Baughman Center, Contemplation pavilion at University of Florida, United States

The Baughman Center is a meditation building on the University of Florida campus, set along the shore of Lake Alice. It features floor-to-ceiling windows, walls of native Florida cypress wood, and a copper roof.

The Baughman Center was conceived by George F. Baughman, a University of Florida alumnus and first president of New College of Florida, who was inspired by a building photo in National Geographic. He and his wife Hazel donated $1 million, and after five years of planning construction began; the building was completed in 2000. George Baughman died on December 24, 2004, and his memorial service was held in the center on December 30.

The center is named for George F. Baughman, the University of Florida alumnus and first president of New College of Florida, and his wife Hazel, who gave $1 million toward the project. It is a nondenominational chapel used for silent meditation, private contemplation, weddings, funerals and memorial services, and small musical or performing arts events. George Baughman's own memorial service was held here on December 30, 2004.

The chapel seats 96 people and sits beside the administrative building along Lake Alice, on the University of Florida campus. Because it hosts weddings, funerals, memorial services and small performances, it can be closed to casual visitors during a booked event; check the university's calendar before making the trip.

The building is astronomically aligned so that sunlight enters directly through the windows at both sunrise and sunset on the summer solstice. The floor is made of three types of travertine marble laid in geometric patterns.