UW-Madison Center for Integrative Health & Medicine (CIHM)

The Center for Investigating Healthy Minds is the world’s first translational research facility equipped with a brain imaging lab and a meditation space under one roof. This active, non-traditional learning environment is used to teach mindfulness to individuals at all stages of life—from small children to the Dalai Lama, who visited the center upon its opening in 2010. The completed project has allowed students and researchers to complete cognitive studies that were not achievable at their previous facility.

A custom entry door was crafted to acoustically isolate the users of the meditation hall. Natural daylighting was introduced through strategically-placed skylights with diffused light to evenly illuminate the space. Sweeping gypsum board clouds and slotted wood assemblies provide a warm, rich aesthetic.