River Building

In early 2010, Grace Farms Foundation selected SANAA, a Tokyo-based architectural firm, to execute its vision for a vibrant place and multi-purpose building where visitors could experience nature, encounter the arts, pursue justice, foster community, and explore faith. SANAA’s design for the facility, known as the River building, was the first U.S. building designed by the architectural firm after they were awarded the Pritzker Prize. SANAA’s goal was to make the architecture of the River become part of the landscape without drawing attention to itself, demonstrating a high degree of sensitivity to the landscape and its topography. Structurally, the building of glass, concrete, steel, and wood is in essence a single long roof, which seems to float above the surface of the ground as it twists and turns across the landscape.