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Grace Farms

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Coordinates: 41°11′49″N 73°30′43″W / 41.196926°N 73.512058°W / 41.196926; -73.512058
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41°11′49″N 73°30′43″W / 41.196926°N 73.512058°W / 41.196926; -73.512058

Grace Farms, view of the River Building, dedicated areas connected by a serpentine covered walkway

Grace Farms is a non-profit center in New Canaan, Connecticut that is dedicated to advancing faith, nature, arts, community and justice initiatives.[1] The center is owned and managed by Grace Farms Foundation, a private operating organization, which encourages individuals and institutions to collaborate for good at the local, national, and global level.

Grace Farms is located on an 80-acre site, which features River, a sinuous building designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning, Japanese architecture firm SANAA.[2] The River building—made from glass, concrete, steel, and wood—includes a 700-seat amphitheater/sanctuary; a library; a commons space offering snacks; tea pavilion; and a sunken court for recreation and performance. Two restored barns are used as a visitor center, classrooms, and offices.[3][4]

There is a walking trail on the grounds, of which 77 acres will remain in a native state of open and protected meadows, woods, wetlands, and ponds.

Permanent contemporary art installations by Thomas Demand, Olafur Eliasson, Teresita Fernández, Beatriz Milhazes, and Susan Philipsz are located around the site.[5][6]

There is also a garden and barbecue courtyard.

Grace Farms Foundation hosts public programs for children and families, teens, adults, and seniors at Grace Farms.

Architecture

Grace Farms, 700 seat amphitheater, viewed from the outside
Chairs at Grace Farms, New Canaan, CT

Opened in 2015, the River Building was designed by the Japanese architectural firm SANAA, helmed by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa.[7][8] It is so named because it features a single meandering river-like roof that connects the spaces, which follows the curves of the hill it was built on.[9]

The building cost $65 million.[7] According to the New York Times, the Grace Farms Foundation secured funding from more than 100 donors to raise $120 million for the site.[10]

The site consists of the 48-acre former Windsome Farm, an equestrian facility, and an adjacent 27-acre parcel, which were bought between 2008 and 2009 by the Grace Farms Foundation.[11] An additional five acres were later purchased.[7] The property still features many of the equestrian farm's fences and buildings, including two long barns that have been turned into the welcome center and offices.

Awards

Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (MCHAP) 2014-2015, Grace Farms[12]

AIA National 2017 Architecture Honor Award, Grace Farms[13]

Fast Company, 2016 Innovation by Design Awards, Social Good Finalist, Grace Farms[14]

The Architect’s Newspaper Best of Design Awards, 2016 Building of the Year (East), Grace Farms[15]

AIA Connecticut 2016 Design Honor Award, Grace Farms[16]

Illuminating Engineering Society, 2016 Lumen Awards, Award of Merit, BuroHappold for Grace Farms[17]

2016 Architizer A+Awards, Architecture +Engineering, Grace Farms[18]

Greater New York Construction User Council, 2016 Chairman's Reception, Public Space, Grace Farms[19]

Engineering News-Record (ENR) New England, Best Project Winner for Culture/Worship category, August 2016, Grace Farms[20]

The Ceilings & Interior Systems Construction Association (CISCA), 2015[21]

Construction Excellence Award in Acoustical Solutions East Region - Gold, Grace Farms[22]

TownVibe, 2016 Green Award, Grace Farms[23]

Space Grants

Grace Farms is built on 80 acres of land.

Grace Farms Foundation serves as a nexus for non-profits, by offering Grace Farms as a place where different groups can work alongside each other. Certified 501c3s may apply for Space Grants to use the River building, barns, grounds, and other resources.

For example, Grace Community Church occupies space at Grace Farms, and hosts a coffee and bagels gathering, followed by a service, on Sunday mornings. Arts for Healing, an organization dedicated to providing music and art therapy for individuals with emotional, physical, developmental, and social needs, also hosts workshops in the barn.[24][25]

See also

References

  1. ^ "New Canaan Community Invited To Check Out Grace Farms". New Canaan Daily Voice. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  2. ^ "SANAA designs a sinuous new center for Grace Farms Foundation". Architectural Digest. October 31, 2014.
  3. ^ "'Sejima lit up when we said we wanted Grace Farms to disappear into the landscape'". Architectural Review. March 7, 2016.
  4. ^ "Grace Farms / SANAA". Arch Daily. October 14, 2015.
  5. ^ "Grace Farms Announces Commissions by Thomas Demand, Olafur Eliasson, More". Art News. May 1, 2015.
  6. ^ "At Grace Farms, Encountering Art at Every Bend". The New York Times. November 27, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c "Grace Farms Opens With A Distinctive Open Space". Hartford Courant. October 25, 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Grace Farms". ArchDaily. October 14, 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  9. ^ "Grace Farms building New Canaan by SANAA". E-Architect. September 19, 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  10. ^ Ted Loos (October 16, 2015). "The Spiritual and Spectacular Meet at an Ultramodern Community Center in Connecticut". New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  11. ^ "Renowned architects design $50M building for New Canaan's Grace Farm Foundation". New Canaan News. October 3, 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  12. ^ "Grace Farms by SANAA Wins Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize". Architectural Record. October 20, 2016.
  13. ^ "Grace Farms". The American Institute of Architects. January 13, 2017.
  14. ^ "Grace Farms". Fast Company. September 12, 2016.
  15. ^ "2016 Building of the Year > East: Grace Farms by SANAA". The Architects Newspaper. December 12, 2016.
  16. ^ "AIA Connecticut 2016 Design Awards". AIA Connecticut.
  17. ^ "Grace Farms" (PDF). Illuminating Engineering Society. June 16, 2016.
  18. ^ "2016 Winners". Architizer A+Awards. April 12, 2016.
  19. ^ "2016 Greater New York Construction User Council Chairman's Reception". June 21, 2016.
  20. ^ "Project of the Year New England, Best Cultural Worship - Grace Farms River Building". ENR New England. November 22, 2016.
  21. ^ "2015 AWARDS: ACOUSTICAL SOLUTIONS". Ceilings & Interior Systems Construction Association.
  22. ^ "CISCA Construction Excellence Award Winners". Walls & Ceilings. April 17, 2016.
  23. ^ "Really Amazing Grace". TownVibe.
  24. ^ "Arts for Healing".
  25. ^ "Grace Community Church".
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