As part Zen Center’s Widening the Circle Capital Campaign, Green Gulch Farm is undertaking a major renovation of Cloud Hall, the largest and most centrally located residential structure at Green Gulch. Adjacent to the Zendo, Cloud Hall houses up to 35 residential Zen practitioners, some of whom stay for a number of days or weeks, and some who are in residence for many years.
Cloud Hall (Photo: Jordan Atanat)
The building was originally built for agricultural use when the property was an early California cattle farm. It urgently needs to be upgraded, as much of the existing structure is unsound, uninsulated, and lacking sufficient and accessible facilities. The renovated Cloud Hall will include a heating system, sound insulation between rooms, improved fire safety, new electrical wiring, and insulation. The aim of the project is to greatly improve the living conditions for students and guests while reducing environmental impact.
The remodeled Cloud Hall, which includes the existing attached structure known as the “bunkhouse” and office, will house the same student population as the existing building, with a mixture of single and shared rooms. It will also have additional bathrooms and provide improved disability access. The overall project will include a new multi-purpose program space for classes, retreats and workshops that will be a little larger than the existing Wheelwright Center conference room. Cloud Hall will continue to provide rooms for senior teachers to have one-on-one discussions with students; function as a study hall during Zen retreats; and house the Kaisando, a small room with a memorial altar for Zen Center’s founder, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi.
Cloud Hall (Photo: Mason Smith)
Work is scheduled to begin on April 14 and will continue through August for the major part of Cloud Hall, and through December for the building replacing the bunkhouse. During the summer, the construction will have some impact on Green Gulch public offerings and programs; for example, there will not be public lunches offered on Sundays after the regular Sunday talks. Repairs will also be scheduled at the Lindisfarne Guest House at that time.
On Sunday, March 9, from 1:30 – 3 pm in the Wheelwright Center, Green Gulch Director Sara Tashker and Project Manager Simon Moyes will be offering a Public Information Session on the Cloud Hall renovation.
The presentation will include:
- Architectural drawings and plans and descriptions of specific improvements.
- Impacts on the Sunday program, parking, and the guest house and conference program.
- The projected timeline.
- Q&A.
We hope you will join us for this important discussion.
If you are a regular visitor to Green Gulch Farm, you may also want to refer to the Construction Status page to see the anticipated impacts of the work to be done, on the Sunday program, guest house, conference program and parking.
~ ~ ~
We invite you to join us in our efforts to provide an environment in which Green Gulch Farm residents and guests are supported to practice, study, and lead healthy, balanced lives for the benefit of all beings. To make a donation, please visit our Cloud Hall Project page at imagine.sfzc.org or go to our donation page.
We greatly appreciate your support of San Francisco Zen Center and Green Gulch Farm.
