Quelus Spiritual Retreat Centre

Growing up in a small community in south-eastern Manitoba has had a great deal of influence in my life. I grew up surrounded by religion, accepting it, questioning it, examining it and exploring it. Through life experiences, especially travel, I have been open to many ideas and feel they all have merit and need to be treated with respect. The opportunity to explore spirituality in the landscape is an idea that has interested me for years. How people find meaning in the landscape and how the landscape is given meaning is fascinating to me, thus the idea of a retreat centre seemed to be the coming together of these two concepts and a way of answering the initial question. This design thesis begins with a background of the goals of interfaith dialogue. It leads into a discussion of the spirituality of the site on Galiano Island. The program is outlined and the design project is detailed. The retreat centre design includes a plan for the larger trail system of the site and the connections that are made from it, an overall site plan for the centre, a detailed site plan of the Main Centre and central axis, including sections, and detailed drawings of the program areas. These sections and detailed drawings include the waterfront, the orchard and garden terraces, the entry plaza, the spiritual area, and the accommodations. Each aspect of the design references the overall goal and objectives developed for the project.Applied Science, Faculty ofArchitecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School ofGraduat