The Doshi Retreat is a striking new addition to the Vitra Campus in Germany, designed by the esteemed Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi, who made his mark on the architectural world before his passing in 2023.

Named Doshi Retreat, the snake-like structure is a contemplative space designed by Pritzker Prize winner Balkrishna Doshi, along with his granddaughter Khushnu Panthaki Hoof and her husband, Sönke Hoof - who are the founders of Ahmedabad-based Studio Sangath. 

The retreat, which draws inspiration from Indian mysticism, provides a tranquil and sensory experience. This project, which was Balkrishna Doshi's last design before his death in 2023, is the first time his work has been built outside of India.

The Doshi Retreat is a meandering route that encourages both literal and symbolic inquiry. As they descend, visitors are guided by walls that reverberate with the soft sounds of flutes and gongs.

"Two interweaving cobras"

Doshi's granddaughter Khushnu Panthaki Hoof explains, "This architecture originated from a dream Doshi had of two interweaving cobras."

Sound is a key component of the Doshi Retreat, much like the sensory settings of Eastern temples or Christian holy places. Along the trail, a series of gong and ceramic flute sounds are diffused by a subdued audio system set into concave recesses in the ground. 

A hand-hammered brass mandala, made in India, hangs from the ceiling of the contemplation chamber at the end of the walkway, illuminating the room with reflected light.

Rolf Fehlbaum, Chairman Emeritus of Vitra, has significantly shaped the landscape of the brand by inviting visionary architects to leave their mark. 

Image © Marek Iwicki

A few years ago, Rolf's experiences in India inspired a new idea. He developed a deep appreciation for the country, believing that everyone who visits India returns transformed. During a visit to the Sun Temple in Modhera, India, he was captivated by a small shrine within the complex. He envisioned that introducing a similar contemplative space to the Vitra campus could add a new dimension. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if Balkrishna Doshi could create something like that for the campus?" he explained in a video. 

Fehlbaum said: "I approached Doshi with the idea, asking, "Would you be interested in taking on a very small project?" He enthusiastically replied, "Sure, I would love to do it." 

Balkrishna Doshi is one of India's most renowned architects and a Pritzker Prize laureate. The chairman of the jury stated that of all the living architects, Doshi has spent the most time contemplating the spiritual aspects of architecture. In that sense, he is truly unique; there is no one like Doshi.

Image © Marek Iwicki

The vision for the Doshi Retreat emerged from an intimate dialogue between Doshi and two other architects: his granddaughter, Kusnu, and her husband, Zonka Hoof. 

"Our discussions focused not on what we should build, but on what we want people to feel," said Khushnu Panthaki Hoof. 

"It's a new experience. It's a path, and the destination"

Although Doshi passed away shortly after our conversations, Kusnu and Zonka successfully transformed his vision and notes into reality. 

"We aim to create an experience that opens doors in the mind, a goal that Doshi inspired in everyone around him—he had a unique ability to open minds," said Rolf Fehlbaum, Chairman Emeritus of Vitra. 

"Once we decided to search for materials, we discovered that ArcelorMittal had developed this new XCarb steel," Panthaki Hoof added.

"ArcelorMittal employs renewable energy, primarily solar and wind power, in the process of creating new steel from recycled materials. As a result, the steel production has no carbon footprint in that regard," said Sönke Hoof. 

"My grandfather, he was a person who always wanted to be free. He told me not to be too serious. Like, I think when you are free, then you immerse yourself in things, and that's when things happen," said explained Panthaki Hoof. 

"It's a new experience. It's a path, and the destination," Fehlbaum added.

For Doshi, this journey was always very important, this sort of journey, he always thought about the journey," he continued. 

"Journey has the capacity to play with time. It's free, it's it doesn't have a brief, it doesn't have a program. It's it's pure feeling. And in the process, maybe you encourage a kind of presence of being," Panthaki Hoof explained.

The structure of the Doshi Retreat is made from forged and formed XCarb® steel, an innovative low-carbon-emissions material created using 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.

The spiritual theory of Kundalini, which means "coiled" or "spiraled" in Sanskrit and describes the hidden force at the base of the spine, served as an inspiration for Doshi and his team. Achieving spiritual transformation in yogic and tantric traditions requires the chakras to awaken and ascend this energy.

Sacred sound is essential to this experience because it stimulates the expansion of consciousness. The soundscape of the Doshi Retreat complements its flowing spatial geometry, even if it lacks a specific musical soundtrack.

Khushnu Panthaki Hoof notes, "It is sound—resonating through the visitor's body—that erases the boundary between self and structure."

Neither Doshi, Khushnu Panthaki Hoof, nor Sönke Hoof ever assigned a formal label to the Doshi Retreat. Instead, it is intended to present itself freely as a space for solitude and contemplation.

Image © Marek Iwicki

Image © Marek Iwicki

Drawing that Balkrishna Doshi presented to Khushnu Panthaki Hoof and Sönke Hoof. It depicts the path as a journey. 2022. Image © Balkrishna Doshi

The Doshi Retreat is located at Vitra's iconic site in Weil am Rhein, adjacent to the Conference Pavilion designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. 

Doshi Retreat joins a number of iconic structures on campus designed by renowned architects. Frank Gehry's Vitra Design Museum, Herzog & de Meuron's VitraHaus, the campus's main shop, and Zaha Hadid's Vitra Fire Station are among of its most recognizable buildings.

The retreat is the last project Doshi worked on before his death in 2023 and his first project built outside of India. The Doshi Retreat was opened to the public as of Saturday, 25 October 2025.

All images © Julien Lanoo unless otherwise stated.

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