Temple

As for you, have you ever noticed how the world seems to be made up of edges and sharp corners? Have I drawn your attention to the scarcity of gentle outlines in things? Everything is tough and sharp. I observe, do you observe how it moves without collisions through the edges? Does it seem docile to you, so sinuous, avoiding touches that could hurt it? Well, to me, it seems false; I know its intricacies well and I know every time it has yielded so as not to be hurt by the outside. Look, listen, observe: these sinuosities belong to a snake, not a bird. – Caio Fernando Abreu

WALK / HOUSE is a tranquil part, surrounded by trees and mountains, of a temple “Wat Thammayan” in Petchabun, Thailand, where is not only for an abbot to live in but also to maintain his daily ritual practice together with other monks – a walking meditation. Instead of designing a traditional house, a key concept of walking meditation which is a concentration on the present dimensions of earth and sky to enhance awareness of mental and physical states, was reinterpreted in the architectural context.

The client’s brief was bold and direct “Make it inspirational and spiritual”. In addition to that, they were marked by a recent trip to the Netherlands, where the intensity of nature was striking and lingered on their mind. 

The Open Mind Place Heidentempel (pagan temple) is a place to rest and to get in contact with nature and people. It is located directly on the popular trail Heidenstrasse (pagan road), a medieval trade route between Cologne and Leipzig in Germany that dates back more than 1,000 years. 

The brief was to design a temple for the residents of villages around Nandyal. In the dry terrain of Nandyal, the main concern was to provide a space which would marry the socio-cultural expectations of a temple with the ecological framework and dynamics of and around the site. The immediate context of Cotton and chilly farms in the region were fed by a natural canal system which had dried up.  

A historical setting. In the centre of the modern metropolis Abu Dhabi lies the city’s oldest and most important building, the Qasr Al Hosn Fort. This important culture-historical gem was originally built in the 18th century to protect Abu Dhabi’s only freshwater well and later served as a royal residence and government building. Before the urbanization of Abu Dhabi island, the fort was the first thing travellers would see arriving at the coast from the desert – a landmark rising from the sands as a magnificent sculpture, literally constituting the birthplace of the city of Abu Dhabi.

Luum Temple is part of the amenities of a new residential development called Luum Zama, in Tulum Mexico. Tulum’s surging popularity has brought a lot of developers seeking to build maximum sellable areas, many of whom clear cut the existing jungle and build over the regulations. In contrast, The Luum Zama development sets aside 50% of its 8 hectare area for the conservation of existing vegetation while also implementing a reforestation program with endemic plants of the region. Luum Zama’s masterplan was also designed by Co-Lab Design Office, who are keen on raising awareness to the urgency of conservation and protection of the natural resources in the area and regulation of the construction.

We designed a new Main Hall for Ichigyo-in Temple in Sennichi-dani (meaning “valley” in Japanese), Tokyo. Ichigyo-in belongs to the Jodo sect of Buddhism and its history dates back to the Edo Tokugawa period.