‘Green’ Building Tours
Join us on a tour of one of the "greenest" buildings in the country.
Tour our ‘Green’ Monastery
Hospitality is one of the core values of Benedictine spirituality. One way we live out this value is by providing tours of Holy Wisdom Monastery. Tour our ‘green’ monastery building, dedicated in November 2009, and certified by the US Green Building Council in 2010 at the platinum level, with 63 out of a possible 69 points on the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) New Construction-v2.2 scale. Learn about geothermal heating and cooling, renewable resources, daylighting, photo voltaic cells, rain gardens, pervious concrete, green roofs, solar tubes and much more! Click here to download a flyer about upcoming tours. You can also download a report about the points awarded to Holy Wisdom Monastery on the LEED certification scale.
To read more in-depth posts on our blog about some of the features of our building, please click here. To read an article from the publication High Performing Buildings, which has information on energy usage statistics on the new building, please click here.
Types of Tours
- Self-Guided: Individuals can follow the self-guided tour brochure, available at the front desk, when the building is open. Weekday hours are 8:00 am – 4:30 pm and weekend hours vary (please call ahead). You can also view the PowerPoint presentation about the values of Benedictine Women of Madison and their motivations for constructing the new monastery.
- Monthly: Guided tours are held at different days and times each month (see schedule below). Tours begin at the front desk and last approximately 90 minutes. Cost: $5/person. Groups of 15 or more can contact us to schedule a tour at their conveinence as well.
Monthly Guided Tours
At present, the following tours are scheduled. Some of the tours are before or after worship and prayer. You are welcome to join us for these services, but it isn’t required.
Holy Wisdom Monastery is located at 4200 County Road M, Middleton, WI. Get directions.
Sunday January 29, 2012 at 10:15 am
Tour Guide: Bill Rosholt and Neal Smith
Optional: Ecumenical, welcoming Sunday worship service at 9:00 am.
Click here for more information.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 10:00 am
Tour Guide: Greg Armstrong
Sunday April 22, 2012 at 10:30 am (Earth Day)
Tour Guide: Bill Rosholt and Justin Yotter
About the Tour Guides
Greg Armstrong
Greg served on the Benedictine Life Foundation Board and other committees for 6 years. He also leads work groups at our Community Workday events and is the former executive director of the University of Wisconsin Arboretum.
Mark Hanson
Mark is the director of sustainable services at Hoffman, LLC, the company that provided planning, design and management services for the new monastery building.
Bill Rosholt
Bill is a member of Sunday Assembly, our worshipping community. Bill has an avid interest in the LEED certification process.
Neal Smith
Neal is the financial and facility consultant at Holy Wisdom Monastery. Neal was involved, from start to finish, with the design and construction of the new monastery building.
Justin Yotter
Justin is the sustainable services specialist at Hoffman, LLC, the company that provided planning, design and construction management services for the new monastery building.
For more information or to schedule a special tour, contact Mike at (608) 836-1631 x124. You can also download a PDF tour flyer by clicking here.
