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Women’s Dormitory & Meditation Building / Walllasia

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Women’s Dormitory & Meditation Building / Walllasia - Image 7 of 13
© Spaceshift Studio/ Pirak Anurakyawachon

Women’s Dormitory & Meditation Building / Walllasia - Image 2 of 13Women’s Dormitory & Meditation Building / Walllasia - Interior Photography, Windows, Handrail, BeamWomen’s Dormitory & Meditation Building / Walllasia - Interior Photography, ColumnWomen’s Dormitory & Meditation Building / Walllasia - Image 7 of 13Women’s Dormitory & Meditation Building / Walllasia - More Images+ 8

  • Design Team: Panomporn Prompang, Charlotte Matias, Kunakorn Wangkanai, Phuris Kanjana, Jirawat Ponsamart, Chatchawal Tullayanit
  • Manufactureres: Pongpan Ngamwongnoi
  • Clients: Wat Pa Watchira Banpot Temple
  • On Site Manager: Nuttapon Nimlamai, Worawit Saikaew
  • Country: Thailand
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Women’s Dormitory & Meditation Building / Walllasia - Image 5 of 13
© Spaceshift Studio/ Pirak Anurakyawachon

Text description provided by the architects. The four-storey residence nestled in lovely natural surroundings at Wat Pa Wachirabanpot in Chon Buri isn’t easily seen from afar, but it’s surprisingly easy to get to. It holds a meditation centre and is the residence for the women who come to practise, serving as their second home.

Women’s Dormitory & Meditation Building / Walllasia - Image 2 of 13
© Spaceshift Studio/ Pirak Anurakyawachon

Strikingly designed, each of the 100 rooms in the building enjoys breathtaking views of mountains and woodland. The structure is chiefly concrete, but the design is humble enough that it’s anything but an eyesore in this magnificent setting.

Women’s Dormitory & Meditation Building / Walllasia - Image 13 of 13
Plans

A large man-made pond in front of the residence is, again, conceived to be multifunctional. It is not only pleasing to the eye and enhances the grandeur of the building, but it’s also a reservoir for the clean water that descends from the hills, useful for drinking and other domestic uses. Plus, it keeps prying eyes at a distance so that no one is disturbed while they’re meditating. The soil excavated for the pond was used to establish the foundation of the residence.

Women’s Dormitory & Meditation Building / Walllasia - Interior Photography, Windows, Handrail, Beam
© Spaceshift Studio/ Pirak Anurakyawachon

The interior is meant to be airy and well ventilated. In the long corridor are ventilation tubes installed above and below.
The balconies vary in size, inspired by the rhythms of sermons and the breathing of the meditating participants as they strive to achieve mindfulness. They count from one to nine as an exercise in concentration, and count again at the end of each cycle to foster mindfulness.

Women’s Dormitory & Meditation Building / Walllasia - Interior Photography, Column
© Spaceshift Studio/ Pirak Anurakyawachon

The spacious rooftop is surrounded by water, almost as if to keep the practitioners from falling off.
The placidity of this scene can’t be seen from the outside, though – it can only be appreciated from within.

The symmetric open-air corridor is paved with bricks in a pattern borrowed from a venerable temple, in a tribute to ancient Thai architecture.

Women’s Dormitory & Meditation Building / Walllasia - Image 8 of 13
© Spaceshift Studio/ Pirak Anurakyawachon

The working team tapped its members’ expertise and kept watch on the budget. These were priorities, but so too was “the existence of things”. All these factors are reflected in the rough exterior surface and the meticulous interior design of the rooms.

Women’s Dormitory & Meditation Building / Walllasia - Image 9 of 13
© Spaceshift Studio/ Pirak Anurakyawachon

From a distance, the building is like a white box inserted into the mountain. It was in fact designed so that the rocks stayed in their original places surrounded by the pond – in the middle of the structure – to keep the temperature inside mild and enhances the rocks’ stoic presence where they can be viewed from every level through the skylight box.

Women’s Dormitory & Meditation Building / Walllasia - Exterior Photography, Waterfront
© Spaceshift Studio/ Pirak Anurakyawachon

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Project location

Address:Wat Pa Watchira Banpot, Chonburi, Thailand

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
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Cite: "Women’s Dormitory & Meditation Building / Walllasia" 12 Aug 2019. ArchDaily. Accessed 24 Dec 2024. <https://www.archdaily.com/922727/womens-dormitory-and-meditation-building-walllasia> ISSN 0719-8884
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