MVRDV unveils plans to revamp Buddhist monastery in France
Dutch studio MVRDV has revealed plans to transform the Plum Village Buddhist Monastery in France's Dordogne region by reconfiguring its layout and introducing timber guesthouses and a nunnery.
MVRDV will reorganise the layout of the monastery's upper and lower hamlets by altering the vehicle routes to create a welcoming arrival and car-free village centres.
The studio will also renovate an existing bookshop and collaborate with Bordeaux-based architecture studio Moonwalklocal on designs for a nunnery and four guesthouses.
Working closely with the Plum Village Buddhist Monastery, the studios hope to improve the site to help better share knowledge of Engaged Buddhism – a modern Buddhist movement – with visitors and those attending monastery retreats.
"For this project, we really had to unlearn what we learned as architects, engaging in the practice of deep listening and understanding the very unusual needs of our clients," said MVRDV associate director Sanne van der Burgh.
"The lives they lead, their daily routines, are very different from the users we typically design for," she continued. "They live in harmony with nature and work closely together in their community."
A nunnery will be built in Plum Village Buddhist Monastery's lower hamlet, containing dormitories, communal areas, classrooms, a meditation hall and a library arranged around a central courtyard.
Aiming to align with the monastery's engagement with environmental issues, the building will be constructed from natural materials such as wood and straw.
"To minimise the carbon emissions of its creation, the nunnery will be made using a prefabricated construction system of wood frames with straw insulation," said MVRDV.
"Generous verandas encircle the courtyard to create connection between all of the living areas, supporting the communal spirit of the nuns."
An existing bookshop in a stone barn will be renovated and expanded, designed to be the "welcoming social heart" of the upper hamlet.
A covered terrace will provide seating space outside, while inside, wooden shelving will display books and decoration.
Four two-storey wooden guesthouses will be built at the Plum Village Buddhist Monastery, with rooms arranged around communal living spaces.
Other designs recently unveiled by MVRDV include plans for a colourful office block in Rotterdam and a giant sphere containing a sports arena in Tirana.
The renders are by Redvertex unless stated.
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