Dominican Convent Goes Green

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“There was a simplicity to the materials used, in part because of cost, but also because there was a conscious decision to utilize local materials that use less energy in production and assembly,” Pollack says.

 

 

SIMPLE STYLE, FOUND FURNISHINGS

Two hallways originate from the foyer on the first floor of the ell-shaped home. One runs the length of the stacked bedrooms and bathrooms (a material-friendly method of arranging rooms in the same pattern on each floor), and the other offers access to the three common rooms and a chapel. A staircase to the second floor features a beam of engineered wood, and the railing is made of sustainably harvested wood, as is the rustic sliding barn door to the dining room.

In the kitchen, where the impact of communal living can be highest, traffic flow was a key consideration, so the room has multiple workstations, plenty of counter space and a natural linoleum floor. The recycling alcove and the herb-and-vegetable garden outside reflect the sisters’ respect for nature.

Recycled furnishings were used in every room. “I’m a good friend of Craigslist and the Salvation Army,” Sister Carla says. It took extra effort to coordinate the assorted pieces, but she wanted the rooms to be aesthetically pleasing. The living room, for example, takes its color cue of teal and pink for the rugs and upholstered pieces from a hanging print of Fra Angelico’s Annunciation. A sliding glass door between the room and the hall, rather than a conventional wall, lets in optimal light and exposes an enclosed flower garden beyond.

The chapel was designed to meet both environmental and reverential requirements. There are no pews—only chairs that, along with some important religious pieces, were reclaimed from another Dominican chapel that had closed in Manteca. The cabinets and suspended ceiling are made from sustainably harvested wood panels.

“It’s a distinctive space, and the direction of the ceiling is of exaltation,” Sister Carla notes. The windows, framed on the exterior to reduce glare, were an important design element. “When we were thinking about the visuals for this room, we thought, what’s better than God’s nature? So, no matter where you are in this room, you can look out and see it.”

Green Garden, Wild Meadow

The enclosed flower garden takes advantage of a sunny southern exposure and offers the sisters the options of a pergola-shaded stroll, contemplative rest or easy cultivating. The water table is naturally replenished by a simple drainage method and, except for the Joseph’s Coat climbing roses that beautifully repeat the color of the stucco, the plants are mostly native or low water use.

Despite the low fence that lends an open feel to the garden, the deer have yet to enter, presumably because they are misled by the overhead arbor. Instead, they graze in the adjacent meadow, a haven for small animals, birds and butterflies that was certified as a National Wildlife Federation wildlife habitat last year.

At about the same time, the Dominican Sisters were also notified of another distinction—the Jane D’Aza convent had received gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, one of just 11 such designations in California at the time.

“There’s only one higher level and that’s platinum,” Sister Carla says, “but there are only a few of those certificate-holders in the world.”

Then again, there’s only one environmentally certified convent in the world and it’s right here in Marin.

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