Yoga Studio in Gazi

Student: Dencheva Nadezhda 
NTUA Supervisors: Prof. Efesiou E., Prof. Moraitis K.
Consulting Professors: Prof. Panzaris Th., Pantaleon E.
Presentation Date: November 2009
Dissertation Thesis at the National Technical University of Athens School of Architecture

Yoga is an Indian philosophical system and form of asceticism which was created over 5000 years ago. The word Yoga means union of body and spirit. The idea for a Yoga Studio in Gazi aimed at improving the lives of its residents.
The building is situated in the northern part of the site, with large glass surfaces facing south and minimal coverage, leaving most of the land to green. Moreover, taking into account the low level of the adjacent buildings on the street Sofroniou, I sought an equally low rate of construction for the building and tried to give it a transitional character. From the tall and impersonal neighboring blocks to the outer green landscaped area.

The Yoga Studio is introverted. It turns its back to the tall adjacent buildings, towering two blind walls which are interrupted only at the back to let light and green enter the building. A second wall inside the site rises to designate the main body-slot of the building. This second wall is not a barrier as the first one, but being more lightweight and perforated acts as a filter between the inside and the outside natural world. Slots and openings shall give the ability to light to enter the building while ensuring the views of the landscaped area outside. The building-slot accommodates the vertical and horizontal movements and the public areas. Outside the large openings are protruding the yoga halls - pendulous boxes that penetrate into the garden trying to get in closer contact with the natural world. These spaces, suspended between the earth and the sky, as if refusing to obey the laws of gravity, symbolize the effort of the human spirit towards perfection.

Once a visitors has crossed the threshold of the central gate, he suddenly finds himself in a mysterious garden, dominated by green bamboo reeds, the dew under the shadows of the trees and different sounds. A path with an unstable course and changing width leads the visitor through the garden. As he goes further along the way, the different scents, the breeze among the leaves and the sound of running water coming as if from far away bring the visitor into a more relaxed state of mind. Thus in a more reflective mood and more coordinated on the exercises to be followed he enters the Yoga Studio. The first level houses a lobby, a small shop, an office, two locker rooms and a large room for yoga. A second garden inside the building makes the presence of the natural element even more pronounced. The yoga room is in a direct contact with a part of the garden designed especially for it - the silent courtyard. This garden is designed to be observed from the height of a man seated on the floor. The sand, the moss, the stones and the lack of vibrant colors and exotic plants offer a silent view that calms the mind.

The second level houses two dressing rooms, each with its own bathroom, a living room, where students usually spend some time before and after class, two rooms for body care and two yoga rooms.

The third level houses a meditation room and two pendulous spaces. The last level consists of two wooden decks - to the east and to the south and a tea room in between. In the eastern deck takes place the Morning Yoga.
Wood, metal and glass are the three materials from which the building is almost entirely built. The facade has a double skin of glass and wood. The glass opens the building to light and view while the wooden blinds keep the privacy of the interior while providing shade.

The glass opens completely and the outer surface of the building turns into a skin through which the natural world outside filters into the natural world inside, and vice versa.

The pendulous boxes act as indicators of time. They are covered with special steel sheets Cor-ten. This material over the years creates a protective layer on the surface, very similar to rust, increasing thus its resistance to atmospheric corrosion. The boxes as they change with the seasons, reveal the passage of time. A logic that is consistent with the philosophy of Yoga, which teaches us to embrace the natural cycle of growth, decay and death and to find beauty in the scars that time, the weather and the use leave behind.

The garden is dominated by vertical bamboo stalks. The bamboo symbolizes (in Chinese tradition) the longevity with its endurance, strength, flexibility and durability. It can withstand the worst weather conditions and always remains upright and green. In a storm bends with the wind after the storm again raises its trunk.