Sri Aurobindo Integral Life Centre, Surat, India

Everyone who attended the grand opening of the Sri Aurobindo Integral Life Centre (SAIL Centre) last year was moved by the design presentation by the centre’s architect, Mona Dr. Pingel. Founder and principal of Auroville’s Studio Naqshbandi, she spoke about her 13-year design journey for the project that led her to design a space that reflects the way she lives her life.

The over one-hectare SAIL Centre in the western Indian city of Surat 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, whose significant contributions include elevating Yoga as an art of life and building the renowned cosmopolitan city of Auroville in South India. The Centre is located within the 47-hectare campus of EarthSpace, a mixed-use development started in 2011 by Sri HS Rama, a prominent US-based Indian hotelier and disciple of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

EarthSpace comprises AURO University and upcoming recreational, hospitality, commercial and residential facilities. The new centre is its soul and aims to encourage the development of inner consciousness as a source of wisdom, inspiration, contemplation and self-reflection. Programme coordinator and AURO University Professor Nimesh Joshi explains: “As the only university in the world that offers holistic Guru education, the campus caters to all aspects of life, from health and spirituality to science and consciousness.”

The design brief given to Dr. Pingel in 2010 for the center was simple yet broad: create a space that inspires visitors to explore their inner selves. After five site and programmatic changes, construction began in 2019. Dr. Pingel significantly expanded the brief, reflecting wisdom gained from 30 years in Auroville leading an award-winning boutique architectural firm.

“I am true to the pursuit of perfection, but I also take things slowly and give myself time to grow,” she says. “I want people to discover my work and myself.”

The centre’s design is a testament to this philosophy: silently carved into the land without drawing attention to itself, it integrates the five elements of nature through a strong narrative, simple materials, subtle expression and detailed, sensory design.

The long entrance bridge is an intriguing precursor to this satisfying world, offering a triumphant moment of design as you tangibly transition into it while passing through the surrounding waters and rugged terrain. The senses are stimulated by the illusion of a floating centre, the bridge’s unusual 90 degree bend that breaks linearity, and the building’s understated mass, scale and proportions with its elongated facade and mysterious spaces.

“Like Aurobindo’s yoga, which must be discovered, the Center’s layered spatial exploration invites visitors to explore,” says Dr. Pingel. The interior world presents a fitting case study in phenomenology. It communicates through evocative silence, a constant dialogue with nature through courtyards, perennial bioponds with indigenous plants and fish, and a synergy of brick, concrete and glass. These elements respond to the harsh urban weather, where temperatures drop by 4-5°C.

At one end is the education and lecture zone, an orientation room explaining the concept of the center, a satsangha room, and a On the other side of the building, interactive and quiet zones are provided: a Zen garden for quiet conversation, an inward meditation garden with four petal-shaped rooms, a Sensorium Court with a walking path for acupressure (an innovative alternative to the gardens proposed by Dr. Pingel), and the Dhyanshala, a glass-enclosed collective meditation hall.

Dr. Pingel’s expertise in soul-searching architecture, in treading gently on the earth through sustainable practices and the harmonious integration of architecture and landscape, is on display here. A rainwater-collecting lake is set into the low-lying site. The Zen garden features gentle interventions from handmade brass lamps, art galleries and calligraphy, as well as dramatic interventions from balanced black and yellow bamboo shoots that, in Dr. Pingel’s words, look like “painterly brushstrokes.” Cleverly placed ledges and steps leading down to the water’s edge create casual social zones. Joshi tells us that no snacks are allowed in the Zen garden, lest it be perceived as a cafeteria.

The meditation room is modelled on the four attributes of God the Mother – Maheshwari (Wisdom), Mahakali (Power), Mahalakshmi (Harmony) and Mahasaraswati (Perfection), each of which follows a colour coding and orientation as explained in the teachings of Sri Aurobindo. The colour coding is intuitively implemented in the darkened room by strip lighting around a layered, elongated stainless steel installation that mirrors patterns on the floor.

The cathartic Dhyanshala is accessed through a bridge reminiscent of the entrance bridge; metaphorically drawing the visitor into a deeper zone. Its pavilion design is suspended over a perennial bio-pond in nature, strategically visible from any vantage point. It is a remarkable physical representation of floating and connecting with the higher self. As the pinnacle of the centre’s spiritual journey, its serene white hues with a central gold and marble piece symbolising the Mother and man-made quartz crystals in the water create a deep awareness of the power of silence.

The petal rooms, dhyanshala crystals and gold discs in the reception and meditation court will feel familiar to anyone who has visited Auroville’s famous spiritual centre, the Matrimandir, while the concrete, exposed brick and flowing spaces recall the architectural expressions of Ahmedabad and Chandigarh.

Dr. Pingel says her alma mater, CEPT University, and the legendary BV Doshi have always been her guiding lights, but for the SAIL Centre, she took inspiration from the Matrimandir. While other influences may not have been planned, an architect’s memories unconsciously make their way into design expressions. She reflects: “The centre’s facade, with its play of light, may have been unconsciously influenced by the Columba Museum in Germany by Peter Zumthor, whose work I admire.”

The hypnotic atmosphere is further enhanced by the acoustics of splashing water, bamboo flutes, instruments from the Sensorium Court and the music of the Dhyanshala Mother. Visitors must leave their footwear, bags and mobile phones at the entrance before drifting off into this spiritual realm. “Every time I come here, it’s a different experience. That’s the power of this space,” says Joshi, a devout follower of Sri Aurobindo.

Despite being located on a campus filled with buildings designed by renowned architects, the unassuming SAIL Centre holds its own. While the clients may not have consciously sought an Aurovillian architect for their centre, Dr. Pingel’s Aurovillian ethos of purity, honesty, peace and harmony permeates the ethos of the centre through its spatial expression, sustainable practices, artefacts, furniture, plants and design details.

“It was an honour to realise this design and earn the complete trust of my client,” she says. “In 2010, I had worked in architecture in Auroville and Pondicherry, but I had never attempted a project of this scale outdoors. The centre was a stepping stone for my studio.”

Dr. Pingel deserves credit for her flexibility in accommodating different programs throughout the eight-year concept period. She quickly adapted the design to accommodate the elimination of the underground meditation petals, the two apartment spaces in Sensorium Court, and the client’s residence and office on the first floor, accessible by elevator and ramp. The ramp opening to the terrace may still be a point of contention.

The center is open to all visitors, but its location on the university campus is crucial. It inspires the younger generation to connect with their inner journey, be mindful of their existence, and contribute to humanity. “There are many Aurobindo centers around the world,” Dr. Pingel says, “but the scale and intent essential to this center’s existence are unprecedented.”

To discuss the center, one must go beyond its vision and design. In addition to being a design space that invites exploration, such an honest space also offers architects the opportunity to discover their architectural journey and what they want to give and receive through architecture. Dr. Pingel attributes her 13-year tenacity in this intense project to an inner calling. “I got through this,” she says. “There’s always something inside me that’s guiding me. I’m a flowing person, so I let myself be guided.” I’m not sure if she’s talking about herself or the project. In that moment, the project became her and she became the project.

When architecture discovers a world for the architect and the visitor, and within you, there is little room for the discipline’s superpowers, and the design of the SAIL Center is a fitting homage to these superpowers.

Apurva Bose Dutta is an Indian author, award-winning architecture journalist, curator and editor.

By the numbers

Building area: 2,835m²