There is something fascinating about entering a spiritual retreat. Before anyone explains its philosophy, before meditation begins, before a ritual takes place, architecture has already started working on us. The distance from the city, the path toward the building, the sound of footsteps, the changing light, the first glimpse of water, the relationship with the horizon and the silence between spaces begin to alter our awareness. We may arrive carrying the speed and noise of

We usually think of architecture as the art of creating buildings. We ask whether a building functions well, whether it is beautiful, whether it responds to its site, whether it is sustainable and whether it serves the activities for which it was designed. But what if architecture could begin with a completely different question? What if, before asking what a building should contain, we asked what a human being needs to feel better, stronger, calmer, more connected, more insp