Metamorphosis Yoga Shala-Gebouw by Constantinos Yanniotis

Metamorphosis Yoga Shala-Gebouw by Constantinos Yanniotis is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award in IJzer in Architectuur, Gebouwen en Constructieontwerp Competition Category.

IJzerArchitectuur· 2022

Metamorphosis Yoga Shala-Gebouw

by Constantinos Yanniotis

Client: Yanniotis & Assosiates | Architects & Consulting Engineers

A' Design Award in IJzer Winner in Architectuur Category

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The Design

About Metamorphosis Yoga Shala-Gebouw

Dit project gaat over een Yoga Shala-voorstel ingediend in een International Architecture Competition Call. De site maakt deel uit van een yoga-retraitecomplex in de bergen, gelegen in een adembenemend bosgebied in centraal Portugal. Het nieuwe Yoga Shala-gebouw is geïnspireerd op de yogafilosofie, omdat het een spirituele oefening is in plaats van een fysieke oefening. De nieuwbouw bestaat naast de Shala met een atriumruimte uit het theehuisgrotvolume. Beide gebouwen worden omlijst door de biomorfe xeriscaping tuineilanden, de kromlijnige lopende betonnen stenen paden en de niveaus van de teeltactiviteiten.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in IJzer

Metamorphosis Yoga Shala-Gebouw is winnaar van de A' Design Award in IJzer, een prestigieuze erkenning die wordt toegekend aan goede ontwerpen die voldoen aan de professionele en industriële eisen die worden verwacht van goed ontworpen creaties. Winnaars in IJzer tonen grote vaardigheid, hoge specialisatie, deskundig inzicht en het creatieve vermogen van hun makers. Metamorphosis Yoga Shala-Gebouw wordt verwacht een hooggewaardeerde, bewonderde en gekoesterde creatie te zijn die praktisch en innovatief is. Dit ontwerp dat de A' Design Award in IJzer heeft gewonnen, integreert de beste praktijken uit de sector en heeft bekwame technische kenmerken die verbonden zijn met knowhow en talent. Metamorphosis Yoga Shala-Gebouw wordt gerespecteerd om zijn grondigheid en is ontworpen om verbeteringen van de levenskwaliteit te bieden die helpen de wereld een betere plek te maken.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The Building program, consists of the new Yoga Shala with an Atrium, the Xeriscape Garden islands, the Stone Teahouse carved in the sloped ground along with the Cultivation Levels. The Teahouse serves as a neutral background, while the organic shaped garden islands define the layout of the circulation paths and seating areas. The Atrium with the Olive Tree, add spatial quality, while the cultivation plantings provide cultivating activities that enhance the experience of the visitors.
Dimensions & Packaging: The structure of the building consists of primary and secondary structural wood contour beams grid. A horizontal perimetric bench-like shelf, reinforces the structure stiffness while serving as a seating bench. The skin of the building is comprised by layers of plywood sheets, thermal insulation and structured titanium panels.
The Yoga Shala curved building skin incorporates photovoltaic panels. It has the adequate thermal insulation and a Pasiv Haus construction envelope in order to maximize energy efficiency. The openings allow for adequate natural lighting and aeration. The rainwater and greywater are purified and stored in a water tank.
Tags: Hospitality, Sustainable Architecture, Recreational Architecture, Yoga Shala, Yoga Retreat
Production Technology: The form of the new Yoga Shala was produced by the geometric transformations of the model of the Butterfly Cocoon. The complex geometry of the cocoon gently surrounds and hosts the caterpillar throughout its metamorphosis to a brilliant butterfly. The geometric study of the cocoon and its necessary form simplification, was ultimately derived by an iterative process of revolved geometries of a typical cocoon cross section till the birth of the Butterfly.
Design Challenge: The most demanding feature of the design, was the incorporation of a the bubble shaped, metallic buiding into the forest landscape. The demand for a dynamic and recognizable building form, that would serve as a landmark to the Yoga Retreat site, led to the creation of the organic and biomorphic Yoga Shala.
Research: The Geometry of the Yoga Shala is based on the Butterfly Cocoon Transformation. The form of the Yoga Shala building and its materiality is also connected to the construction of the Vernacular Indian Huts. It has been derived by the revolution in space of an Organic Form Curve along an axis that divides the form in two separate and clearly defined volumes, interconnected with each other to create the Cocoon shaped Shala. Each part of the curve is revolved an angle in order to create a closed shape. Two overhangs, one in each block, are created by an additional revolution around the same axis of rotation.
Inspiration: The geometry of the new Yoga Shala has been inspired by the Butterfly Cocoon. The Metamorphosis of the clumsy and worldly caterpillar which transforms through an extraordinary biological process to a graceful Butterfly, is the core idea behind the building form and construction. Yoga practice is a personal journey towards enlightenment and the True Self. It means Connection, and this journey will only be authentic through the conceptualization and realization that everything is interconnected.
Project Duration: The project started in October 2020 and ended in December 2020. It is located in a breathtaking region of central Portugal, in an old
abandoned valley farm which has been transformed to a Yoga Retreat Center. This proposal represents the Bureau's participation in an International Architecture Competition Call, which requested the design of an additional Yoga Shala space to the existing complex.
Operation Flow: The floor plan is organized into the organic shaped volume of the building. There are two independent entrances, one leading to the Shala and the other one to the Xeriscape Atrium. The wide glazing openings allow for natural lighting thus enhancing the warmth and hospitality of the space. The storage of the yoga equipment is incorporated in the wooden structure of the building, under the perimetric seating bench and on shelves constructed between the primary structural beam contours. In the corner of the Yoga Shala, Aerial Yoga Swings may be hanged from the structural Beams supporting this activity with safety.
Team Members: Constantinos Yanniotis, Head Architect
Konstantinos Xanthopoulos, Architect