STONE BARN MEDITATION
Precipitation
Latvia has an exceptional natural wealth: more than half the territory is forest and 20% of the country is protected territory. The city of Madona, where the project is located, is surrounded by hundreds of forests, lakes and rivers that make the city a diamond in the rough of ecotourism. However, Madona has no great tourist tradition and is not prepared to receive visitors: there is a luxury spa hotel and you can hardly find a room or a flat to rent Stone Barn Meditation Camp wants to be the center that welcomes the tourist, from which the region is revealed and the place from which to explore the rich natural environment that surrounds it. Stone Barn Meditation Camp is conceived as a space centered on personal development and connection with nature. Yoga Spa Stone Barn Meditation Camp
Riga
Madona
. Human growth: The human being is composed of spirit and body. To be at peace, both parts must be in harmony. That’s why the main activities of the camp are yoga / meditation and the spa. Yoga and meditation cultivate the spiritual aspect of the human being, not forgetting its direct impact on the physical aspect. For the care of the body there is a circuit of water at different temperature and pressure that reactivate the blood system and stimulate the energy points of the body (chakras).
TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE
1. Silence chamber 2. Spa 3. Yoga/meditation, close and open 4. Kitchen and dining room for staff and guests 5. Rest and entertainment areas for staff and guests 6. A space for conferences or talks 7. A semi-covered terrace for events 8. Space for astronomical observatory. 9. House for host 10. Accommodation for employees/ collaborators 11. Accommodation for guests 12. Meditation shelters 13. Orchards and farm
In Madona, the most used material is wood given it is a natural resource of the area. The constructions have few openings and gable roofs due to the hard and long winter period. Temperatures only exceed 10ºC from May to September and the snow covers everything in white for several months: from October to April. The traditional heating system is the stove, wood burning. The proposed architecture keeps openings controlled and covered slopes for the same weather reasons.
EXISTING CONDITIONS: THE CLIMATE AND THE OLD SWAMILL The climate and the adjacent river determine the system to obtain renewable energy to use: hydraulic and wind:
. However, from October to April the rains cease, giving way to the blizzards and thus activating the windmill. Neither power source requires large machines. They are small facilities: the camp is of low capacity and has little energetic requirement. Both share the power transformer, storage and distribution of energy, located less than 10 meters from the energy production point.
m
7k
Stone Barn Meditation Camp gives formal and functional prominence to this construction. It becomes the heart of the camp: to which the users come and go; the place that stores and supplies energy; that purifies and distributes water; around which the activities proposed by the center take place.
1
Humidity
Wind speed
Water temp.
. From April to October rain becomes a common meteorological phenomenon, which guarantees that the river will carry sufficient flow to move the hydraulic mill (it does not affect the flow of the river at all and is zero invasive).
The old sawmill was built in 1875, almost 150 years ago. It is a historical object that must be preserved, reused and endowed with a new life. The current state, quite deteriorated, requires certain interventions in the existing, especially in the structure and in the cover. But it will be preserved without major transformations that would detract from its original conception. The necessary adjustments will be made to make it a useful building again.
P-37
. Connection with nature: the center has its own orchards and a mini farm for self-supply. The user can participate in the work of tilling and care of the animals, thus offering direct contact and without intermediaries with what they will eat later. The center also fosters exploring the natural surroundings, either on foot or by bicycle. Routes are recommended and the concept of walking without a fixed course is presented: with no final objective planned at the beginning of the hike. Stroll for the pleasure of getting to know nature as you encounter it.
PROGRAM:
Max-Min temp.
Sun hours
Rain days
7
P-3
Financially the center is maintained thanks to two sources of income: 1.The rent of cabins per night which are of exclusive use for the guest. 2. Both the yoga classes and the spa are open to the external user. That is, any person can enjoy the facilities as a one-off or on regular basis (classes) without needing to stay overnight.
PUBLIC AREAS
Access/ Parking area (bikes and cars)
Silence chamber
Spa circuit
Main building Yoga/ Meditation Energy source Water purification Covered terrace
PRIVATE AREAS
Host´s house
Accommodation for employees/collaborators
Accommodation for guest
Meditation shelters
Orchards and farm
th nor
HOW IT WORKS It is at this heart where all the common activities occur, where the different types of users converge and coexist: employees, guests and external users. The following installations are located here: Reception, terrace for events, kitchen, dining room, rest area, conference room, astronomical observatory, and technical areas: water treatment and storage and energy storage and distribution.
SELF-SUFFICIENCY / SELF-SUPPLY
Practically adjacent to this core are the areas reserved for yoga practice and the spa. Both are accessed from reception, which allows access control of external users. In this way, common activities and public areas, are gathered into the front and more visible part of the plot. From the reception you reach the most private area of the project. At the back of the building we find spaces intended for the exclusive use of guests, employees and owners. These spaces are no longer compact and spread out on the ground in search of privacy and observation of nature. These areas are reached through some paths which can be covered or open.
Passive solar heating
Self-supply of drinking and grey water
Vegetables, fruits and animals grow protected from the cold inside the greenhouses.
The existing climatic conditions require the project to present a strong solution regarding the system of heat retention and solar thermal collection so as to do without other heating systems less environmentally friendly.
The greenhouse that wraps the main building, space for yoga classes and the spa circuit covers a large area thus allowing to collect large amounts of rainwater and redirect it through channels to the water treatment point.
By combining two traditional solar heat retention resources, Trombe wall and greenhouse, a transparent layer is created that covers areas of architecture that receive direct sunlight at some point in the day. That is, it wraps each architectural element, except on the north faces. The rays of sunlight go through the transparent layer of the greenhouse but do not let heat out. Heat accumulates and warms up the environment.
Energy self-sufficiency:
FARM / VEGETABLE / FRUIT GARDEN
The center of storage and distribution of the energy produced by the mills (wind and hydro) is in the main building. Being located inside the building (which is the construction that requires most energy), and so close to the source of production, it prevents energy loss in the route.
3
2
Food self-sufficiency
MEDITATION SHELTERS
MEDITATION SHELTERS
The walls and roof inside the greenhouse are made of adobe (material with high capacity of thermal absorption) to retain the heat that accumulates the greenhouse during the hours of sun and releasing it gradually during the night time. In this way, the interior is maintained at a temperature well above the outside throughout the day. The north facing building envelope is made of insulating materials with the smallest possible openings.
In order to bring electricity to the cabins spread out on the land, we use the roads that reach these places: electricity and water installations are under the pavement.
The treatment of cleaning and purification of water (wastewater or rainwater) is done through the Reedbed filtration system: Reed beds are aquatic plant based systems which allow bacteria, fungi and algae to digest the sewage and clean the water. The Reedbed system stays inside the greenhouse ensuring that the cleaning plants do non freeze due to the outside climate in winter. This filtered and purified water is stored a few meters away, inside the main building. From there it is distributed to all required points.
What happens in summer with the heat that the greenhouse retains? The greenhouse transparent skin is conceived as scales or oscillating flaps that can be opened or closed as needed. In summer the scales open and the bubble of hot air breaks.
1 STAFF COMMUNITY STAFF COMMUNITY
GUEST CHAMBERS MAIN BUILDING
YOGA/MEDITATION
1
HOST´S HOUSE
5 YOGA/MEDITATION/ MAIN BUILDING
5 4
SILENT CHAMBER SPA
3 FARM / VEGETABLE / FRUIT GARDEN
PUBLIC PARKING (CARS/BIKES)
PRIVATE PARKING (CARS/BIKES) WATER PURIFICATION: water distribution circuit
ENERGY SOURCE:
nort
h
electricity distribution circuit
2 MEDITATION SHELTERS
4 GUEST CHAMBERS
PUBLIC The different types of users converge and coexist in public areas: employees, guests and external users. There are four kind of spaces and activities: Hosts
Guest
Employees
External users
MAIN BUILDING:
SPA: Hot Cold
. M01: Reception and toilets
SILENT CHAMBER:
S02 S01
S03 S04
The space is small and is
S08
. M02: Close/open terrace
. S01: Dressing room and toilets
. M03: Water purification system
. S02: Entry
. M04: Technical areas (energy and water)
. S03: Whirlpool
. M05: Kitchen and dinning room for staff
. S04: Natural toning pool (it use purificated water from the river)
. M06: Rest and entertaiment for staff/ Toilet
. S05: Sauna
. M07: Dinning room for guest and external users/ Toilets
. S06: Secondary access/ Toilet
. M08: Space for conferences or talks
. S07: Pediluvius + Steam bath (first cold water and then hot)
. M09: Rest and entertaiment for guest and external users/ Toilets
. S08: Massage
. M10: Reading/ Library/ Study area / Toilets
. S02: Exit
. M11: Astronomical observatory
. S01: Dressing room and toilets
S05
totally closed except for an access door and insulated
S07
with straw
S06
M.06 SPA
SILENT CHAMBER
YOGA/ MEDITATION
MAIN BUILDING
M.09 M.10 M.11
M.04
S.01
M.01
M.03
S.02
Y.01
S.08 M.02
Y.02 S.03
S.07 M.05 M.07 S.04 M.08
S.06
S.05 YOGA/ MEDITATION:
N E
. Y01: Dressing room and toilets
Y.03
. Y02: Covered terrzce . Y03: Yoga classrooms: There are some beneficial cardinal directions to the practice of yoga: like the East (where would travel certain subtle energies accompanying the movement of the Earth) or Magnetic North (near the geographic North, which would allow us to align with the magnetic field of our planet). Thats the reason why the spaces have especificaly this orientated. It is conceived as a multipurpose space: it allows to open or close more or less large spaces according to the need of the activity. ( Initiation classes, advanced classes, breathing workshops, for children...).
nor
th
PRIVATE
HOST´S HOUSE:
STAFF COMMUNITY:
GUEST CABINS:
There are three kind of accommodation spaces, all of them near to the main building: Hosts
Guest
Employees
HOST´S HOUSE: . Private acces . Separeted from the other program . Intimity
GUEST CABINS: . Private . Isolaed . Direct contact with nature
STAFF/COLLABORATORS COMMUNITY: . Private cabins . Common areas to relax . Comfortable for long periods of stay
TYPE A: Family . . . . . . .
Living room Kitchen Library 2 Bedroom 2 Bathtoom Covered terrace Orchard
TYPE B1: 1 or 2 people
TYPE C1: 2 people
. . . .
. . . .
Bedroom Bathtoom Covered terrace Orchard
Section TYPE A
TYPE B2
TYPE B1
TYPE B1
2 Bedroom 2 Bathtoom Covered terrace Orchard
Section
Section
TYPE B2
1 Floor
TYPE B1 TYPE C1
TYPE C1
TYPE B2
TYPE B1
1 Floor
2 Floor
2 Floor
RELAX
TYPE B2: 4 people MATERIALITY
6
1 Floor
The greenhouses are composed of lightweight metal structure and transparent polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is a material that can compete directly with glass, both have practically the same transparency. However, polycarbonate has a number of advantages over glass: it is much more economical, 200 times more impact resistant and therefore safer, high resistance to weathering and thermal distortion. In addition, polycarbonate is recyclable and may have a second life.
TYPE C2: 2 people . . . .
2 Bedroom 2 Bathtoom Covered terrace Orchard
. 2 Bedroom . 2 Bathtoom . Covered terrace Section
Section
All the structures are resolved in wood. Regarding the building envelopes we will distinguish between two types:
nor
1. Those that receive sun (east, south and west): as already mentioned above, they have great thermal absorption. From exterior to interior: 1.1. Dark cement layer: Its function is to provide a layer of protection against external conditions and to capture sunlight (dark color) 1.2. Blocks of adobe: it is elaborated entirely with natural resources (soil and straw) and has a very high thermal absorption capacity. 1.3. Gypsum layer: gypsum absorbs moisture and serves as a finish for the interior space.
th TYPE C2
6
TYPE C2
TYPE C1
2. Those that do not receive direct sun (north): they must be good thermal insulation to prevent the heat escape. From exterior to interior: 2.1. Treated clear wood slats 2.2. Blocks of straw: it is a natural resource that spreads all over the country and has a high index of thermal insulation 2.3. Recycled wood plywood layer: interior finish.
1 Floor
2 Floor 1 Floor
2 Floor