Windhover Contemplative Center

Oliveira created the Windhover series, inspired by the kestrels swooping above the Stanford foothills, to evoke the feeling of flight and detachment from the everyday; it was his wish that the paintings be displayed together in a place set aside for contemplation. Recognizing the need on campus for a space for students to relieve stress and gain a greater perspective of one's life and the world in general, Stanford University sought to create a non-denominational space for contemplation, a space that would be inspired by and display paintings from Oliveira's Windhover series.

The University wanted to avoid creating a museum-like environment in search of a more organic space that engaged nature in some manner while providing a refuge from the intensity of daily life. The Contemplation Center is intended for quiet reflection throughout the day for any Stanford student, faculty, or staff member, as well as for members of the larger community.

Design Approach
The Windhover Contemplative Center is conceived of as a unification of art, landscape and architecture to both replenish and invigorate the spirit. The sanctuary is located in the heart of the campus on a former parking lot 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.

Louvered skylights wash the monumental 15 to 30 foot long paintings in natural light. 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.

Water, in conjunction with landscape, is used throughout as an aid for contemplation; fountains within the main gallery and the courtyard provide ambient sound while a still reflecting pool to the south reflects the surrounding trees. Exterior contemplation spaces are integrated into the use of the center, allowing views to the natural surroundings as well as to the paintings within. From the oak grove to the east, visitors can view the paintings glowing within the center without accessing the building, effectively creating a sanctuary for the Stanford community day and night.

Special Features
The Windhover Contemplative Center incorporates rammed earth walls that provide a sense of solidity, permanence and warmth that is integral to the visitor’s experience at this retreat center. The 18 inches to 2 feet thick rammed earth walls were hand tamped pneumatically in 6-8 inch lifts, with the pressure controlled to create the variegated texture reflecting the construction process. The fabricator of the rammed earth, David Easton of Rammed Earth Works, was integral to the development of the rammed earth design for this project, creating numerous samples representing mix designs with different percentages of earth taken from the project site in order to achieve a color that complements Oliveira’s paintings. The end result is a building material that anchors the building structurally and experientially.

Funding
The Windhover Contemplative Center was fully donor funded. With a Nathan Oliveira painting of her own, the primary donor had personally experienced the value of his work as a vehicle for renewal and approached the artist to fulfill his vision. Bringing the project to fruition took over 15 years with the consideration of multiple sites on the Stanford campus. Oliveira visited the final site selected just weeks before his death in 2010; his son Joe continued on as an advisor to the project.

Aidlin Darling Design
Principal-In-Charge: Joshua Aidlin
Principal: David Darling
Project Manager: Roslyn Cole
Project Architect: Kent Chiang
Project Team: Melinda Turner, Michael Pierry, Jeff LaBoskey

Principal-In-Charge: Joshua Aidlin
Principal: David Darling
Project Manager: Roslyn Cole
Project Architect: Kent Chiang
Project Team: Melinda Turner, Michael Pierry, Jeff LaBoskey
Principal-In-Charge: Joshua Aidlin
Principal: David Darling
Project Manager: Roslyn Cole
Project Architect: Kent Chiang
Project Team: Melinda Turner, Michael Pierry, Jeff LaBoskey
General Contractor: SC Builders, Inc.
Rammed Earth Contractor: Rammed Earth Works