If you're looking for a little R+R this summer, an oasis where city meets country and spirit meets style . . . discover the best hidden gem in the Northeast - the Kripalu Annex!On my recent, inaugural 8 day teaching stint at Kriaplu - Center for Yoga + Health, I was thrilled to learn they had booked all the presenters in the newly opened Green Annex! The 'official' unveiling and ribbon cutting ceremony of the state-of-the-art Rose+Guggenheimer designed Annex occurred in the midst of my stay, complete with Kripalu Investors and Board of Advisors descending on the campus in the lush Berkshires.
The $15.3 million Annex, came in under budget and ahead of schedule with renowned architect, Peter Rose of Cambridge, Massachusettes at the helm. As a Yale trained, Harvard Architecture professor, Rose perfected a fusion of high-style, European minimalism, meets spiritual aesthetic, while simultaneously incorporating stringent green initiatives. (Think Mondrian meets Monastery.) The 34,000-square-foot annex was constructed to generate more revenue for Kripalu and appeal to a wider audience. (Yeah! At last--Spirituality doesn't mean sacrificing style or luxury!) It uses almost half the energy of comparable traditional construction.
I also had the honor of teaching one of the inaugural classes in the newly minted, exquisite, 2,800-square-foot, Elmview Room, with vast views of the adjacent lake and rolling lawns. (I will undoubtedly endeavor to hold any future events in this gorgeous, state-of-the-art sanctuary). After rocking out a dynamic vinyasa class for Kripalu's generous staff and volunteers, I can definitely see why so many end up staying so long! (Thanks for the warm hospitality and generous support, everyone!)
The location and design of the annex were chosen to offer views of the surrounding countryside and blend in with the landscape. The slight V-shape of the building ensures that every room has a tree or lake view. The annex is clad with “rain-screen” siding and external, sliding window blinds, made of small, square strips of untreated raw southern cypress wood salvaged from the Hurricane Katrina tidal surge. The siding will age naturally, into a gray patina of mature wood, blending in with the countryside. About 30 percent smaller in volume than a typical building of this type, the Annex minimizes the area to heat, cool and illuminate and uses a radiant heating and cooling system. As Rep. Pignatelli, (D-Lenox) quipped at the ceremony, “This building is a jewel...probably the most environmentally friendly building in the Berkshires.” Kudos to Kripalu for leading the way and showing the rest of us what true environmental stewardship looks like!
As my first residential experience in a completely green building, it got me thinking . . . Why has it taken America SO long to catch onto a more European aesthetic and deeper appreciation of the necessity, beauty and responsibility of green building? Why does the perception persist that you have to forego style, convenience or cost to achieve green goals? Are we finally ready to consult the natural environs and humble our humanity in automatic consideration of the effects of our building on the Earth? Kripalu is doing a great service by providing a total immersion for guests to organically experience the rewards of "green living" and understand that living "in" nature, you simply feel better!
Interesting Side Note:
Kripalu Center staff wrote their intentions for Kripalu and the Annex at a groundbreaking ceremony in March 2008. The intentions were buried in the foundations of the Annex and connector with Shadowbrook. Unbeknownst to Kripalu, the ironworkers who built the concrete structure (many form the former Soviet Union), followed with their own tradition of burying coins in concrete foundations for good luck and prosperity.
Hopefully, some of that luck and prosperity rubbed off on me and I will be blessed with the good fortune of another stay at the Annex and teaching in the Elmview Room! Happy Summer Solstice!
Kripalu - Center for Yoga+Health
Berkshires in Western Massachusettes
866 | 200 | 5203
I also had the honor of teaching one of the inaugural classes in the newly minted, exquisite, 2,800-square-foot, Elmview Room, with vast views of the adjacent lake and rolling lawns. (I will undoubtedly endeavor to hold any future events in this gorgeous, state-of-the-art sanctuary). After rocking out a dynamic vinyasa class for Kripalu's generous staff and volunteers, I can definitely see why so many end up staying so long! (Thanks for the warm hospitality and generous support, everyone!)
The location and design of the annex were chosen to offer views of the surrounding countryside and blend in with the landscape. The slight V-shape of the building ensures that every room has a tree or lake view. The annex is clad with “rain-screen” siding and external, sliding window blinds, made of small, square strips of untreated raw southern cypress wood salvaged from the Hurricane Katrina tidal surge. The siding will age naturally, into a gray patina of mature wood, blending in with the countryside. About 30 percent smaller in volume than a typical building of this type, the Annex minimizes the area to heat, cool and illuminate and uses a radiant heating and cooling system. As Rep. Pignatelli, (D-Lenox) quipped at the ceremony, “This building is a jewel...probably the most environmentally friendly building in the Berkshires.” Kudos to Kripalu for leading the way and showing the rest of us what true environmental stewardship looks like!
As my first residential experience in a completely green building, it got me thinking . . . Why has it taken America SO long to catch onto a more European aesthetic and deeper appreciation of the necessity, beauty and responsibility of green building? Why does the perception persist that you have to forego style, convenience or cost to achieve green goals? Are we finally ready to consult the natural environs and humble our humanity in automatic consideration of the effects of our building on the Earth? Kripalu is doing a great service by providing a total immersion for guests to organically experience the rewards of "green living" and understand that living "in" nature, you simply feel better!
Interesting Side Note:
Kripalu Center staff wrote their intentions for Kripalu and the Annex at a groundbreaking ceremony in March 2008. The intentions were buried in the foundations of the Annex and connector with Shadowbrook. Unbeknownst to Kripalu, the ironworkers who built the concrete structure (many form the former Soviet Union), followed with their own tradition of burying coins in concrete foundations for good luck and prosperity.
Hopefully, some of that luck and prosperity rubbed off on me and I will be blessed with the good fortune of another stay at the Annex and teaching in the Elmview Room! Happy Summer Solstice!
Kripalu - Center for Yoga+Health
Berkshires in Western Massachusettes
866 | 200 | 5203
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