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January 11, 2021
Sherwin-Williams’ Website Highlights the Science of Spirituality Meditation Center
The Science of Spirituality International Meditation Center in Lisle, Illinois is a majestic, luminous building that dominates the landscape around it. It has been featured in the magazine “Metal Architecture” and most recently in a comprehensive article on the Sherwin-Williams website.
The two-page Sherwin-Williams presentation details the complex steps needed to achieve the Center’s brilliant exterior. First, however, it introduces Science of Spirituality, touching on the building’s architecture and how it represents the philosophy of the organization.
“Science of Spirituality’s new International Meditation Center showcases an exterior of rich, golden metallic tones. Illuminated at night, the Center presents an attractive, warm, welcoming space for visitors to its global headquarters. Designed by Gensler, the Center’s elliptical form symbolizes the intersection of spiritual and earthly influences. Its façade’s golden panels draw the eye upward, and resemble the similar shape of hands cupped in prayer and a blooming lotus flower’s petals.
“Throughout the Center, design elements reflect a journey toward peace in harmony with the community and the environment. A nonprofit organization with 2,800 centers worldwide, Science of Spirituality is dedicated to transforming lives through meditation. It presents spirituality as a science that can be practiced by people of all backgrounds and from all walks of life.”
The Center’s unique façade includes Sherwin-Williams® Fluropon®, a time-proven product that delivers enduring beauty. “The golden color for the exterior metal panels was selected not only because of its beauty and aesthetics, but also because it is often associated with spirituality,” explained a representative from Science of Spirituality
The final color selection, Fluropon Classic II Light Gold and Dark Gold, was formulated using mica flakes to enhance the vibrancy of the finished panel system. Because the building was going to be illuminated from the ground at night, the color and reflection were all very important in selecting the paint.
Guiding the project from the initial design to realization was complex and involved several firms, among them MDSI. Tammy Schroeder, MDSI LEED® Green Associate said, “The lively appearance is caused by the way visible light reflects off the mica flakes within the coating system. The panels’ golden painted surface will look like it glitters in the sun, giving the building the desired reflective property.”
The 30-foot-tall, gold-colored panel wall assemblies appear solid, straight and sturdy at their base. The solid panels transition to delicate jali-patterned, dual-color panels that cantilever and curve, opening heavenward. The custom jali pattern was seamlessly mapped onto the complex building geometry’s top panels. Moving from the digital to the physical, the pattern was laser-cut onto the aluminum panels. This decorative panel was paired with a solid one in back to form the upper assembly.
Chad Showalter, MDSI’s vice president of sales noted, “The ultimate end-product was the result of effort from everyone involved in making key decisions as the project progressed through design, fabrication, and installation.”
The inauguration of the new Science of Spirituality’s International Meditation Center was held on July 28, 2018. It was attended by local and state officials and thousands of people from 30 countries. The building was a huge success – everyone was impressed with its beauty and grandeur.
To see the Sherwin-Williams article which includes additional technical details, see here. For more information about the Science of Spirituality Meditation Center, see here.
For more information about Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj and Science of Spirituality, please explore sos.org. Contact: media@sos.org.
