Masterplans

While acknowledging the unique challenges that face the Upper and Lower Hamlets individually, both masterplans adopt the same broad approach. They both define a number of areas with distinct characters and functions, create a more welcoming, stress-free arrival sequence at each hamlet, and reorganise vehicle routes to create car-free villages. They use natural approaches to tackle persistent problems, for example by creating habitat for birds that can curb the high mosquito population. Both plans identify locations for solar panels. Among many other additions and renovations, the Lower Hamlet masterplan proposes the construction of a new nunnery and dining hall. The Upper Hamlet masterplan will see the addition of new guest houses and its existing bookshop renovated and expanded.

Guest Houses

MVRDV are already designing four guest houses for the Upper Hamlet, with more included in the Lower Hamlet masterplan. These two-storey buildings use wood construction and a simple floorplan. Rooms are arranged in a u-shape around communal living spaces with room for Dharma sharing circles, with external staircases, balconies, and verandas for circulation. The four guest houses adopt different characters depending on their context: the Gate House, located on the entrance square, accommodates 16 people upstairs and a reception area, workspaces, and laundry room downstairs; a pair of Garden Houses frame the vegetable garden, housing 31 people each; and the Veranda House, in the more spacious and secluded Son Ha area of the site, also houses 31 people with a large veranda that extends into the landscape. In each location, the guest houses are finished in different materials, adapting to the character of their surroundings.