Decades in conception and planning, the new Sanctuary for Sufism Reoriented in Walnut Creek, California, aims for a design life of centuries. The Sanctuary consists of a series of one-story domes above grade and a basement below (Figure 1). The largest dome is 78 feet in diameter and covers the column-free Prayer Hall, and smaller domes cover a variety of other spaces around the perimeter. A striking 38-foot tall base-isolated bronze sculpture reaches up from the basement to the oculus of one of the medium domes. …