Doshi Retreat

How did your relationship with Balkrishna Doshi begin?
Rolf Fehlbaum: We met on the jury of the Pritzker Prize in 2005. Doshi was completely Western in some respects and entirely non-Western in others. He opened doors to a side of life and architecture I hadn’t paid much attention to before – the spiritual dimension.

The idea for the Doshi Retreat was born in India. Why and how?
Rolf Fehlbaum: Yes. Federica [Zanco] and I visited the Sun Temple in Modhera in December 2019 and came across a small shrine nearby. We were touched by its aura-like atmosphere and wondered whether a place in this spirit would be possible on the Vitra Campus. Only one architect came to mind, and we were delighted when Doshi agreed to create it.

Khushnu Panthaki Hoof: My grandfather called and invited Sönke and me to participate. I recall him saying: ‘Let’s not think of it as a project with expectations. Let’s just enjoy the journey of discovery.’ His philosophy was that life and architecture are both journeys. There was no brief, no programme – only a feeling. The question we asked ourselves wasn’t what to build, but what did we want people to feel?

How did that journey turn into architecture?
Khushnu Panthaki Hoof: The process first began with words – ‘pause’, ‘meander’, ‘encounter’ – and later with drawings. It felt like being back in a studio with Doshi as our professor, sharing his vague ideas and guiding us through words and intuition. Then he had a dream of two intertwined cobras. From that dream grew the form: a winding path leading you inward. The Doshi Retreat has no defined purpose; it’s a path that allows for contemplation, where each person can find their own rhythm – a space that remains free, open to interpretation and encounter.

Sönke Hoof: The design evolved through a lot of different models and conversations. Only late in the process did it start to look the way it does now – like two paths crossing, diverging, reuniting.

Sound plays a central role in the Doshi Retreat. How did that idea emerge?
Khushnu Panthaki Hoof: Sound is often overlooked in architecture, but it shapes how we feel space. As you walk down the path, the noise of the world fades. A sequence of gong and flute tones – based on frequencies recorded from a hand-made gong – reverberates through hidden speakers. It’s inspired by the temple bell in India: a sound that centres you and marks your presence.

Sönke Hoof: The sound isn’t meant to be noticed like music. It’s just there – a vibration that fills the air. At the end you reach the gong chamber, and the sound becomes physical. The space and the visitor resonate together.

The Doshi Retreat was first imagined in concrete but finally built in steel. Why the change?
Rolf Fehlbaum: We asked ourselves: ‘Is it legitimate to add another structure to the campus today?’ If we build, we must do so responsibly. The walls of the Doshi Retreat are made of XCarb® steel – recycled and forged with renewable energy, generously donated by ArcelorMittal. Its surface changes with light and weather. It’s not static; it ages and becomes part of nature.

Sönke Hoof: Even the foundations are screwed rather than poured, so the structure could in theory be removed without a trace. That fits Vitra’s circular approach – nothing is wasted, nothing fixed forever.

What does the Doshi Retreat add to the campus?
Rolf Fehlbaum: It brings a new dimension to the campus: a place of contemplation. It offers an experience transcending the everyday, lifting the spirit. It’s a path and a destination inviting reflection – on oneself, on nature, on life.

Khushnu Panthaki Hoof: To me, it’s a non-building – something that’s there and not there. Each visitor finds their own path through it and is encouraged to be present in that space. You might feel peace or disorientation, but you will feel something. That was always my grandfather’s hope.