Foundation Project Konstanz Activity Report 2014

Transcription

1 Foundation Project Konstanz Activity Report 2014

2 Content Content 1 1 Introduction 2 2 Property Description 2 The Location... 3 The Building Activities in Plans for Pictures 8

3 1 Introduction The project s aim is to make the entire building of Mainaustrasse 7 useable to the Karma Kagyu Center Constance. We have been approaching this goal gradually. On June, 7th 2010 the Buddhism Foundation Diamond Way acquired the first two levels of Mainaustrasse 7 with the aid of many friends donations and facilitated by a loan of the GLS Bank. The top floor that has been providing the center with a gompa, an office, a kitchenette, a guest room and two bathrooms was signed over to the Foundation by testamentary contract. As a next step, we are planning to acquire the second floor, which currently belongs to a friend of the center who also lives there at present. Having been core redeveloped, the first floor now provides the center s kitchen, the dining room for the sangha, as well as three rooms supplying living space. 2 Property Description Buddhist Center Konstanz of the Karma Kagyu Lineage, Mainaustrasse 7, D Konstanz, Germany Tel.: , Konstanz@diamondway-center.org, Registry number (entry of the land register): Land Register Konstanz page

4 The Location The real estate Mainaustrasse7 is a lovely townhouse constructed in 1898 with a small front yard. Its central location allows for the main train station to be reached within a 10 minute s walk. Furthermore a bus stop served by multiple bus routes is situated right outside the door. Being just a stone s throw away the city s promenade the Seestrasse invites to stroll alongside Lake Constance. 3

5 The Building The house with its four levels offers an overall living space of 421 sq. m. In 2000 two sangha members purchased the second and third floor, the latter including the attic story. These levels were renovated together by the sangha as well as by many helping friends. Subsequently, the Center moved to the premises in Ever since, the top floor has been used as meditation center, whereas the second floor used to serve as residential property to the then owning home buyers. A right of first refusal to purchase the lower half of the building had been existing for years, when all the conditions necessary to execute came up at the end of 2009, thus rendering the opportunity to acquire the rest of the building (the ground floor and the first floor) through the Buddhism Foundation Diamond Way in the middle of

6 The first floor covers a total of sq. m of living space, comprising a balcony and a basement room with 16.4 sq. m. At the time of the acquisition the former owner had been taken care of in a home for elderly people for several years. It was not possible to launch the household liquidation before the Foundation had purchased the property. Afterwards the ground-up renovation was started, including the installation of a central heating and a completely new electric installation. In addition, the bathroom had to be rebuilt and enlarged, the walls needed to be plastered and the floor needed to be laid. The professional refurbishing of the stucco on the ceilings emerged to be a big challenge. This, too, was done by an in-house effort, wherein Beate from the EC quickly came in with words and deeds. After the completion of the reconstruction works three more sangha members moved in and the Center s rooms were extended by a center kitchen as well as an ample dining room. The ground floor is encompassing sq. m of living space, this apartment includes a room in the basement measuring 17.2 sq. m. The aim is to turn also this level into a Center-used place in the foreseeable future. Consequently, this perspective has already been accounted for in the course of the recent renovation (e.g. the heating installation). 5

7 3 Activities in 2014 Group: 37 members Activities: Events: Monday, Thuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday: 16 th Meditation Tuesday: Foundational Practices evening Thursday: main evening (lecture&meditation) Karmapa Guest teachers Rüdiger and Claudia Waschke, Manfred Maier, Markus and Gisela Kuhn, Rene Eichenberger, Ursi Poschung, Michaela Fritzges Visit from the Sangha of Luzern Weekend course with Klaus Kaltenbrunner Weekend course with Joshua Johnson 6

8 Weekend course with Klaus Neukirchen Open Day, for the first time nationwide across Germany 4 Plans for 2015 Relocation from the Gompa to the ground floor Conversion of the former Gompa into the center kitchen and dining area Conversion of the former center kitchen and office into another flat share double bedroom The former dining room on the first floor is converted into another flat share room Conversion of the kitchen on the first floor into another bathroom with a storage room attached 7

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