Competition: Yoga House on a Cliff

Competition Deadline: November 2021

A submission for the Bee Breeders architecture competition, Yoga House on a Cliff. An opportunity to carry out something different during the initial period of lockdown 2020, the project was sited in a rural valley in Portugal in an existing yoga retreat. The project aimed to exploit the roof to its maximum capabilities; by giving shelter internally and externally with large overhangs, by collecting rainwater loudly on the zinc surface for use in the sanitary facilities, and perhaps most importantly by creating a fifth elevation within the yoga shala. During yoga, the body is often facing upwards, therefore it was important to exploit this view by exposing the timber structure. Low level windows on each long elevation would keep the studio shaded whilst allowing natural ventilation during the warm summer months.