DHYAN KENDRA
Meditation Centre, VVP Rajkot
A place for contemplation

Located in the existing campus of V.V.P. Engineering College Rajkot, The Mediation Centre is a unique programmatic building for college students. The site is located next to the existing Library Building occupying the North West corner.
The proposed building is placed adjacent to the row of Saptaparni trees towards the west side, and such that a common open court is formed between the proposed Meditation Centre and the Library. The restriction in design of building was governed by a high tension line passing across the adjoining open ground.

The construction techniques and the material palette were governed out of the architectural vocabulary the existing campus followed. This building is an insert into a campus, therefore the newer material related in abstracting volumes.

The circular water body was created to reflect the inner circular volume. Centre within and in with nature.

The entrance area has–Kalmidh (Black Basalt stone) and the entry volume is out of exposed concrete, a thin shelter to enter in.

The finish is kept as casted to prove the ruggedness of entering something really refined.
This typifies what Corbusier described as ‘beton brut’ in many of his books and expresses in so many of his buildings. The Enveloping walls are built with composite materials Kalmidh (Black Basalt) stone on outer surface to merge with other campus buildings and bricks on inside to get fine finish.

The circular mass of the meditation centre to define the hollow centre and enveloping walls were designed to accentuate the centre. The Architectural language is derived out of geometric overlapping of a centre and enveloping walls. The flooring is generated out of tessellating module of Kota stone, which is inlaid in white cast in situ cement terrazzo. Rest of the seating plinths are also done in same material as flooring.

The columns are of exposed cast in situ concrete. They have a tapered top to decrease mass when they touch ring beam. The dome is also finished in exposed concrete rendered to give refined finish inside.

The enveloping walls create dramatic journey to inside.
The Centre of the main circular space has voice resonance due to the domed roof. Because of this the chanting has powerful effect, where as other seating plinths which have law height has no voice reflection..