The Arrival at Doshi Retreat

The Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein has a new, quiet addition. The Doshi Retreat, a compact yet powerful odyssey into silence and mindfulness, opened its doors at the end of October 2025.

Designed by the late Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi, the retreat is his first and last realized work outside India, created in collaboration with his granddaughter Khushnu Panthaki Hoof and her partner Sönke Hoof.

Embarking on the Journey

Constructed from XCarb, a recycled and CO₂-reduced steel, the 70-meter path descends below ground level. The air cools, the walls narrow, and sound sequences emerge from concave floor niches, guiding you deeper into the retreat. This is architecture as rhythm, following the idea of Kundalini energy in yoga.

The Heart of the Retreat

At the center lies a small, round room: a tranquil rainwater basin, two stone benches, a gong, and a hand-hammered brass ceiling. The boundary between body, material, and sound becomes permeable, making the visitor part of the instrument. This retreated sanctuary counters the campus’s growing natural landscape with a spairitual note.

“The Doshi Retreat offers not instruction, but an opportunity to lose yourself before finding yourself.”
– Rolf Fehlbaum, former chairman of Vitra