Architectural Design II

Case study of small meditation spaces

- Shashank Manohar
1RW20AT089
II SEM, RVCA
Tadao Ando”s Meditation Space in UNESCO headquarters

The meditation space was designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, to

UNESCO headquarters in Paris in the year to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of
the institution.

The intention was to create a space where people from around the world, of all
races and religions can pray for peace.
The space is on the UNESCO headquarters in Paris is near the Eiffel Tower.

The seat is a famous modern building designed by Marcel Breuer that owns works by Picasso, Giacometti and other artists inside and
outside, among these works is a Japanese garden, which by then was in pretty bad shape, designed by Isamu Noguchi, a sculptor who was,
by origin and spirit, both American and Japanese.

It chose a site next to the garden to create the space for prayer.

It was a difficult place: Ando had to create an autonomous area of prayer to express an idea in a convincing surrounded by buildings, work
spaces and world-acclaimed artists who menguarían the importance of his work.
Interiors
The interior photos reveal the simplicity of the structure, which adds
to its sense of monumentality. It is empty inside, apart from a pair of
metal chairs that invite visitors to take a seat.

Once seated, there is little to distract. Only the dots on the walls,
which are traces of the concrete casting process, and a shaft of light
coming down through a gap between the walls and ceiling.