Projects and Experience

Baughman Center

Thorncrown Chapel, a Meditative Pavilion

ProjectTeam 
Dave Wade
Project Advisory

John Zona
Architect

Haskell
MPE Engineers

The A.D. Morgan Corp.
General Contractor

 

What we made happen

University of Florida’s Baughman Center, a Meditation Pavilion designed by Architect John Zona was commissioned in the style of Fay Jones’ “Thorncrown Chapel”.  The chapel has seating for 96 people and is used for silent meditation, private contemplation, weddings, funerals and memorial services as well as a venue for small musical or performing arts events. 

The exterior walls of the pavilion are covered in windows and made of natural Florida cypress stained to resemble the surroundings plant life. The cypress is grooved vertically to give the appearance of individual tree trunks. The sloping roof of the pavilion is composed of tongue-and-groove yellow pine and copper to mimic the look of medieval cathedrals. The front door is made of maple with inlaid Gothic patterns in cherry and an ornamental architrave of crenelated mahogany.

The use of structural tensile members in an overhead cross-lattice system held the structure together, with the fragility of the building and its surroundings, as life and nature itself is fragile and special.