Dominican Sisters House of Formation     San Rafael, California

The communal living facility of the Dominican Sisters House of Formation is designed around the principals of green and sustainable building practices.  It was one of the first northern California buildings to be certified as LEED-Gold by the US Green Building Council.  

The eight residential units and the new chapel are constructed around a contemplative garden courtyard with native plants and a dry creek that collects and stores stormwater from the building roofs. Permeable paving allows additional rainwater to infiltrate into the ground. A shaded garden walk with redwood trellis and seating nooks runs along the perimeter of the garden. Outside of the garden enclosure, earth berms seeded with native wildflowers create a sense of an extended natural world.

Architect: Van Meter Williams Pollack