The First Unitarian Society of Madison has rapidly grown to become the largest Unitarian congregation in the United States. This growth, along with ongoing architectural tours by visitors from around the world, began to place increasing demands on their original Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Meeting House. TKWA was hired to design a sensitive addition to this historic structure, meeting the congregation’s needs for new space while maintaining the historic integrity of Wright’s design.

The new addition touches the historic building lightly, its subtly curved form continually referring back to the original structure. At just about every point along the Crossing, a line of structure or an architectural feature leads your eye back to the Meeting House.

The project is designed to be not only historically sensitive, but also sustainably innovative. Strategies include the extensive use of recycled and regionally-sourced materials, innovative thermal comfort systems, generous daylighting and natural ventilation, detailed stormwater management planning, and careful sourcing of energy-saving fixtures. This project has been awarded a LEED Gold rating by the US Green Building Council.