Meditation takes many forms. It is a personal act that can occur anywhere. In Tokyo, solitude and calm can be hard to find.
The Tokyo Urban Meditation Cabins address this by creating personal spaces that afford reflective calm without becoming disconnected from the city.
The cabins are designed as installations within the cityscape; places to stop, gather, then continue. The cabins are fully demountable and recyclable rattan wood structure, arranged as a series of twenty-four interconnected ‘petals’ that symbolise the hours of the day we all have.
The cabins can be orientated and sited anywhere in the city to follow the sun, moon and stars. The structure is akin to a delicate paper lantern, or a lotus flower. A double layer of rattan framing clad in woven rattan screens (the inner and outer weave) lead to a private area where meditation can occur, masking the city but not fully concealing it from view.
The roof is a double layer arrangement of framed rattan screens nested under an acid etched glazed roof, unfolding like a paper fan to reveal the sky. Paper lanterns hang from the outer edges to gently illuminate the cabin and signify its’ location.
They are art and sculpture, appearing throughout the city as beacons, inviting the occupants of Tokyo into an area that will become their temporary haven.
Client – Confidential
Type – Civic, Cultural
Location – Tokyo, Japan
Status – Open Competition
Previous Project 