Sustainable Design
The Academic Center for graduate theological study for the seminary at Mount Angel Abbey includes six classrooms, administrative and faculty offices, a board room, and common student spaces. Much care was given to develop a design that reflects the Benedictine values of hospitality, stewardship, craftsmanship and beauty. Sustainable design elements include natural daylighting and ventilation, which take advantage of hilltop breezes. A new courtyard adjacent to the Academic Center replaces a parking lot, creating a more cloistered sense of space for the monastery. All parking and roads were removed from the hilltop and a new plaza and landscaping was built to enhance the monastic character of the environment.