Amidst the Swirl of Life, A Timeless Place Apart:
A New Sanctuary for Sufism Reoriented
Walnut Creek, Calif., March 17, 2009 – One of the world’s leading architectural firms, Philip Johnson/Alan Ritchie Architects, will transform a three-and-one-quarter acre site in the mixed-use Saranap neighborhood of Walnut Creek into an elegant sanctuary set in a serene garden park, to be the permanent new home of Sufism Reoriented, a non-sectarian school of spiritual training that has been based in the area for more than thirty years. Thoughtfully planned to harmonize smoothly with its suburban surroundings, the new sanctuary will be “a still, peaceful place apart, whose beauty will offer refreshment to those who pass by for decades to come,” according to Dr. Carol Weyland Conner, the group’s Murshida, or teacher.
The graceful, circular building, designed to Murshida Conner’s specifications by principal architect Alan Ritchie, derives its beauty not from ornamentation but from its classical curvilinear form. The simple, unadorned exterior, faced in white stone, will be only a single story tall. It will be topped by a circle of shallow saucer domes inspired by the rolling foothills of Mt. Diablo on the horizon, surrounding a central dome above the prayer hall. The softly curving domes and the gentle curve of the walls will combine to make the building appear to recede from the viewer rather than assert its presence.
Perhaps the most innovative feature of Mr. Ritchie’s design is that a full two-thirds of the building will be placed underground on a spacious concourse level, partially lit by large skylights and decorated with murals. This lower level will house classrooms, a bookstore, administrative offices and facilities for the diverse activities of the 350-member spiritual school. This approach preserves over sixty percent of the property, nearly two full acres, for use as a quiet garden park, designed by the distinguished landscape architects, the SWA Group, whose projects have won more than 500 international awards for excellence. Set back from the street and surrounded by trees and floral plantings, the sanctuary will be mostly screened from the road and should be visible only from the wide-open entrance.
The new sanctuary will “sit lightly on the land,” integrating sound environmental principles into its design, according to Construction Manager Christopher Martin, who notes that professional consultants who have reviewed the plans have called the project “an environmental model for the area.” For example, a “geo-exchange” ground-source heat pump system will use the earth itself for temperature control, using forty percent to sixty percent less energy than conventional air conditioning systems. There will be no asphalt on the property, as asphalt is increasingly recognized as a potential source of pollutants. An on-site well will provide water for the gardens, lawns and a reflecting pool without imposing on the public water supply.
Another environmental initiative has come voluntarily from the individual members of Sufism Reoriented, who have committed to following a pedestrian-oriented Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan to reduce their use of automobiles when attending meetings and church functions. As nearly two-thirds of the members live within a half-mile of the site, they will walk and carpool regularly together. Implementing the plan in 2007 at their current center, a block away from the new sanctuary, they reduced their auto use by thirty-six percent. The TDM Plan has won an enthusiastic endorsement from the 511 Contra Costa agency, which develops and administers transportation management programs throughout the county to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. Impressed both by the effectiveness of the plan and by the membership’s enthusiastic participation in it as a way to serve community and neighborhood needs, Program Manager Lynn Osborn concluded, “We believe this project could be a showpiece for Contra Costa County.”
The members of Sufism Reoriented view their planned new sanctuary, with its tranquil garden park, as another form of service to the neighborhood they cherish. They describe it as an important investment in the future. According to Murshida Conner, “Our building will sustain and ensure positive growth in the Saranap community for years to come. The sanctuary will stand for a very long time as a silent witness to the love and beauty that lies behind and at the core of all life. It is the material embodiment of universal human ideals.”
ABOUT SUFISM REORIENTED
Sufism Reoriented is an American school of spiritual training, chartered in 1952 by Meher Baba, a spiritual teacher from India with a worldwide following. The school is non-sectarian and strives to work in harmony with all religions, believing that there is one Truth at the core of all life. The word Sufi, as understood by Meher Baba, simply means wisdom. The central principles of Sufism Reoriented are active love for God and active service to others in God’s world. Sufism Reoriented is a non-profit corporation recognized as a church by the State of California and the U.S. government.
For more information about Sufism Reoriented or the new sanctuary, please contact media liaison Robert Carpenter at 925-788-0976, or visit or .
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