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mahabis architecture // the meditation pod
Have you ever wished for a space at work that you can retreat to relax? Polish sculptor, Pawel Althamer commissioned Basel-based architect, Piotr Brzoza to create a studio space with its very own meditation pod.
The large gold structure is unlike anything seen before, protruding from the upper floor on one side of the angular white building and creating a dramatic talking point for passers-by. Although the chosen colour of the meditation pod may at first seem strange, Althamer’s performance-based artworks often feature performers wearing gold spacesuits, and the gold room perfectly reflects his work.
The 400 square-metre studio space is designed in a gradation of privacy, utilising the lower floors for communal use where Althamer can work with the other artists in his family, and creating more private zones on the upper floors. The architects understood that whilst the artist wished to create a space where his family could all work together, everyone also needed their own space and needed room to be independent.
Up on the mezzanine, the gold structure is sealed from the rest of the building by a narrow doorway that, once closed, creates a completely secluded space in amongst the thriving studio. Lit by a lone lightbulb and a small window, the room is much darker than the spaces downstairs, and subsequently feels smaller than its already tiny size. It is the perfect place to retreat to for its intended use of meditation, but also to destress, unwind and take some time out solo to revitalise creativity
