won Buddhist Meditation Hall in construction. Post: Victoria Meyers architect
Victoria Meyers architect (hMa): Won Buddhist Retreat in Claverack, New York, employs simple materials (sustainably harvested wood) that blends into the landscape, and is shaped by the use of deceptively complex geometric forms.
hMa designed four courtyard buildings on the site, including the Administration building (below), as simple square shapes. The simplicity of the plan is made dynamic and complex, however, by opening the courtyards to the public areas through a spiral circulation pattern, and placing complex roof forms above the courtyard entrances.The roofs and ceilings above the 'entry porches' to each of the courtyards are cut into complex biomorphic, triangulated geometries. This triangulation speaks about the dynamic activity of walking into, and out from each private courtyard.
Won Buddhist Administration Hall in Construction: Post Victoria Meyers architect
The triangulating forms soften the roof shapes, and make the walking porches places of meditation. They also make the porches feel like they are natural extensions of the site.
Won Buddhist Connector - Meditation Hall / Administration: Post: Victoria Meyers architect
Won Buddhist Retreat, and the Bio-morphic design applied to the spiral porch roofs, is a further exploration of the architecture of infinity by hMa. The Won Dharma retreat design by hanrahan Meyers architects applies many of the firm's researches to date, including researches into light as well as complex triangulated construction, which can be used to create self-supporting structures.
hMa's first venture into triangulating, self-supporting structures was their 'sound booth' design for Vox Harbour, a collaboration with sound artist Jane Philbrick.
Won Buddhist Retreat will be open to the public in September, 2011.
