Spirit of Place

Abstract

This paper explores the meaning and purpose of the various ancient and modern design elements of meditation room construction, and how they serve to define a specific design aesthetic inherent to all meditation rooms. Based on my investigations, I have concluded that those formal, intimate places in which we meditate are, by the content of their components, physical models of the technique itself. It is also my contention that these elements are both tools and archetypes designed to facilitate a specific meditation technique outlined in my research. I will present the subject of meditation: what it is, how it works and the results of its ritual practices and how they relate to the meditative process. Special attention is given to the composition of the furnishings that are placed around a single object of interest in the center of the room. I have designed the remaining components to be a visual extension of the center group detail in order to combine them all into one cohesive, visual unit.