‍Building tours start at the Denver Art Museum. Transportation provided. Meet at the front entrance for check-in at 7:00 AM on Wednesday, August 20th.

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Step inside the Great Dharma Chan Monastery—a 25,000-square-foot Buddhist meditation center set on 35 acres in East Boulder, designed to blend spiritual purpose with advanced building performance.

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From day one, this project emphasized total coordination between the architect, engineer, contractor, and mass timber supplier. The result is a serene, high-performance structure that unites exposed CLT, glulam beams, hybrid glulam-HSS columns, and multiple light-framing systems under a single, cohesive design.

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On this guided tour, you’ll hear directly from the teams at Sopher Sparn Architects, Adolfson & Peterson Construction, and Lam-Wood Systems as they unpack how the monastery’s hybrid structure came together—from early design-assist and climate-specific detailing to final timber installation.

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What makes this project stand out?

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- A fully integrated structural system including CLT roof panels, glulam beams, Microllam® LSL wall studs, plated trusses, and deep I-joists—all coordinated through one digital model and one supplier contract.

- A hybrid timber + steel approach that balances exposed architecture with practical constructibility—highlighting glulam-HSS columns as both structural anchors and aesthetic centerpieces.

- Tailored detailing for Colorado’s high-desert climate, with special attention to exposed end grain, finish coatings, and weather durability to ensure long-term resilience.

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This is more than a building tour—it’s a behind-the-scenes look at how complex mass timber systems come together through early collaboration and thoughtful sourcing. If you want to see how coordination unlocks both beauty and buildability, this tour belongs on your list.

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