This 130m² apartment was given an eye-catching treatment using contemporary tiles in a monotonous palette, complemented by solid teak and modern furnishing.
Set in the heart of the Stanford campus in California, the Windhover Contemplative Center is a spiritual retreat that promotes and inspires personal renewal. Designed by Aidlin Darling Design, the centre takes on Nathan Oliveira’s meditative Windhover paintings as a vehicle.
“Nathan Oliveira’s renowned Windhover series is named after “The Windhover,” a poem written by Gerard Manley Hopkins in 1877,” explains the architect. “The five paintings were inspired by kestrels swooping above the Stanford foothills. Oliveira felt the calming power of these works and believed they should hang together in a place set aside for contemplation.”
As a place for quiet reflection throughout the day for any Stanford student, faculty, or staff member, as well as for members of the larger community, the centre is created as a calm refuge from the hustle and bustle of daily stresses.
“The sanctuary is located in the heart of the campus, adjacent to a natural oak grove. The extended progression to the building’s entry through a long private garden, sheltered from its surroundings by a line of tall bamboo, allows members of the Stanford community to shed the outside world before entering the sanctuary. Within, the space opens fully to the oak grove to the east and the Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden beyond,” the architect elaborates.
From here, 15 to 30 foot long paintings are awashed with natural light – thanks to the louvered skylights. “Louvered skylights wash the monumental 15 to 30 foot long paintings in natural light,” says the architect. “The remaining space is kept intentionally dark to focus the visitor’s attention on the naturally highlighted paintings and the landscape beyond. Thick rammed earth walls and wood surfaces further heighten the visitor’s sensory experience acoustically, tactilely, olfactorily, as well as visually.”
The post Buildings Abroad: Introspective Ingenuity appeared first on Malaysia Interior Design, Home-living Magazine.
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