Located in Middleton, Wis., the monastery is a 30,000-sq-ft, two-story structure with a detached, 4,000-sq-ft remodeled maintenance building on 130 acres overlooking Lake Mendota. Partnering with Hoffman LLC, a Wisconsin-based planning, design and construction management firm, the Sisters spent two years exploring and defining their vision for the monastery.

The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded the Benedictine Women of Madison’s Holy Wisdom Monastery a Platinum rating – the highest level of LEED certification available. The monastery earned 63 out of a possible 69 points under LEED-NC version 2.2, the most of any certified building in the U. S. to date.