Dharma Realm Buddhist University

This project is a story of transformation: the conversion of a 65,000-square-foot historic hospital ward into a vibrant center for learning and spiritual practice for the Dharma Realm Buddhist University. Located within the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, a 700-acre monastic university, the 1940s cast-concrete building was reimagined to serve a new and higher purpose. The design required a delicate and sensitive approach, inserting modern academic functions and advanced building systems into a historic structure while honoring its contemplative setting.

The renovated university building now houses classrooms, a student center, faculty offices, lecture and meditation halls, a central lobby, and a café. The project scope included a complete reconfiguration of interior spaces, ADA upgrades, and all-new building systems and finishes. A key sustainable feature was the careful refurbishment of the building's existing radiant ceiling heating system, upgrading it with a new, highly efficient hydronic system to provide comfort while conserving energy. The design's connection to the landscape was enhanced through a new ceremonial entry, informal seating areas, and two amphitheaters built into the surrounding hillside to serve as outdoor classrooms.

Seth Dunn served as Project Architect while at Siegel & Strain Architects, guiding the architectural transformation of this significant building. This project showcases a unique and valuable combination of expertise in adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and design for mission-driven, culturally specific clients. Even the bats who called the abandoned hospital home were carefully relocated prior to renovation. This project demonstrates a nuanced understanding of working with community groups in sensitive locations.