Press Releases on Sufism Reoriented’s New Sanctuary
"A Still, Peaceful Place Apart"—
Renowned Architect's Design for a Contra Costa Sanctuary
One of the world's leading architectural firms, Philip Johnson/Alan Ritchie Architects, is joining forces with the internationally acclaimed landscape-design firm SWA Group to transform a 3.25-acre site in unincorporated Contra Costa County adjacent to Walnut Creek into an elegant sanctuary set amid serene gardens. Read Press Release »
EIR: "No Significant Unavoidable Impacts"
The draft environmental impact report (EIR) for Sufism Reoriented's planned sanctuary concludes that the project will have "no significant unavoidable impacts." Read Press Release »
Backgrounders
Sanctuary Design Blends Aesthetics, Environmental Sensitivity
Sufism Reoriented's plan for a new sanctuary began with a requirement for a beautiful building that would "sit lightly on the earth and enhance the environment." Read Backgrounder »
Traffic-Management Plan a "Showpiece"
Sufism Reoriented's new sanctuary will have no impact on traffic or parking in the neighborhood, and a transportation-management plan followed by congregants since 2007 confirms that the 74 spaces allotted for parking at the new site are more than adequate. Read Backgrounder »
Church's Ideals Reflected in Sanctuary Design
For more than 30 years, the members of Sufism Reoriented have dreamed of building a permanent sanctuary that would house all their activities. Now, with the aid of one of America's most distinguished architects, their dream is coming true. Read Backgrounder »
Philip Johnson/Alan Ritchie Architects and SWA Group
Sufism Reoriented's new sanctuary was designed by Alan Ritchie of the internationally acclaimed New York architecture firm Philip Johnson / Alan Ritchie. The firm has designed some of the most famous buildings in America. The gardens surrounding Sufism Reoriented's new sanctuary were created by the landscape-design firm SWA Group, whose projects have won more than 600 international awards. Read Backgrounder »
Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County Supports New Sanctuary
The Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County, an independent local organization committed to supporting Contra Costa's religious communities, has voiced enthusiastic support for the new sanctuary to be built by Sufism Reoriented. Read Backgrounder »
The Meher Schools: Love and Service to the Community
The Meher Schools, originally called The White Pony, was founded by the late Ivy O. Duce, the spiritual director of Sufism Reoriented, who wanted to establish a school based on love and service to the neighboring community. The school moved to its current location in 1979 and is now a combined elementary and preschool with 380 students. Read Meher Schools Brochure »
Visuals Available
Rendering of the Sanctuary Exterior
The new sanctuary for Sufism Reoriented, designed by prominent architect Alan Ritchie, derives its beauty from its classical curvilinear form. The simple, unadorned exterior will be only a single story tall, just fourteen feet from the ground to the edge of the roof. On entering the grounds, one will see a quiet reflecting pool at the center of a small, circular marble-clad plaza. Instead of finding a soaring, imposing monument, one will see a modest and graceful circular building topped by shallow saucer domes representing the unity of life in the embrace of one universal God. Hi-Res Image »
Rendering of Prayer Hall Interior
The prayer hall of the new sanctuary for Sufism Reoriented will be an unadorned space of quiet stillness. Ringed by twenty-four columns supporting the gentle vault of the central dome, its apex will open to the sky. Embossed in the center of the white marble floor will be the spiritual emblem of the faith-community’s founder, Meher Baba. Hi-Res Image »
Rendering of Sanctuary Entrance Showing It Veiled by Landscaping
For a person standing across the street on Boulevard Way, Sufism Reoriented's new sanctuary will be mostly veiled by trees in three years and completely veiled within six years. Visitors will enter the grounds through a drive bordered by flowering plants and trees on two acres of refreshing park-like gardens surrounding the surface building. Hi-Res Image »
Rendering of Sanctuary Fence
An attractively designed wall or fence will provide an acoustical barrier to traffic, ensuring the peace and serenity of a sanctuary. It will be visually appealing with curved or stepped-back alcoves for street-side flower beds. This picture represents the general type of plan being considering. The final plan has not yet been selected. Hi-Res Image »
New View of Mt. Diablo
SWA Group’s landscaping plans anticipate opening a new view of Mt. Diablo for pedestrians and drivers on Kinney Drive approaching the Kinney Drive – Boulevard Way intersection.
Hi-Res Image »
The Sanctuary's Distinguished Designers and Examples of Their Work
Philip Johnson/Alan Ritchie Architects – Museum for Pre-Columbian Art
The Museum for Pre-Columbian Art, located in Washington, D.C., is a gemlike pavilion behind a classical mansion. Beautifully surrounded by trees, it consists of nine circular elements. The central circle, open to the sky, contains a small garden with a pool and fountain. Read Description»
SWA Group – Greystone Mansion
For five decades, SWA Group has been widely recognized as one of the world's design leaders in the fields of landscape architecture, planning and urban design. The firm's Greystone Mansion project in Beverly Hills, California was a renovation and rehabilitation of the elaborate gardens of a mansion listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. New special-purpose gardens were incorporated into the historic design combining new uses and accessibility criteria. View Image »