Grace Farms

Grace Farms is a place that encompasses nature, community, social justice, and faith. How can a site and a building on that site possibly convey such a broad, complex mission? The turning point in this whole process was early on, when Paratus helped the owner focus their program on those four primary inspirations. Thereafter, those words directed every step of the design and construction.

With this simple mandate, we brought together the owners, the architecture studio of SANAA, and the builders to ensure that all sides adhered to this mission. As we worked though design and construction, it was clear that the intensive early conversations and the consistency they provided allowed everyone to work in unison to reach the stated goals.

At Grace Farms, changing even a small detail—such as addressing a gap in the curving roof of the main building known as the River—had huge ramifications. Every change required much discussion between the owner, the architects, builders, and fabricators. But ultimately, it was the clarity of the direction that made those final decisions possible.

 

Architect:  SANAA

Location:  New Canaan, CT

Gross Square Footage:  76,829

Completion Date:  2015

www.gracefarms.org

News
The Consultant Behind the Guggenheim Bilbao on What Makes Good Architecture
The Consultant Behind the Guggenheim Bilbao on What Makes Good Architecture

By Paul Clemence

Andy Klemmer has had a front-seat view of the making of some of the most important pieces of architecture of our time. The president and founder of the consulting firm Paratus Group, Klemmer was an essential part of the team that helped develop the iconic Guggenheim Bilbao. Since then, he’s gone on to consult on the California Academy of Science, the Perez Art Museum Miami, the Kimbell Art Museum expansion, working with architects like Renzo Piano, Herzog & de Meuron, and SANAA.

The magic of Grace Farms
The magic of Grace Farms

By Gwendolyn Horton

The first thing I notice at Grace Farms is that nobody is looking down at their phone. Instead, people are engaged – with each other and with this place – and the pace is slow.

The most beautiful building in every state
The most beautiful building in every state

By Jacob Shamsian

The United States has produced some really cool buildings, and we've found the coolest building in each state.

Defining "coolest" is hard. We evaluated every state on its own terms, and we've found that the architecture across all 50 is as diverse as its population.

2016 Building of the Year > East: Grace Farms by SANAA
2016 Building of the Year > East: Grace Farms by SANAA

By The Editors

The River, SANAA's undulating creation for Grace Farms, seeks to marry the nature of its 80-acre New England estate with architecture in an effort to foster the formation of intentional communities that collaborate for good.

 

Grace Farms by SANAA Wins Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize
Grace Farms by SANAA Wins Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize

By Miriam Sitz

Grace Farms--aproject of the Pritzker Prize-winning firm SANAA--was honored with the 2014/2015 Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (MCHAP). 

Meet the Developer Behind the Best Architecture of Our Time
Meet the Developer Behind the Best Architecture of Our Time

By Paul Clemence

Andy Klemmer has been behind the scenes for decades, connecting clients to some of the most important pieces of architecture of our time.

Connecticut is a hotbed of fascinating architecture
Connecticut is a hotbed of fascinating architecture

By Hana R. Alberts

For design with a dose of springtime sun, head to Grace Farms — a New Canaan community center with 80 acres of outdoor space that opened its doors last October.

‘Sejima lit up when we said we wanted Grace Farms to disappear into the landscape’
‘Sejima lit up when we said we wanted Grace Farms to disappear into the landscape’

By Joseph Giovannini

Charged with keeping the land openand protected for the benefit of the larger community and the local Grace Community Church, the Foundation presented a programme for a building based on itsmission – a place where visitors and congregants could ‘experience nature, encounter the arts, pursue justice, foster community and explore faith’.

The Spiritual and Spectacular Meet at an Ultramodern Community Center in Connecticut
The Spiritual and Spectacular Meet at an Ultramodern Community Center in Connecticut

By Ted Loos

A group of friends and neighbors thought that this area could use a new community center with a spiritual underpinning. 

So they built one.

At Grace Farms, Encountering Art at Every Bend
At Grace Farms, Encountering Art at Every Bend

By Susan Hodara

The art that visitors will encounter at Grace Farms begins with architecture: an astonishing, 83,000-square foot, zigzagging structure of five glass-enclosed indoor spaces linked by covered outdoor walkways, called the River.