Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Island Retreat Center Update















 As the planning and work for the dedication of our Island Retreat Center proceeds, we have been making adjustments to the design to accommodate both the purpose and portability of the Zendo building. The roof design has undergone several modifications to allow for the structure to be built at Open Gate and be transported by flat bed trailer to the island.  The original farm house thatched roof design has proven to be too costly and complicated, requiring that the artificial thatch be shipped from Florida (from China) and installed over an existing weatherproof roofing material.  

We have opted instead for a modified hip roof design that will allow us to use metal roofing for the purpose of collecting rain water. Since there is no water supply to our property, all water has to be carried in. A metal roof built for the purpose of collecting water will allow us to gather rain water for uses other than drinking and food preparation.  

The rendering above is a composite created in Photoshop from three photographs of buildings that are similar to our proposed Zendo.  The finished building will look like the composite photograph above with metal roofing in lieu of the shingles shown. The ends of the building will have doors and/or a bay window similar to those at the meditation hall Open Gate.

Construction is well underway with the first hut nearly complete and the walls of the Zendo going up within the week. The final roof assembly will wait until the building is on site to allow for freeway transport of the structure. The roof adds another three feet to the height and an additional six feet to the width which would not be transportable by truck of ferry. 

Work party weekends will soon be identified and announced for those who might be interested in volunteering time in either during construction or grounds preparation on the island. 
Anyone interested in contributing to the construction fund can contact Miles at opengatezendo@msn.com or send donations by check payable to Open Gate Zendo:

Open Gate Zendo
4123 Biscay Street NW
Olympia, WA 98502



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