Proffitt & Associates Architects was awarded this project in September of 2002 to design a new dining, conference, and meeting facility at the Bishop Claggett Retreat Center. This new 18,000 square foot facility will serve as one link in an overall master plan designed to make conference attendees feel comfortable and welcome in this beautiful rural setting. The building is to serve dual purposes, as both a meeting center and dining hall. Early in the design process the decision was made to separate these two distinct functions by housing each in its own wing. The two wings sit perpendicular to one another and are joined by a quarter-round hinge which acts as a central gathering space and lounge. The meeting wing contains a large assembly hall which, through the use of operable partition walls, may be subdivided into two or three smaller meeting spaces. At the end of the meeting wing, a short glass walled hallway leads to an existing silo which is to be preserved and restored . It will provide a perfect setting for small-group worship, as well as private reflection. The restrooms, coat closets, and storage areas are also housed in the meeting wing, but have been placed adjacent to the corner link so that they are centrally located and can easily serve all areas of the center. The dining wing contains a large circular serving area, dining room, and kitchen. The dining room, much like the meeting areas, can be broken down into two or three smaller spaces. This flexibility is extremely important to the client as it allows them to hold more than one conference event at a time and tailor the spaces to serve different size groups.

One of the most important considerations in the design of the facility included orientation and placement of the building on the site. The land slopes steeply to the south and east, where it has wonderful views of the Monocacy River. The curved glass wall of the lounge is sited to take advantage of these views, as are two porches located off of the large meeting room. Another key concept in the design was to reflect the agrarian heritage of the site and to tie the new building in stylistically to the existing barn. A stone base and vertical wood siding, as well as steeply pitched roofs and a clerestory over the central meeting space all work together to give the building a sense of character and warmth.