For over twenty years we have been gifted with the presence of Buddhist monks and nuns who have so gracefully alighted in Leverett, Massachusetts.

Through their industry and back-breaking work and with the generous volunteer help of members of our community, they have built a beautiful Peace Pagoda as a constant reminder that world peace is achievable.

The temple has been a regular destination for me, personally, a perfect place to get an overview not only of our valley but, more generally, of the planet.The monks and nuns of the New England Peace Pagoda, Nipponzan Myohouji, joined by many others have walked thousands of miles for world peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons, both here and in other countries. In fact, as I write this, they are currently on a peace walk which originated on January 6th at the Peace Pagoda in Leverett and will end February 15th in Washington, D.C. Their work is vitally important, most especially now.

As some of you may know, the monks and nuns live in an existing house on the Pagoda premises which has reached the limit of its lifespan. It was poorly built to begin with, and over the years has been infested with carpenter ants and termites making it structurally unsound and certainly well beyond rehabilitation.

Recently we were asked by the Reverend, Kato Shonin if we would consider designing a new home for them. Of course we were honored to have been asked even knowing that our architectural services would no doubt be pro-bono.

I sat with Kato Shonin and my friend Beth Adams, a dedicated member of their community, and developed a program for their proposed project. During these past several days we have done plans for the complex of buildings which include housing for the monks, housing for those on retreat, kitchen, dining room, and assembly hall. Some of the standing seam metal roofs are properly pitched to accommodate photovoltaic panels-enough to produce approximately 10 megawatts or all the electrical needs for the buildings. Alsowe are planning on drilling several deep wells for geothermal heat evenly distributed using radiant tubing under the floor where people will sit on pillows. All natural non-toxic, locally produced, sustainable materials will be used for the construction.

Only last Sunday, I was talking to a friend Suzanne Webber of the Massachusetts Woodlands Cooperative at the Leverett Village Coop who suggested that we can use wood harvested from their cooperative which is F.S.C (Forest Stewardship Council) certified. What a perfect beginning I thought.

The building itself includes a modest kitchen, dining area, assembly space for various activities, and twelve bed rooms for the monks and nuns as well as their guest on retreat.

If you have an interest in donating to the building fund please feel free to contact the Peace Pagoda or call T.I.A Architects 413-256-8025 for more information. To view the design click on Current Projects on www.tiaarchitects.com. One of our interns, Andrea Montoya- Costa has built a 3-dimensional architectural model shown here.

Your support will be greatly appreciated.

Tullio Inglese AIA