Interview about Metamorphosis Yoga Shala Building, winner of the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award 2022
This project is about a Yoga Shala proposal submitted in an International Architecture Competition Call. The site is part of a mountain Yoga Retreat Complex located in a breathtaking forest region of central Portugal. The new Yoga Shala building is inspired from the Yoga philosophy, being a spiritual practice rather than a physical exercise. The new development apart from the Shala with an atrium space, consists of the Teahouse cave volume. Both buildings are framed by the biomorphic xeriscaping garden islands, the curvilinear walking concrete stone paths and the cultivation activities levels.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsSymbolism was a fundamental element throughout the design development of the Metamorphosis Yoga Shala. The building’s form establishes a dialogue with the philosophy of yoga, embodying notions of rebirth, inner transformation, and spiritual ascension. The cocoon — as a biological vessel that shelters the metamorphosis from a grounded, humble state into something ethereal and elevated — emerged as an ideal conceptual framework for the project.The architectural form evolved through an iterative process initiated by the study of the cocoon’s structural logic. A series of simplified morphological models were generated through the rotational transformation of basic curves, seeking to capture the cocoon’s organic integrity. During this exploratory phase, these curves gradually began to evoke the outline of the human embryo — a symbolic reference to potential, renewal, and the genesis of change.The final expression of the building represents the moment when the cocoon has opened and the butterfly has been released — a spatial metaphor for liberation, awakening, and transcendence, aligning archit
The integration of the Metamorphosis Yoga Shala into the Portuguese forest was approached as a dialogue between harmony and contrast. While the organic form allows the structure to merge naturally with its surroundings, the titanium cladding introduces a subtle tension — a reflective skin that captures the shifting light and atmosphere of the forest, emphasizing the transient and transformative essence of the project.In contrast, the interior unfolds in warmth and intimacy through the use of timber surfaces, evoking a sense of grounding and connection to the natural world. This material duality — between the cool, metallic exterior and the tactile, wooden interior — mirrors the balance between the physical and the spiritual that yoga embodies.The surrounding landscape was designed as a transitional space, featuring a xeriscape garden that gently mediates between the forest and the architectural form. At the heart of the composition lies an open courtyard, conceived as a place of pause and reflection — a moment of stillness where practitioners can reconnect with nature and self after their practice.Through this interplay of contrasts, the Yoga Shala becomes both a landmark and a retreat: a structure that asserts its presence through quiet resonance rather than dominance, and one that, much like the act of metamorphosis itself, exists in a continuous state of balance between stillness and change.
The philosophy of yoga informed the design not only through spatial composition but through the very essence of transformation embodied by the cocoon metaphor. Just as the cocoon shelters the process of metamorphosis, the building was conceived as a protective envelope — a place where body and mind can retreat, evolve, and eventually emerge renewed.Within this conceptual framework, the atrium functions as the heart of the organism — a breathing core that channels light and air, symbolizing the act of inhalation and the expansion of consciousness. Its openness contrasts with the stillness of the Teahouse, which, embedded within the mountain, represents the moment of withdrawal and introspection. This descent into the earth mirrors the grounding phase of practice, where awareness turns inward before ascending once more.The dialogue between these two spaces reflects the rhythm of yoga itself: expansion and contraction, lightness and grounding, transformation and rest. Through this interplay, the building transcends the distinction between the spiritual and the practical — it becomes an architectural cocoon, nurturing both the physical experience of space and the inner evolution it invites.
The philosophy of yoga deeply informed the spatial organization and atmosphere of the Metamorphosis Yoga Shala. The project was conceived not only as a place for physical practice but as an architectural journey that mirrors the path of inner alignment — from movement to stillness, from body to spirit.At the heart of this experience lies the atrium, a space of openness and light that acts as the building’s spiritual core. It serves as a breathing void, connecting the interior with the sky above and symbolizing the expansion of consciousness that yoga seeks to cultivate. Here, light becomes a tangible material — filtered, shifting, and ever-present — encouraging a meditative awareness of the passage of time and the rhythm of nature.In contrast, the Teahouse offers a retreat into introspection and grounding. Nestled into the mountain as a semi-subterranean volume, its stone façade dissolves into the natural terrain, creating a seamless integration with the landscape. Within, the atmosphere turns quiet and contemplative — a space for rest and communion, where one can share tea, reflect, or simply observe the surrounding forest.Together, the atrium and the Teahouse define two complementary poles of the same experience: openness and shelter, elevation and descent, light and earth. This duality reflects the essence of yoga itself — a continuous dialogue between the physical and the spiritual, the external and the inner world.
Sustainability in the Metamorphosis Yoga Shala was approached not as an applied layer of technology but as an intrinsic aspect of its conception — an extension of the same organic logic that defines its form. The environmental systems were woven into the architectural language from the very beginning, shaping both the building’s geometry and its relationship with the landscape.The photovoltaic panels follow the curvature of the cocoon-like roof, absorbing sunlight much like the natural surface of a living organism drawing energy from its environment. This integration preserves the purity of the form, transforming functionality into an expression of life and continuity. Similarly, the water collection and purification systems are embedded within the topography, allowing the building to operate in respectful dialogue with the natural cycles of the forest.These considerations were never treated as separate components, but as manifestations of the same idea that guided the entire project — that architecture, like nature, should exist in a state of symbiosis rather than dominance. In this sense, sustainability becomes more than efficiency; it becomes an ethical and aesthetic stance, one that reinforces the building’s symbolic role as a cocoon — a vessel that nurtures both transformation and coexistence.
The structural grid of the wooden contour beams defines both the physical and spiritual essence of the Metamorphosis Yoga Shala. Conceived as the framework that gives shape and coherence to the cocoon-like form, it unites the technical precision of construction with the poetic sensibility of space.Functionally, the system distributes loads through a continuous network of curved timber beams, ensuring structural stability while preserving the building’s organic geometry. Each beam contributes to an overall sense of rhythm and harmony, expressing the logic of growth and continuity found in natural forms.Beyond its engineering role, the grid becomes a spatial narrative — a visible manifestation of order within fluidity. The interplay of light and shadow across the wooden surfaces evokes a quiet dynamism, inviting contemplation and reinforcing the meditative atmosphere of the interior.In this synthesis of function and expression, the structure itself becomes symbolic: a disciplined framework that supports transformation. Much like the cocoon that inspired it, the timber skeleton serves both as a protective vessel and as a symbol of inner strength and unity.
The xeriscape garden islands and cultivation activity levels were conceived as integral components of the Metamorphosis Yoga Shala’s spatial and philosophical narrative. They extend the building’s presence into the landscape, creating a continuum between architecture and nature that enriches both the visual and the sensory experience of the users.The xeriscaping approach — with its selection of native, drought-resistant species — embodies a sustainable dialogue with the environment. These garden islands form a living topography that changes with the seasons, offering a subtle rhythm that mirrors the cyclical nature of yoga practice itself. Rather than ornamental, they serve as meditative landscapes — places of observation, pause, and reconnection.The cultivation terraces, on the other hand, introduce an active dimension to the experience. They invite participation, grounding the spiritual aspect of the Yoga Shala in daily, tactile interaction with the earth. This direct engagement transforms the site into a place of coexistence between contemplation and cultivation, reflection and action.Together, these landscape elements blur the boundaries between the natural and the constructed, the physical and the spiritual. They reaffirm the building’s central idea — that transformation occurs not in isolation from nature, but through an intimate and respectful relationship with it.
The spatial organization of the Metamorphosis Yoga Shala was conceived as a triadic composition — the main shala, the atrium, and the teahouse — complemented by the cultivation terraces that extend the experience beyond the architectural envelope. While the shala and the teahouse were part of the original programmatic requirements, both the atrium and the terraces were later additions, introduced to enrich the dialogue between architecture, landscape, and human activity.The atrium functions as the connective heart of this composition — an open, breathing void that aligns visually with the teahouse entrance, establishing an axial relationship that structures the spatial hierarchy. Around this axis, the xeriscape paths guide visitors through a sequence of transitions: from practice to rest, from enclosure to openness, from architecture to landscape.The cultivation terraces, accessible through the same network of paths, invite a deeper engagement with the site. They transform the act of movement into an experience of grounding and participation, bridging the contemplative and the tactile. Through their presence, the Shala extends beyond meditation and architecture into the realm of coexistence — where the cycles of nature and human cultivation become part of a shared rhythm.Together, the shala, atrium, teahouse, and terraces create an integrated landscape of transformation. The experience unfolds holistically across multiple layers — physical, sensory, and spiritual — reflecting the project’s central idea: that harmony emerges through the continuous interplay of space, nature, and the human spirit.
The material palette of the Metamorphosis Yoga Shala was guided by the idea of transformation through contrast — a dialogue between permanence and impermanence, reflection and warmth. Rather than simply serving aesthetic or functional purposes, the materials were chosen to express the building’s evolving relationship with light, time, and touch.The titanium panels that envelop the exterior respond constantly to their surroundings, altering in tone and texture as the light shifts throughout the day. This subtle mutability reflects the very essence of metamorphosis — an architecture that appears to change and breathe with the forest. The reflective surface does not dominate its setting; instead, it absorbs and reinterprets it, creating a living skin that mediates between the natural and the man-made.Inside, the plywood cladding offers a counterpoint of intimacy and tactility. Its organic texture and warmth ground the experience, allowing visitors to feel enclosed yet connected. The contrast between the two materials — metallic and organic, cool and warm — embodies the project’s conceptual core: transformation as a balance of opposites.Ultimately, materiality in the Metamorphosis Yoga Shala is not a matter of construction, but of expression. It becomes the medium through which the building performs its own metamorphosis — an architecture that reflects, shelters, and transforms in harmony with its environment and its users.
The recognition of the Metamorphosis Yoga Shala with an A' Design Award affirms not only its architectural qualities but also the values it embodies — a renewed dialogue between nature, technology, and human consciousness. Its significance lies in demonstrating that sustainability in architecture can transcend efficiency and become a form of empathy — an act of listening to the landscape, of designing with rather than upon it.In sensitive natural environments, architecture must act with humility, precision, and imagination. The Shala proposes an alternative paradigm: a structure that is simultaneously a refuge, an organism, and a catalyst for awareness. By allowing the building to emerge from its site — shaped by the forest, the light, and the rhythms of the earth — it reveals how design can participate in the natural order rather than resist it.The future of sustainable recreational architecture depends on this very shift — from intervention to coexistence, from control to dialogue. The Metamorphosis Yoga Shala, in its small way, aspires to embody that transition: an architecture that evolves as nature does, celebrating transformation not as an exception but as a principle of harmony and renewal.
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