MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
Inspired by the cloistered design of the original monastery of St. Francis of Assisi in Italy, the new Assisi Foundation Building in Memphis, focuses all of its public and private spaces on a cloistered courtyard featuring a contemplative landscaped garden with cobblestone paved paths and a statue of the Saint.
The ten thousand square foot facility, which serves as the headquarters for this prestigious charitable foundation, includes a large multi-purpose Board Room, which is also used by other local non-profit organizations for meetings, a Library/Conference Center, a public reception area, small meeting rooms, staff offices, file storage and institutional archives.
The one-story building is detailed in red brick on the perimeter walls while the cloister is rendered with limestone-colored masonry columns and pavers. Natural finished standing seam metal roofs, expressing the meeting functions, frame the courtyard. The building forms three sides of the courtyard while a roofed colonnade forms the fourth side and opens the views to the gardens beyond.
The grounds, beautifully landscaped to emphasize the quiet mission of the institution, provide the perfect backdrop for the facility and its function. Completed in 2004, this small building insures that the organization will continue to function efficiently and effectively into the future.