EndLight Ashram | Meditation Center

University of Moratuwa (UoM), Faculty of Architecture, Department of Architecture, Moratuwa

Project idea

If one asks, “which health condition would have the greatest impact on your quality of life?”, the answer is blindness. Blindness has been ranked higher than HIV/ AIDS, Cancer, and heart diseases on life threatening conditions. It can be identified as an impairment either physically/ visually or mentally. Mental blindness is a severe situation where a person would be unable to visualize any type of image in the head, thus with no mind eye, imagination is blind. It can also be related to Aphantasia and depression. Sighted people depend on vision since their eyes have the ability to see. Nevertheless, blind people adapt to the condition with their eyes that cannot see but a brain that can.

Human blindness (physically, visually, mentally, socially) is also related to people and their way of life. Contemporary Architecture can also be identified as blind due to its harmful impact on nature. To fight Architectural blindness, the solution is sustainability. When considering the different aforementioned typologies of blindness, meditation has been discovered as the best treatment with minimal side effects and relapses. Complimentarily, the project explores how this process of meditation as a cure to blindness, can be combined with architecture and people.

Project description

Location- the site is on top of the Habaraliyankanda, Western province, Sri Lanka which is a tranquil area with a natural sloping landscape, rich greenery, and ample water resources.

Users- (Filtered user category)
• Mentally blind people (with complications in mind i.e., depression, anxiety, loss of mental clarity)
• Visually blind people – 2 therapists
• Tertiary parties – Who need this program

Vision- “All who come to this place, all need to be physically blind, focus the mind to other senses and improve visual brain”

Primary intervention- Meditation program for the blind
This is a special program inspired from the blind’s life routine and through that, tries to define a new method of meditation. It involves how they find ways, smell fumes while cooking, feel touches, eat meals, listening/ speaking to each other, playing and spending leisure times. The program concentrates on such regular chores upon improving the visual brain of mentally blind people. It is conducted by 2 visually blind therapists and 2 regular assistants at a time for 8 mentally blind people with within a 5-day schedule. The program is based on blind (using blindfolds) and non-blind step by step daily routines including several special tasks as well. (outcomes are mentioned in the detailed program routing chart). The goal is to attain an improved visual brain and a process to maintain it.

The program also creates new jobs for blind people as therapists while introducing a novel vocational training opportunity for the skilled blind community while signifying their potential within the society.

Main Spaces...

Main Building – Undertakes yoga, dancing, discussions, music programs, games etc. according to the program routine

Infinity Pool – Hydro therapy and music therapy programs with bathing

Sensorial Garden – Walking paths inspired from “Sakman Maluwa” (Meditation walking paths) in Sri Lankan monasteries enable sensation program under routine. The impaired are exposed to different sensations and feelings via sand walks, wind corridors, flower fumes, sounds of water, wind and chirpings of birds who are invited by sweet fruit trees. All senses are expected to widen here with the help of natural events.

Front Garden – For activities such as sweeping (with the idea of sweeping unnecessary things away from the mind) and morning yoga with sunbathing (tries to train the concept of inhaling the future while exhaling the past)

Night garden- hosting bonfire nights as a mind changing program including dinners.

Kitchen – indoor cooking and meal preparing step by step under blind and non-blind therapy programs.

Dormitories – Sleeping and resting including Recall the day routine, Lucid Dream program (Creating a memory and living with it – employing the mind’s eye while improving the visual brain)

Empowering sustainability...

Ecological sustainability is a vital prospect of the proposed Architecture. Minimal impact on the land is ensured via lightly ground touching structures. Wastewater treatment is an adopted strategy to mitigate groundwater pollution and to promote water reuse for gardening purposes. Using available materials from the surroundings themselves is an effective means of sustaining the environment. Design lightly touches the ground with the slightest impact on the land via lesser excavations or modifications to the terrain. Ponds and cascading water features use natural water flow by gravity without using energy.

Technical information

Materials for the construction have the ability to create a tactile experience as part of the routine therapies. (materials are sourced from the immediate surrounding of the site – Granite, Bamboo, Teak Etc.)

• Coarse textured cement steps- feeling steps
• Sand in the walking court- mildness to the feet
• Water/ Lotus pond – sound and smell
• Cut and polished flooring – Comfortable indoor activities
• Grass – mildness to the feet and outdoor sensation
• Timber floor planks – mindful walking
• Smooth teak timber seating – Comfortable sitting and staying
• Rough cement floor- outdoor sensation/ mindful walking
• Bamboo walls and partitions- navigation
Maintenance
• Cleaning is hassle-free. Users who engage with therapy program maintains the premises as a meditation method in their daily routine
Water
• Ponds are fed with natural water resources. Underground pipes are used to fill the cascade pond and pool while used water is treated and reused for gardening
Waste Management
• Organic (food) waste is turned into manure at the compost corner in the site and used for gardening.

Documentation

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