Stone Barn
Meditation
Camp

The first prize winner is successful in its provision of the architectural solution of volumes. The shape, structure and covering of the volumes, of both existing and added buildings, is in context with the structure’s rural and natural landscape. It sees a thatched main building and side buildings dispersed along the site, giving it a prominent rural appearance. The general strategy is simple, inserting an axis made of flowers along which the functions of the meditation camp are distributed. The close relationship with nature is well-conceived, with various forms of renewable energy incorporated, including geothermal, wind renewables and rainwater collection to lessen the environmental impact. The design’s strength comes from its clear and compact design, its effective use of space, and its effective sustainable strategy.

The second prize winners were chosen for their clear approach, from the conceptual design level, to the general plan and architectural level. The stone barn is the focal point for this design, with new buildings planned surrounding it in order to create multiple courtyards. The different functions of the meditation camp are then served by an internal corridor.

The success of the third prize winners comes from the project’s good preservation of the original stone barn, and creative positioning of adjacent structures. The iconic looking building does well not to break visual links inwards or outward. The design integrates the landscape, in the form of roof gardens, into its insulation strategy, combining it with renewable geothermal energy to power the barn and its surrounding structures. The new design embraces the old, as it hugs the earth with sunken trapezoidal structure with a moat and platform, and retains its visual links to and from the existing structure.