This unusual window illustrates the geometrical construction of a Golden Spiral using Golden Rectangles. The Golden Rectangle at the center is created by placing two small 1 x 1 squares side by side. Next to them is placed a square of two units (2 x 2), and next to it a square of 2 + 1 = 3 units (3 x 3) followed by a square of 2 + 3 = 5 units (5 x 5), followed by a square of 3 + 5 = 8 units (8 x 8), etc. The result, when one connects the opposite corners with a curve, is a growing spiral that follows the famous Fibonacci sequence: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21. . . . This is also a visual expression of the Golden Mean or Divine Proportion, Phi, because this spiral cuts a rectangle in such a manner that the ratio of the smaller section to the larger section is exactly equal to the ratio of the larger section to the whole. The ancient Greeks saw this as an emblem of the divine harmony and order underlying nature, and they incorporated this "Divine Proportion" into construction of the Parthenon, a temple devoted to the goddess Athena. It is therefore a very appropriate emblem for the Women's Foundation.
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