Meditation Cabin Spatial Concept Collage
A Home for Mindfulness was a design submission entry for a Bee Breeders and Earth Energies Sanctuary design competition – the purpose was to design a meditation cabin for a rural and secluded wellness retreat that is located on a 200-acre farm in New Zealand.
Meditation is an incredible resource for focusing the mind and finding clarity, however, the overall success of elevating the mind is directly dependent on the individual’s physical environment. A successful space should provide shelter, but more importantly, comfort – allowing the body to be anchored so the mind feels safe and unrestricted to detach.
The overall flow of the site has this very strong North-to-South relationship that I wanted to keep within the design of the cabin. The large North and South facades, when opened completely, allow this distinctive energy to penetrate through the entirety of the structure, exposing the user to the raw environment while also providing shelter.
The proposed site offers a lot of potential and there is a rawness to the overall environment that would create a unique connection with the user. My goal with this structure was to design a space that would complement and frame this distinctive background and give the user the ability to filter their exposure to the natural site. The structure itself also works as a physical representation of the meditative process. From a distance, the cabin appears solid, but as the user approaches it is revealed the cabin is not a solid mass but a layering of materials. The vertical wood batten screen acts like a shell covering the polycarbonate skin that protects the exposed timber framing. It is not until the user slides open the exterior batten pocket doors and then the interior polycarbonate doors do, they reach the center of the cabin – like the mind peeling away opaque layers of consciousness to reach that center of mental clarity.
The cabin’s structure is visible on the interior to allow the user to see the essential structural connections and reinforce the clarity symbolism through exposing the natural wood materials. Built-in plywood shelving and bench provides necessary storage and seating for users unable to sit in a cross-legged pose. The clear-spanning vaulted space makes the cabin feel more open and expansive within such a small space. Lastly, since the site is so remote, I chose materials that would be easy to transport, construct with, and are resilient to the local climate. The use of a polycarbonate skin provides much more protection and durability than that of a traditional glazing system – also creating a translucent barrier between the user and nature.
The vertical wood batten screen covers much of the structure and is fastened to a network of interior horizontal battens.
A translucent polycarbonate skin encases the entirety of the structure, affixes directly to the wood timber frame – creating a strong thermal and moisture barrier. Two large unobstructed polycarbonate windows enhance the East and West Facades.
The structure of the cabin is timber framing with the posts and rafters connecting with coated steel recessed joinery. The timber framing fastens directly to the concrete footers which are used to lift the structure off of the sloping landscape.