Those searching for a quiet space to reflect on the campus, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, will soon be able to find peace in a labyrinth, set to open the first week of October.
After the tragedies on Sept. 11, 2001, and at Virginia Tech in 2007, the university and the nation mourned. Megan Miller, coordinator of the Memorial Chapel, said during trying times there should be space for students seeking solace to go.
“There aren’t many places on campus for people to stop and reflect and get acquainted with themselves,” Miller said.
But early next month, a labyrinth at least 25 feet in diameter will be built on the campus, offering a place to get away from it all. This need for tranquil spaces on the campus is also the main impetus behind the Garden of Reflection and Remembrance, Miller said. Construction for both is planned on the south chapel lawn, a plot adjoining the Memorial Chapel and the Chapel Fields, where the Mighty Sound of Maryland practices.
The labyrinth, the centerpiece of the garden, will be a circular walkway with sweet thyme separating the paths. In addition to the labyrinth, heritage trees, densely planted areas, benches, a reflection pool and fountains will be planted and installed on the site. There is no scheduled completion date for the entire project as of yet.
Unlike mazes, labyrinths are flat, save for the stones or bricks that line the paths. Also, unlike mazes, there are no dead ends — just a single path leading to the center and a single path leading out.
In spring 2008, the university was awarded a $200,000 grant from the TKF Foundation — a private foundation whose purpose is to create “Open Spaces, Sacred Places.”
Mary Wyatt, executive director of the TKF Foundation, said one of the reasons the chapel was awarded the grant is because of its accessibility and promise of serenity.
“It’s a reflective, contemplative opportunity,” Wyatt said. “It includes a labyrinth for contemplative walking.”
The garden, officials said, will also further the university’s goal to become a greener institution.
“One of the intents of the project is to preserve the trees,” said Scott Munroe, the landscape architect for the office of facilities management. “They will be relocated or removed if not in good health. We’re preserving the healthy fabric.”
Munroe added that in a further step to be green, the main walkway will be made of TerreGranite, which consists of recycled rubber and polyvinyl chloride pipes — more commonly known as PVC pipes.
”One of the eventual pieces is that the garden will be added to the other botanical landscapes,” he said. “There will be a walking tour, and the plant material will be labeled.”
When constructed, the Garden of Reflection and Remembrance will be added to the list of other botanical sites on the campus that allowed the university to be certified as an arboretum and botanical garden more than a year and a half ago.
“It depends on grants — we’re not taking out funds from any school budget,” Munroe said, adding that the labyrinth and certain water features will be built, but the other features of the garden will need additional funding.
Lohse Beeland, assistant director for grants and scholarships at the Division of Student Affairs, said he is hopeful the university will receive full funding for the project.
Miller said the garden is a vehicle to relieve students’ stress, adding she hopes students will support the endeavor as much as the university has thus far.
“The 2002 senior class made granite plaques with memories, and they will be installed along the main sidewalk,” Miller said. “We’re hoping each class will do this.”
ga@umdbk.com
