Designed By Late Ar Balkrishna Doshi, Ar Khushnu Panthaki Hoof & Ar Sönke Hoof
Photo Credit : Julien Lanoo (unless otherwise mentioned)
The Doshi Retreat at Vitra Campus, Germany is the last project by Late Ar Balkrishna Doshi. It is a contemplative space designed by Pritzker Prize winner architect with his granddaughter Khushnu Panthaki Hoof and her husband Sönke Hoof. It is the first project by Balkrishna Doshi to be completed outside of India – as well as the last design he worked on prior to his passing in 2023. Marking a historic milestone, the Doshi Retreat is the first building on the Vitra Campus designed by architects from India, joining an extraordinary constellation of architectural works by legends such as Tadao Ando, Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, Frank Gehry, Álvaro Siza, and SANAA.
" The retreat is not something to look at, but to experience. It defies definition, invites interpretation and dialogue and encourages a presence of being, even if it’s for a brief moment. Khushnu Panthaki Hoof & Sönke Hoof "
The Idea of Two Interweaving Cobras
The Doshi Retreat stands apart not through monumental form, but through its profound simplicity. Conceived as a place of contemplation, it offers visitors a moment of stillness and a pause from movement and noise, an invitation to simply be present.
The structure unfolds as a winding path, inviting both physical and metaphorical exploration. Visitors move below ground level along walls that resonate with the gentle tones of gong and flute. Khushnu Panthaki Hoof explains,“This architecture was born from a dream Doshi had of two interweaving cobras.”
A Place of Contemplation and Presence
The Doshi Retreat stands apart not through monumental form, but through its profound simplicity. Conceived as a place of contemplation, it offers visitors a moment of stillness and a pause from movement and noise, an invitation to simply be present.
Within its walls, sound itself becomes part of the architecture: a subtle, continuous hum integrated into the space. This vibration, neither music nor silence, creates a meditative resonance that blurs the boundary between built form and atmosphere.
As Khushnu Panthaki Hoof and Sönke Hoof describe it, “The retreat is not something to look at, but to experience. It defies definition, invites interpretation and dialogue and encourages a presence of being, even if it’s for a brief moment.”
A subtle audio system – embedded within concave recesses in the ground – diffuses a sequence of gong and ceramic flute music along the path. At the end of the walkway, a hand-hammered brass mandala crafted in India adorns the ceiling of the contemplation chamber, casting refracted light into the space.
Material & Design
The structure of the Doshi Retreat is built from forged and formed XCarb® steel, an innovative low-carbon-emissions material made with a high proportion of scrap steel and produced entirely with renewable energy. Generously donated by ArcelorMittal, the steel naturally develops a warm patina over time through controlled corrosion.
A Collaboration Across Generations
The retreat is both a culmination and a continuation of teachings of Balkrishna Doshi’s lifelong search for spaces that unite the material and the spiritual. Working closely with him on the design from the beginning Khushnu Panthaki Hoof and Sönke Hoof translated his philosophy into a new cultural and geographical context, shaping a building that carries his essence while speaking a universal language of stillness.
Image credit- Marek Iwicki
Balkrishna Doshi, Khushnu Panthaki Hoof And Sönke Hoof Studio Sangath, Ahmedabad
Studio Sangath is an architectural practice based in Ahmedabad, India, founded by Khushnu Panthaki Hoof and Sönke Hoof. Their journey in architecture has been shaped by many years of working closely with Balkrishna Doshi, whose values of generosity, humility, and sensitivity to context continue to quietly inform their approach. The studio is rooted in the belief that architecture is a living response, one that grows from its surroundings, serves its inhabitants with care, and speaks gently to both place and time. With projects across the Indian subcontinent and Europe, their work spans private homes, weekend retreats, exhibitions, and community-centered initiatives in education, culture, hospitality, and social impact.
PROJECT DETAIL
Architects: Balkrishna Doshi, Khushnu Panthaki Hoof, and Sönke Hoof
Project Team Leader: Aysha Nargees
Location: Vitra Campus, Weil am Rhein, Germany
Structural Engineer: Jan Knippers, Stuttgart
Material: XCarb® steel
Light Consultants: Licht kunst Licht, Berlin
Client: Rolf Fehlbaum