When I get overwhelmed and tired, I often quip that I want to retreat to a hermitage. But I could never make it in a rustic one like the ancient hermitage pictured. No indoor plumbing.

But this is a hermitage that just might be doable.

“Amid the busy backdrop of northeast D.C., the students witnessed the construction of a building that will one day allow for quiet prayer and contemplation.

When it is completed, the 350-square-foot structure will provide a silent and solitary space where a single person can reside for either long or short periods of time.

The hermitage will contain a sleeping area and restroom, as well as a kitchenette, deck and garden.

The design, which won the 2010 Unbuilt Award from the American Institute of Architects in D.C., will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. It will also be environmentally sustainable, making use of a ground source heat pump, natural ventilation and floorboards of recycled lumber. Read more….