Vale de Moses Yoga Retreat Yoga house on a cliff
Vesper Yoga House Vesper is a word in Latin, the ancient and common European language. It means nightfall, that moment in which day and night face each other and everything mixes and merges. Edges dissolve, colors and shape dissolve. Vesper is announced by the planet Venus, which was identified by Pitagora as the evening and morning star because it is the firstto lighten up and the last to disappear when the day arrives. Traditionally it is a sacred moment, dedicated to meditation, practice, and dreaming. It’s fascinating that Vale de Moses, with its dreamy, mysterious landscape, faces west, fully embracing the uncertain light of the nightfall, enhancing the stunning beauty of the landscape. Vesper Yoga House has a triangular-shaped plant to minimize the visual impact on the astonishing surrounding environment and follows the cliff's slope to avoid massive excavation. On the ground floor are a small entrance with a closet to store shoes, bags, yoga mats, a locker room area with a bathroom and showers; a kitchen, and the garden.
site plan scale 1:1000
The yoga studio is on the firstfloor. This room is an unobstructed 88 m² space surrounded by windows and covered by wood and bamboo. Everything is flexibly removable except for the foundation. All materials are local, therefore low impact: cork wood, stone, glass, and bamboo. Vesper Yoga House is an off-grid construction, fully sustaining its energetic needs. Water is collected from the ample roof pitch and channeled to the underground tank. Two wind towers help cool the summer air. In conjunction with the landscape, water, and wind, the wind towers are used as a meditation aid; the water running down the roof and the skylight provide ambient sound. Exterior contemplation spaces are integrated into Vesper Yoga House, further intensifying the connection of nature and contemplation.