Won Dharma site in construction, June 2011
Counter-clockwise from left foreground: Meditation Hall, Administration, Permanent Residence, Guest Residences

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 Won Dharma Center project was given a Design Award from the Faith&Form / IFRAA International Awards Program for Religious Art and Architecture in 2010.

Click here to view more photos of the Won Dharma Center on www.hanrahanmeyers.com

A skylight allows natural light into the Meditation Hall