The Gathering Circle, the “welcoming entrance” to the Highlands Center Discovery Garden and located deep in the pine forest just 15 minutes from downtown Prescott, is a non-profit educational organization where visitors can enjoy and learn about the Central Arizona Highlands. The Discovery Garden is an 8-acre expansion to the Center expected to open to the public in early spring, 2017.
Made up of six convex earthen walls, The Gathering Circle is a most unique building. Designed by the Highlands Center PROJECT PARTNER, architect Michael Frerking of Living Systems Sustainable Architecture, the Gathering Circle was created to meet several goals for the Highlands Center. First and foremost, it needed to be a pleasant and peaceful place for individuals and groups to gather in order to learn about the Discovery Garden before actually entering the garden itself. It also needed to be a place where visitors would be able to pause and take in the surrounding natural environment. To accomplish these needs, Frerking designed the circle to be constructed of 6 individual curved walls that would both allow maximum light to enter the space while also providing large “windows” to the outside.
The Form Free Building technology was also used to create several garden walls and a Donor Wall for the Highlands Center.