Above: Caddis helped with the renovation of the existing lodge building at the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center. Caddis was also part of the process of getting this historic retreat center use approved in perpetuity.

Caddis Collaborative is based in Boulder, Colorado, a city known for its connection to a variety of contemplative practices. Quite a few Caddis team members are drawn to these meditative traditions, and the firm has developed a specialty in designing spaces for such practices. We are glad to be able to “walk our talk” (or perhaps “walk our silence!”) as we use our architects’ thinking caps to create spaces we personally practice in and cherish.

Mindfulness is a practice that happens both in the design of and the use of these spaces. And as we are learning more and more from neuroscience, architecture has a powerful impact on wellness. People go to retreats to find a teacher or sangha and to be in a setting that is simplified compared to real life. They seek to practice in a place that’s conducive to enriching that practice so it can be taken out into the world..

As architects, we are trained to experience space thoughtfully, to engage with the built environment in a way that is more insightful perhaps than someone who doesn’t share that training. On top of that architectural training, we bring our training as individuals who have been in meditation spaces and have done a variety of meditation trainings and retreats over the years. Our lived experiences of being participants in contemplative practice helps us do a good job for our clients. Finally, Caddis is known for shepherding its clients through the complex process of designing and building spaces – while easing their stress about that process. Our individual commitment to contemplative practice grounds us in such a way that we can extend a centered spirit to our work with clients.

Contemplative spaces Caddis and its team members have designed include the following:

• Dhamma Sela: We designed a multipurpose building for this Vipassana (or “insight”) meditation center in Elbert, Colorado. The building reflects Dhamma Sela’s teachings and will be flexible and adaptable as the facility grows and changes in the years ahead.
• Dharma Ocean Foundation: We designed a multi-use facility in Boulder, with front-end space for meditation practice and back-end spaces for offices, meeting rooms, and a recording studio. Dharma Ocean Foundation is a descendant of the “practicing lineage” of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, widely recognized as one of the great Tibetan teachers of the 20th century.
• Drala Mountain Center: While at J Logan Architects, Bryan Bowen, now principal architect at Caddis, and Kelly Siu, senior architect, have designed several spaces for this meditation center (formerly known as Shambhala Mountain Center). Using feng shui principles and landscape-appropriate architecture, Bryan and Kelly designed a set of buildings that fit into an Asian-inspired natural landscape in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado.
• Lama Foundation: Stephen Eckert, senior architect at Caddis Collaborative, and his wife, architect and University of Colorado faculty member Jade Polizzi, regularly take CU architecture students to New Mexico to work on a “design build” project for Lama Foundation, an ecumenical spiritual retreat center located outside of Taos in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The center embraces Buddhist, Sufi, Jewish, and other religious traditions. It was formed in the 1960s, with Ram Dass as one of the founders.
• Naropa University: Located in Boulder, Naropa University was the first accredited university to bring contemplative education to the West. Our work for Naropa has included designing the university’s student lounge, Snowlion student housing retrofit, performing arts center gathering space, café, Alaya Preschool, and Nalanda campus as well as assisting with the university’s master planning and property entitlement processes.
• Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center: Located a 30-minute drive into the Foothills from Boulder, Colorado, this is a rustic Buddhist retreat center that brings Buddhism and Dharma back into the natural world where they originated. We helped preserve and codify the historic use of this land as an educational retreat center through Boulder County entitlement processes and provided design services for bringing the facilities into year-round use, adding renewables, and ensuring historic preservation.

In addition, Caddis has contributed work to Nevei Kodesh, Jewish renewal community of Boulder.