The Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany, has unveiled a deeply personal and spiritual addition with the completion of the Doshi Retreat, a contemplative space designed by the late Pritzker Prize laureate Balkrishna Doshi in collaboration with Studio Sangath. The project, led by Doshi's granddaughter Khushnu Panthaki Hoof and her husband Sönke Hoof, represents both the renowned architect's first built work outside of India and the final project he conceived before his passing in 2023.
The retreat is designed as a winding subterranean pathway that guides visitors beneath the surface of the Vitra Campus, creating a unique underground experience that blends Indian philosophy with meditative spatial rhythms. The steel structure's curving walls feature soft tones of gong and ceramic flute that echo through hidden recesses, creating an immersive soundscape for visitors as they move through the space.
According to Khushnu Panthaki Hoof, the architecture was born from a dream that Doshi experienced of two interweaving cobras, a poetic vision that manifests in the spiraling movement of the structure. This design also carries symbolic reference to Kundalini, the coiled energy that lies dormant at the base of the spine according to yogic tradition, adding layers of spiritual meaning to the architectural form.
The retreat incorporates an innovative audio system embedded into concave cavities in the ground, which diffuses layers of gong and flute tones that accompany visitors' passage through the space. As Hoof explains, "The soundscape is not composed as music but experienced as vibration. It is sound, resonating through the visitor's body, that erases the boundary between self and structure." This approach creates an immersive environment where architecture and sound merge to enhance the contemplative experience.
At the culmination of the winding path, visitors encounter a contemplation chamber that serves as the retreat's centerpiece. The chamber is illuminated by a hand-hammered brass mandala that was crafted in India, whose reflective surface scatters light across the interior space. This creates what designers describe as "an inner cosmos of still movement," serving as a fitting metaphor for Doshi's lifelong search for harmony between material and spirit.
The entire structure is constructed from forged and formed XCarb steel, a low-carbon-emissions material made from recycled steel and produced with renewable energy. This environmentally conscious material was donated by ArcelorMittal for the project. Over time, the steel surface will naturally weather to develop a patina through controlled corrosion, allowing it to merge harmoniously with the earthbound tones of the surrounding landscape.
Following Doshi's passing, Studio Sangath in Ahmedabad continued to shape the retreat in close dialogue with his original vision. The team worked together to translate the project's conceptual rhythm into physical form, carefully weaving it into the existing fabric of the Vitra Campus. This collaboration ensured that Doshi's final architectural statement would be completed according to his philosophical and design intentions, creating a lasting legacy at one of the world's most significant design campuses.
