‘Sri Aurobindo Integral Life Centre’ at Surat, Gujarat designed by Mona Doctor-Pingel, a long-time resident of Auroville and was inaugurated last year was covered by the Royal Institute of British Architects Journal (RJ) on 26th June 2024.
The Centre is a part of Auro University started in 2011 by Shri H.P. Rama who resides in the U.S. and is also its Founder-President (He is a current member of the International Advisory Council of Auroville Foundation.) and is built on 2.5 acres plot located in the enclave named 'Earthspace'. The 47-ha enclave is meant for mixed-use development where the project seems to have succeeded well in materialising the design brief that was given to the architect in 2010: “to create a space compelling visitors to delve within themselves”.
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| Dhyana Shala (Meditation Hall) |
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| Man-made crystal at the centre of the Dhyanashala (Image source: RJ) |
It "is a global spiritual hub for the study, research, and dissemination of the principles and vision of spiritual visionaries Sri Aurobindo Ghosh and the Mother". The building complex integrates the five elements of nature according to Indian tradition through structures built with Kota, concrete, brickwork, glass, and wood. The built-up and landscape areas have been given a nearly equal share of the plot where some of the characteristic features of prominent buildings in Auroville including the Matrimandir have come up. It has a Dhyana Shala (meditation hall) in a waterbody with a man-made crystal at its centre which also reflects the surroundings as the one in Matrimandir does. The complex includes two apartments and the client's residence and office on the first floor, accessed through a lift and ramp.
The construction by Bhoomi Constructions, Ahmedabad, and M/S DH Patel, Surat began in 2019 and was completed in 4 years. The architect said she visited the site 12 times and was so grateful for the assistance received from her team that she felt she shouldn’t take the credit for it.
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| A view of the building (Image source: RJ) |
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| A view of the buildings (Image source: Screen grab, Sri Aurobindo Integral Life Centre, Surat, YouTube) |
To my mail congratulating her - after reading about the project from the journal - Mona replied, "I was fortunate to have good clients and the Grace to be able to complete the project in a harmonious manner".
The project, on the whole, as Mona herself said in a talk at the Centre last year, "is beautiful but not shouting for attention". Those familiar with the architecture of medieval and ancient India may perceive a quiet but firm turn towards the essentials of that spirit - peace, strength, beauty and eternity. It has the potential to be a cornerstone in the evolution of Indian architecture in new forms expressive of the New Age that is dawning.
Click on the link below the image to a walk-through video of the Centre by Studio Naqshabandi, Auroville (4 min: 9 sec).
