A semester long investigation of a Cistercian Monastery located outside of Charleston, SC that was looking to expand its facilities to include 20 private retreat rooms and a small chapel. I wanted to take advantage of the natural slope towards the river and divide the rooms into three levels based on function: cleansing (top), living/studying (middle) and meditating (bottom). The rooms are meant to be private from other guests but connected to the landscape and environment. The chapel was a study in light and shadow, expansion and compression.