Swift Hall Cloister Garden
Public Work – University of Chicago

The Divinity School sought to create a cloister garden deserving of the lovely setting created by Swift Hall and Bond Chapel. While based on traditional cloister designs of highly organized, intimate spaces, this cloister garden is uniquely open on one side to a large quad has been incorporated into an overall master plan. The final cloister design features a central garden space surrounded on all sides by stone walkways. An intimate sitting space is carved out of the garden to keep this area off the main path of travel. Raised stone fountains are connected with a ground-level water rill; the running water energizes the garden and muffles surrounding campus noise. Naturalized plantings complement the existing oak canopy and soften the structured hardscapes with understory ornamentals, shrubs and perennials.

Before

Before