housing public facilities, closets and mechanical spaces.
The four other buildings include the administrative and dining spaces
and all of the residential spaces for both guests and permanent
residents. Their designs draw upon the buildings of the grass-roofed
Korean village, loosely clustered and organized internally around
a single central void. The roof shapes of these 4,000 square foot
buildings transform in section around a spiral organization, from a
simple slope in section to a complex triangulated geometry at the
entrance porches. The courtyard also acts as a passive cooling system,
allowing cross ventilation for the public spaces and open guest
rooms. Like the Meditation Hall, all of these buildings are constructed
completely of wood and are deeply shaded to the west and south to
allow natural daylighting without excessive heat gain.
aerial model view of retreat from southwest

administration building porch looking toward meditation

administration building porch looking toward meditation

administration building porch looking toward meditation

administration building porch looking toward meditation

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meditation hall : dusk

meditation hall from administration building porch

meditation hall / administration porches

meditation / administration : night view

meditation hall : west - facing porch

meditation hall : entry vestibule

meditation hall at dawn

administration : public dining room

meditation hall east elevation / 3 residential buildings beyond

permanent residence : entry porch / guest residence 2 in background

permanent residence, guest residence 2 beyond

permanent residence : east elevation

view toward meditation from guest residence 1 porch

porch detail : guest residence

common room guest residence 1 (typical for all residential buildings)

typical bedroom design - all residences

(4) 50 KW(P)
Photo Voltaic Arrays providing 220,000 kwh/year
Geothermal wells for air conditioning for
Meditation Hall and Administration Building
Meditation Hall
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN FEATURES
Administration
Building
Cross Ventilation
Solar Thermal Panels for Hot Water
- Central bio-mass (wood chips) furnace for heat for
all buildings.
- Solar thermal panels on buildings roofs for domestic
hot water.
Owens Corning
‘Duration’ Premium Cool
shingles on all roofs
Solar Thermal Panels for Hot Water
-4 photovoltaic panel arrays at 50 kw(p) each for a
total electrical output of 220,000 kwh/year;
approximately 75% of electrical needs for all
buildings.
-Five 400’-0” geothermal wells providing 50 degree
Fahrenheit water for air conditioning for
Administration and Meditation Buildings.
Bio-mass (wood chip) boiler
for heating all buildings
Permanent
Residents
Guest One
Residence
-Air and vapor barriers and continuous spray foam
insulation
-South and west facing porches
Guest Two
Residence