Architecture and Sensory Experience: A Study of the Doshi Retreat
Vitra’s Architectural Legacy: A Journey of “Firsts”
Over the years, the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein has amassed a series of unique architectural achievements, evolving into a living museum of global design thinking. It hosted the first building by architect Marina Tabssum outside Bangladesh, the Vitra Design Museum, Frank Gehry’s first project outside the United States, and the Vitra Fire Station, which marked the international debut of the late Zaha Hadid.
These milestones are more than mere buildings; they chronicle architectural journeys that reshaped notions of space and the relationship between humans and their environment.
The Doshi Retreat: Closing a Journey as Monumental as Its Beginnings
In the latest addition to this growing campus, the Doshi Retreat emerges as a contemplative installation embodying the philosophy of Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi, Pritzker Prize laureate of 2018.
The project was designed in collaboration with his granddaughter, Khushnu Panthaki Hoof, and her husband, Zonke Hoof, carrying a familial signature that reflects generational continuity in service of architecture.
Beyond Form: The Farewell Symbolism in His Final Work
The structure is nestled in a green field adjacent to the conference pavilion designed by Tadao Ando, achieving a visual and spiritual harmony with the surrounding nature.
The retreat represents Doshi’s first project executed outside India, as well as his first work completed posthumously in 2023, making it a symbolic conclusion to his journey in architectural modernism and a final nod to his philosophy, which intertwines contemplation with simplicity and spatial awareness.
Entering the Doshi Retreat: A Tribute Beyond Stone
The Doshi Retreat is more than an architectural installation; it is a spiritual homage to Balkrishna Doshi, an architect who transformed space into a simultaneously sensory and spiritual experience.
He envisioned it as a place where visitors could meditate, embrace silence, and connect with themselves, a journey guided by sound and emotion before form and mass.
The First Seed: A Friendship That Inspired the “Space of Silence”
The retreat’s story traces back to a visit by Rolf Fehlbaum, honorary chairman of Vitra, to India several years ago, during which Doshi guided him on a tour of the Sun Temple in Modhera.
Khushnu Panthaki Hoof, Doshi’s granddaughter, recounts that the trip left a profound impact on them, especially when they entered a small shrine within the temple, where silence carried a sense of reassurance.
Following that experience, Fehlbaum asked Doshi to design a “space of silence” within the Vitra Campus, capturing the same spiritual essence he had felt at the ancient Indian shrine.
From Concept to Form: The Birth of an Idea
Doshi began with a set of concepts and key words through which he distilled the essence and meaning of the project.
When he shared his idea with his granddaughter, he simply said:
“Here it is. This is the retreat.”
From that moment, the project began to take shape as a collective architectural experience, crafted by Doshi in collaboration with Khushnu Panthaki Hoof and her husband Zonke Hoof, transforming the vision into a tangible design imbued with the contemplative sensibility Doshi envisioned.
Beyond Departure: The Continuation of a Philosophy
Although the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily delayed execution, the project never halted.
After Doshi’s passing in 2023, the Panthaki and Hoof duo faithfully completed the work according to his original vision and later continued other projects embodying his legacy, notably the new restroom block at the Institute of Religious Studies in Ahmedabad.
The Design Journey: From a Small Idea to an Immersive Experience
The design of the Doshi Retreat evolved in what can be described as an “organic” manner, developing naturally as the three architects worked together, surpassing the small-scale space initially envisioned by Rolf Fehlbaum.
Khushnu Panthaki Hoof explains:
“We were a little nervous because Rolf expected a shrine of about two by two meters, but the project grew beyond that. Everything was driven by intuition.”
In this sense, the design was not the product of rigid planning but the outcome of a fluid, intuitive process that allowed ideas to grow freely until the project acquired its final form.
A Vision Emergent from the Subconscious
Khushnu reveals that the core of the idea emerged from a dream Doshi had, in which two snakes intertwined.
This symbolic vision was translated first into a written narrative and then into a drawn plan, through which the architectural concepts and details were shaped.
Thus, the architecture was born from the subconscious, becoming an invitation to an inward journey that reflects Doshi’s philosophy of integrating sensation, symbolism, and function.
Site Selection: Harmony Between Idea and Place
The retreat is situated at the edge of the Vitra Campus, near the main entrance and just steps away from the manufacturing facilities and the Design Museum.
Although this site was not the first choice at the outset of the project, repeated explorations by the architects across the campus led them to a plot adjacent to the conference pavilion designed by Tadao Ando.
There, they sensed that the surrounding nature and environment mirrored the contemplative serenity the project sought to embody, making it the ideal location to bring the concept to life.
Architecture Merging with Nature
The Doshi Retreat was built on a sloped site housing three mature trees, which required the design to interact with the environment rather than dominate it.
As a result, the structure of the retreat weaves its path among the existing vegetation, carved into the earth like a gently branching river delta, guiding visitors toward the main pavilion space.
This natural configuration not only serves aesthetic purposes but also reflects Doshi’s philosophy of honoring the organic essence of a place and coexisting with it rather than overriding it.
The Journey Upwards: From Earth to Sky
The approach into the pavilion follows a carefully graduated path, paralleling a spiritual contemplative experience.
As visitors progress toward the center, the surrounding walls gradually rise, carrying soil and plants with them, naturally elevating the gaze toward the sky.
This ascending vertical movement provides a symbolic sense of gradual detachment from the outside world, as if the space itself is guiding those who enter toward an increasing state of inner clarity.
Meditation Stations Along the Way
Along the path, small resting points slightly elevated above the ground are distributed around the trees, forming natural meditation stations.
Here, visitors can pause, breathe the fresh air, and reconnect with the surroundings before continuing inward.
In this way, entering the retreat becomes a gradual sensory journey, preparing visitors for the serenity that awaits at the heart of the main space.
Materials as a Language of Identity
The materials used in the Doshi Retreat are fundamental in shaping its visual and sensory character.
The pathways are clad in aged XCarb steel, the same metal enveloping the main pavilion, achieving a material and tonal unity that gives visual cohesion to the overall experience.
The deep red of the steel blends with crushed brick paving along the path leading to the pavilion, creating a harmonious contrast with the surrounding green grass.
Through this interplay, color and texture become a sensory medium connecting nature with architecture, fostering a warmer and more organic relationship between them.
A Color Balance Weaving Dialogue with Nature
This harmony of iron, clay, and vegetation is not merely for aesthetic appeal; it carries a philosophical dimension reflecting Doshi’s vision of making materials an extension of nature rather than a rupture from it.
The transition from the natural environment into the building unfolds gradually, as if the architecture grows from the earth itself.
Aligned with this approach, a new master plan was developed under the guidance of Belgian landscape architect Bas Smets, aiming to introduce small forested areas within the campus to enhance this sustainable environmental connection.
Interior: A Space of Contemplation and Silent Music
At the heart of the retreat, a single circular room opens around a still water pond, surrounded by simple, curved stone benches inviting visitors to sit in quietude.
Soft, harmonious tones of gongs and ceramic flutes resonate in the space, faintly audible as one approaches the pavilion and gradually enveloping the interior in a deep, immersive sound, creating a meditative calm that transcends auditory perception toward inner sensation.
The Final Touch: The Mandala Symbolism
Crowning the scene is a hand-hammered copper mandala hanging from the ceiling, crafted in India, reminding visitors of Doshi’s cultural roots and adding a spiritual dimension to the experience.
Through this symbolic gesture, the dialogue between material and spirit, light and sound, human and place is completed, making the Doshi Retreat an embodiment of architecture as a state of awareness rather than merely walls.
Steel as a Living Entity Interacting with Time
The Doshi Retreat relies on steel as a fundamental material in its architectural composition, donated by ArcelorMittal.
This particular type was chosen for its ability to age naturally over time, forming a rusted patina that gives it a living, evolving appearance reflecting the interaction between material and nature.
In this way, the steel is not merely a rigid shell but transforms into a temporal element that breathes and develops, recording the effects of climate and seasons on its surface.
Sustainability Beyond Visual Beauty
Khushnu Panthaki Hoof explains that this steel was produced using renewable resources, in harmony with the sustainable architectural approach embraced by the project from the beginning.
The goal was not only to create a beautiful contemplative space but also to achieve an ethical and environmental harmony between design and its sources.
Every detail in the retreat embodies this environmental awareness, reflecting Balkrishna Doshi’s philosophy of treating nature as a collaborator in design, not merely a backdrop.
Lightfooted Construction
In line with this approach, the environmental impact of construction was minimized.
Instead of deeply excavating foundations as is customary, the structures were anchored using screw piles, ensuring stability without disturbing the original soil or vegetation.
Through this method, the retreat becomes part of the natural landscape, not an imposed foreign mass, but a harmonious presence that flows through the land, just as contemplation flows through the mind.
The Doshi Retreat: An Invitation to Solitude and Contemplation
The Doshi Retreat was designed as a space for mindful pause and inner serenity, free from any conventional architectural categorization.
It is not merely a place to inhabit, but a sensory and spiritual experience that invites visitors to solitude and contemplation, where each moment becomes an opportunity to connect with oneself and engage with the surrounding environment with full awareness.
The Human Depth of Doshi’s Philosophy
The opening of the retreat represents a living embodiment of Balkrishna Doshi’s legacy in Indian modernist architecture, while also serving as a reminder of his absence following his passing in 2023.
The concept extends beyond construction; it manifests the philosophy of silence and contemplation that Doshi embraced throughout his career, expressed profoundly in his final project.
Silence as Guidance
Khushnu Panthaki Hoof reflects on completing the project after her grandfather’s death:
“Doshi always said:
Silence is the most generous form of guidance. And when he departed, his absence was that guidance for us.”
These words make it clear that the project was not merely an architectural design but an extension of a deep architectural thought, where silence and internal philosophy become integral to the visitor’s experience, transforming the space into a dialogue between present and past, between human and place.
✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight
Although the Doshi Retreat represents a unique sensory and architectural experience, highlighting the power of design to create harmony between nature and human space, the project also raises points that may invite future architectural reflection. Among its notable strengths is the retreat’s ability to intelligently integrate natural elements, from the terrain to the existing trees, providing visitors with a sense of flow and immersion in the surrounding environment. The use of materials, particularly aged steel and crushed brick, demonstrates a sustainable artistic sensibility that connects texture, color, and nature, while adding a temporal dimension that becomes more apparent over time.
However, the project prompts some questions regarding functionality and flexibility of use. Its strong focus on contemplative and symbolic experience may limit visitors’ freedom to interact or adapt the space for multiple purposes. Furthermore, the organic nature of the design could make future maintenance more challenging, especially in relation to climate and sensitive materials. On the other hand, exploring the potential to expand concepts like the “space of silence” to broader contexts or integrating educational elements related to sustainable architecture and environmental interaction could benefit the architectural community, students, and researchers in the future.
In summary, the Doshi Retreat offers a compelling example of how architecture can transform space into a meditative experience, while also opening discussions about balancing aesthetic symbolism with practical flexibility, making it a rich source of learning and study within the architectural field.
Prepared by the ArchUp Editorial Team
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