meditation space

university of malta campus

This project is a meditation space for students, located at the site of the old amphitheatre, adjacent to the Faculty for the Built Environment. The site is considered to be a space of transition and passage where people quickly pass through to get to another destination. Its aim was to make visitors stop in the midst of their journey, whilst also making it a much more practical and accessible space; connecting different paths people take, especially when using the green area beside it and integrating it to the existing landscaping.

The result of these design requirements was an organic volume which imitates the movement of its users, creating a pocket in the middle which insulates the users of the space from the outside; encouraging peeople to stop for a moment and meditate.

This is a place for the blind passenger, for the careful traveller. It pulls you in slowly, for a minute, then it releases you. The next day, you return — not for the passage, but for the space. 

︎

An olive tree, placed at the core of the meditation space, holds itself as the hearth for the users of the passage. Persons are encouraged to sit around the tree, have a moment to themselves, and focus on the one living organism they encicircle. The tree sits lower than the surrounding aleppo pine trees, coming further down to our level.

Life is so fast paced, we forget to take a moment out of our day to sit and think. This project is designed for those who don’t pause, to remind them that there is more to life than the linear path they’re always on.