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Maximisation of the use of natural light
Promotion of good health and well-being

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Luum Temple is a bamboo pavilion for practising yoga nestled in the jungles of Tulum, designed by local studio CO-Lab Design Office.

The pavilion at the Luum Zamá development in Tulum, Mexico, will host a variety of programs, such as yoga, meditations, workshops and other community gatherings.

CO-LAB Design Office created the open-air structure in the beach town with bamboo that was farmed sustainably in the neighbouring Mexican state of Chiapa. Bamboo was chosen for its sustainability credentials as well as its ability to resist hurricane forces.

Flat sections of bamboo beams were bent on-site, and then screwed and strapped together to create the pavilion.

The design is completely symmetrical, with five catenary arches that support each other arranged in a circular layout.

These arches form five different rooflines, with walls that stretch all the way down to the ground to form internal partitions.

"The project creates awareness for more sustainable ways of developing in the delicate ecology of Tulum and beyond," said the studio.

"Due to the carbon bamboo sequesters during its rapid harvest growth cycle, and its high strength to weight ratio (particularly when woven together), bamboo is a leading sustainable material with amazing potentials," the studio said.

A thatched roof covers the bamboo construction, made with a layer of local Zacate grass that is commonly found in the region. This covering protects the outdoor structure from rain and sun, while still allowing the pavilion to breathe in the humid tropical climate.

A number of hotel projects in Tulum, including Jungle Keva, Punta Caliza and Habitas Tulum, also have thatched roofs.

The design of Luum Temple takes cues from Spanish-Mexican architect Felix Candela's catenary reinforced concrete shell work.

One example of his work is a curving concrete aquarium at the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain, which was built with Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

CO-LAB Design Office created the structure with parametric software and also worked in close communication with local builders and an engineer who specialises in bamboo structures. Inside, the thatched design and bamboo rods are also visible.

"Once the arches were raised, they were woven together by a structural triangular pattern and then further bound by two continuous layers of tightly woven bamboo lattice, interlaced in opposite directions for structural stability," said the studio.

It is positioned in the middle of the Luum Zamá development, which has been built in a conserved area of native jungle. CO-LAB Design Studio also designed the masterplan of the residential community, focusing on conservation and protecting natural resources in the area.

Luum Zamá sets aside 50 per cent of its 8-hectare area for the conservation of existing vegetation, and also implements a reforestation program with endemic plants of the region.

Another project by the studio in Tulum is a white concrete guest house, Tulum Treehouse, which is similarly surrounded by dense tropical plants.

Photography is by Cesar Bejar unless stated otherwise.
Project credits:
Architecture team: Joana Gomes, Joshua Beck, Arturo Garza Espinosa, Rodrigo Arias Lopez, Thalia Velasco, Antonio Quintero, Alberto Avilez
Engineering: ING Esteban Morales
Construction: Arquitectura.Mixta: Jaime Peña, Javier Creuheras, Arley Osorno, Farut Varon

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CO-LAB Design Office creates bamboo yoga pavilion in Tulum

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Luum Temple is a bamboo pavilion for practising yoga nestled in the jungles of Tulum, designed by local studio CO-Lab Design Office. The pavilion at the Luum Zamá development in Tulum, Mexico, will host a variety of programs, such as yoga, meditations, workshops and other community gatherings.

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Living in an urban environment is demanding. Busy and competitive lifestyles leave people numbed from the effects of stress. Individuals in urban areas are more prone to mental health issues and demonstrate a noticeable lack of personal connection. Rosy city lights and skyscrapers are thorned with rising stress levels, posing an essential question to architects - how do spaces affect wellbeing?

Urban environments are either over or under stimulating our senses, causing physical, mental, and emotional stress. "Contemporary architecture aims to look stunning, technologically advanced, and people-and-environment-friendly", shares Anja Humljan, an architect and founder at Retouch. "However it still falls short of stimulating our senses just enough, and thereby bring us into the present moment", she tells ArchDaily.

Solutions to stress have urgently cropped up over the years. Yoga, meaning "union", has been gaining prominence as a therapeutic practice that marries the body, mind, and soul. Philosophers argue that inner peace can be attained anywhere, after all, it is found within oneself. Architects and researchers, however, emphasize the profound impact our physical environment has on our mental state. Surely, rolling out a yoga mat in a subdued scenario seems more fruitful than in the middle of rush hour.

Like yoga, architecture has the power to promote wellbeing, mindfulness, and connection between the body and its surroundings. Mindfulness as a design practice seeks to discover ways of nudging users into a state of presence. On International Yoga Day, ArchDaily reflects on spatial typologies tactfully designed to promote physical and mental ease - yoga studios.

Yoga centers are designed to offer relaxation to users through their practices and material space. More than a form of exercise, yoga is seen as a process of uniting with the body and enhancing mindfulness. Aligned with simplicity, yoga studios illustrate places of peace using a series of tested factors:

Light

Light is an influential element in architecture, inviting life and presence into buildings. Historically, sacred structures used light to 'illuminate' the soul along with the physical space. Architects can manipulate patterns of light and shadow to leave users with an atmospheric - even spiritual - experience. Exposure to natural light has been known to benefit a user's energy, mood, and wellbeing, while making a space seem motivating.

Madeiguincho designed Garden Yoga Studio to capture the changing levels of natural light through time and seasons. The simple structure was designed to mimic a temple, with quiet spaces and moving dim light. Materials were chosen to filter and regulate the intensity of daylight while maintaining a connection to the sun, essential in many yoga flows.

Color

Color psychology has been long utilized in design to compose perceptions of space. Besides bringing acoustic, thermal, and luminous comfort, colors can strongly dictate emotional responses and sensory experiences. When designing for mindfulness, architects lean towards colors of nature to create pacifying environs. Shades of white, cream, tan, blue, and green have been shown to calm the mind and body and foster a sense of decompression.

The Space Between by Jordan Ralph Studio boasts of serene white interiors that instantly grounds users and sends them inwards. Inspired by Savasana, the final pose of a flow, visual cues encourage users to drift into a meditative state. Whitened Irish Ash wood was used for the joinery, and the walls were painted matte white to create an ancient atmosphere. "I wanted it to feel like there was depth and soul within the walls of the space", shares Jordan Ralph, Founder and Creative Director at Jordan Ralph Studio. The grey concrete floor and the gradient-colored mirror stand out from the chalky backdrop, symbolizing the metaphysical "in-between moments" in yoga.

Materials

Materials carry the identity of a space with their tactile and visual features. The sense of touch can make one feel more connected to their environment. Materials can engage the senses through experiencing their inherent attributes, commanding one's attention. Earthy materials can provoke an illusion of being in the lap of nature with mentally soothing sensations.

Aiming to create a tranquil aura, Nan Arquitectos crafted Flow Yoga and Movement Studio to emulate nature and the peace it transmits. A series of materials and construction techniques were used to add warmth and simplicity to the space. The materials were used in their crude state: wood, concrete with imperfections, and brick paired with exposed industrial-style installations. The material palette reflects the rawness of yoga, and the personal relationship it promotes.

Seclusion and Privacy

When blended into spatial design, privacy and seclusion can offer respite from the stress inducers of daily routines. The idea of being away from triggering conditions can support efforts towards mindfulness. Meditative practices like yoga require a level of intimacy influenced by the space to feel a heightened sense of connection with oneself and their surroundings. Psychological ownership is also a critical factor in feeling welcomed and comforted in a space.

Blank Studio's Yoga Deva offers an escape from the asphalt roads and commercial buildings that surround the center. An internal sequence of spaces remove the user from the exterior conditions, steering them into a practice of meditation. Light, color, and texture are employed to create an ethereal atmosphere that contrasts everyday scenes of the city.

Community

Community makes spaces come alive. Perceptions of space are equally governed by its users and the interactions between them. People and the place come together to create a setting for mindful presence. When tackling mental health, a like-minded community can offer support, accountability, and motivation. The united energy carried by individuals in a room charges a positive ambiance.

BOS|QA pivoted their design for Health Life Yoga around the idea of community - connection to oneself through focused practice; connection to others through mentoring. The studio's program is divided between public and private zones, encouraging interaction while carving a hushed spot for yoga. As a central element, steps are placed near the entry where users can hang out outside classes. Lockers are enclosed under the steps, forming another space for interaction.

The pieces of mindful architecture can build optimal conditions for self-reflection and awareness, nurturing a deeper relationship with the built environment. Mindfulness can fit into designs of all scales and programs to strategically impact the human experience. Rather than embodying passive infrastructure, architecture can be wielded as a tool in the battle for mental wellness. Like yoga, architecture can be a unifying force between person and place.

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Architecture and Yoga: Tools for Mindfulness

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Living in an urban environment is demanding. Busy and competitive lifestyles leave people numbed from the effects of stress. Individuals in urban areas are more prone to mental health issues and demonstrate a noticeable lack of personal connection. Rosy city lights and skyscrapers are thorned with rising stress levels, posing an essential question to architects - how do spaces affect wellbeing?

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Curvaceous forms
Organic Shapes
Natural and Earthy tones and colours
Spontaneous nature
Irregularity
Jellyfish
Mushroom

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(Pavilion)

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To give a sense of freeness

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t a time of difficulty last year I found comfort in yoga. I went through a period of torturous insomnia that left me wide awake every night until 3am, begging for my brain to switch off. I'd heard that yoga could help so started going to a local class. Immediately, I felt better. I loved how slow and methodical it was, and the fact that teachers discussed mindful and positive thinking. These were all things I'd heard little about before. Gradually, as I de-stressed and learned to relax, my sleep improved. I even used to go through the poses in my head before bed, which always helped me drift off.

So, for World Yoga Day, I wanted to find out whether this ancient practice had helped others too with any challenges they had faced. Here are three stories.

Photograph: Vernon Kelly

I was very reluctant to go to a yoga class when my wife asked me. She had been practicing for years in Japan, but wanted to go for the first time in the UK and was worried about the fact that the class would be held in English. That's why she dragged me along with her. I moaned all the way there. "Can I not just wait for you in the pub?" I asked.

At this point in my life I was drinking every day, and smoking a lot. I was living for the weekend and experiencing low-level depression that I managed through excessive shopping and substance abuse. This was 10 years ago - I was 40.

After my first class, which was just a regular one in a gym, everything changed. I was hooked straight away and six months in I'd stopped drinking and smoking, and my family and friends noticed the difference in me too. They noted that I was happier, friendlier and more open and compassionate. As a result my relationship with my wife was much better too. We used to argue over stupid things but that all stopped.

Giving up smoking was perhaps my greatest achievement. I had tried for years to do it but found it impossible. Yoga helped me because smoking and drinking were just a manifestation of my desire for happiness and, as I became more happy and contented, I realised that I didn't need these substances any more. I experienced some physical discomfort for a few days quitting smoking but that soon passed. Yoga helped me control the psychological addiction to smoking.

Yoga brings you into a deep sense of relaxation physically and that creates more space for you mentally and spiritually. I started to understand that there was no satisfaction in trying to find happiness outside myself, for example through material possessions; all this stuff brought only temporary happiness, nothing permanent.

I now practice every day. I do an hour and a half before work. Then I meditate in the evening and I attend classes in Putney, London. I also teach yoga after work a few days, which gives me the same kind of buzz as going to a class.

Yoga isn't going to turn everyone's life around, but it has the potential to do so. You just need to be open to it. I don't know whether it was luck or karma but yoga came to me at the right time. If I had gone to a class four years earlier I think I would have walked out immediately and gone straight to the pub. I wasn't ready then but when I eventually found it I was.

I was first introduced to yoga in hospital - an interesting place to do your first class in. I had attempted suicide multiple times and was ill with anorexia. I was told if didn't go into hospital then I would be sectioned. I was in a terrible state, and had lost over half my body weight. My suicide attempts had been monthly, and I'd been on suicide watch for three years.

This was a year ago now, and today I am infinitely better. A big part of my recovery is down to yoga. At first I didn't take it seriously at all because of a misconception that it is hippy and all of that, but actually I found that it kind of empowered me to realise my body isn't just what people can see but how I can use it.

My first yoga session was a turning point. It was a very slow class because it was at a treatment facility. I couldn't really move beyond a few stretches. At this stage I didn't realise how physical and complex it could be. It was introduced to me as a way to calm. Yoga also helped to introduce me to meditation.

I have always been crazy flexible because I did ballet. Maybe that's partly why I developed an eating disorder. But yoga made me realise that it's not just about my appearance but also what I can do with my body. I can do headstands etc, and that's really empowering. It's my antidote to the desire to be thinner.

My life now is so much better. There are still bits and pieces I am trying to restore and I lost a bit of weight recently because of my exams. But my mental health has vastly improved. I am able to maintain friendships and will be going to university in September. I never thought I would be doing that; my parents were told I wouldn't last until I was 16.

I used to over-think everything and be anxious a lot of the time. The clarity of yoga was really what helped, and having a routine. I am not one of those constant, dedicated people, and I only do yoga for 10 minutes a day, but it helps to ground me. It has taught me how to calm down and not panic at everything.

Photograph: Che Marville

I have a long history with yoga. I started learning it when I was about 13, maybe even a little younger. I suffered from insomnia when I was 11 and 12 and found yoga the only way to cope. My sleep problems were triggered by an illness I developed as a child, the stress of migration and my parents' divorce. My mother, siblings and I moved to Canada, but my family was originally from Guyana. When I was visiting family there I developed osteomyelitis, which is inflammation of bone marrow due to blood infection. I was deathly sick and lost the ability to walk. I was flown to Trinidad where I was diagnosed but the first surgery was unsuccessful so their solution was to amputate the right leg. My mother, a British-trained nurse, refused and sought out the Canadian embassy to help us return to Canada. The doctors in Trinidad said: "If you take her back she will die," but my courageous mother took the risk based on her knowledge and faith.

When I got to Toronto I had a series of seven operations and gradually improved. I went through rehabilitation and wore a brace and never lost my leg. I was told that I would walk with a limp and one leg would be shorter than the other. I had experienced extreme pain and was so grateful to be alive that I developed spiritual practice during my illness. I discovered a greater sense of self and strength because I came so close to death.

As a result of my experiences I developed sleep issues and to help with this I started yoga. It wasn't very common at that time and my family and friends certainly weren't studying it. I did it privately and there was always a yoga teacher renting a church basement somewhere and books in the public library. I found the experience so profound that I was hungry to study with various teachers using the practice to heal myself.

Photograph: Che Marville

After I graduated I worked as a researcher at the Science Centre and that's when my sleep problems came back. I started to research more into what was going on and began studying mindfulness and meditation. I realised I could cure myself.

After a while I felt my personal practice was strong and shared it with others. I designed a programme for nurses in hospital - because my mum was one - and they loved it. It ran in multiple hospitals and I also started teaching. One thing that is important to remember is that yoga isn't just about acrobatics; it is an intricate holistic philosophy about your own unique health. It involves learning to be calm and to relax. When you do that your body can heal itself. One of the requirements of yoga is telling yourself the truth. When you do that you find a kind of serenity and inner peace. It doesn't mean you become nice or good; you become the person you were born to be. You learn to accept your imperfections and fragilities.

Through yoga I've been able to help other people too and be of service in my community. I work with seniors, children and executives. I have received feedback from people saying that learning yoga has helped them sleep better and reduce their anxiety . It's also helped people cope with depression. It has not healed them but it has helped them cope. Right now I am working with people who have cancer and it's useful for them too. I am not talking about healing it but living with it, because it is a chronic illness and many who suffer from it have never confronted their own mortality before. The fear is often greater than pain and the practice of yoga and understanding your own body can help with that.

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Yoga saved my life: three people share their stories

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t a time of difficulty last year I found comfort in yoga. I went through a period of torturous insomnia that left me wide awake every night until 3am, begging for my brain to switch off. I'd heard that yoga could help so started going to a local class.

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The true nature of yoga and the wellness industry | Letters

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Letters: Christine Schmid writes about how classes saved her from burnout during a stressful period of her life, while Joelle Tamraz explains how yoga continues to evolve

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Modern architecture
Fluid Architecture
Minimalism

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Nottingham Arboretum

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Mental health awareness
Spread well-being in the society
Create a safe space
Stress relief centre

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People suffering from:
Depression
Stress
Anxiety
and any other mental health related issue

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Sound Baths
Mindful Hatha Yoga
Fitness
Physical exersice

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Boho Yoga Wall Art Minimalist Woman Art Boho Rainbow Wall - Etsy