Raj Sabhagruh is a large-scale discourse and meditation complex within the Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram in Dharampur, India, conceived as a contemporary architectural interpretation of Jain cosmological and spatial principles through stacked program, structural integration, and material restraint.
Raj Sabhagruh Technical Information
- Architects: Serie Architects
- Location: Dharampur, Gujarat, India
- Gross Area: 16,000 m2 | 172,223 Sq. Ft.
- Project Years: 2012 – 2024
- Photographs: © Rory Gardiner
The project was developed through an extended dialogue, testing how typologies of sacred architecture could be reworked through structure, program, and light rather than through applied symbolism.
– Christopher Lee and Kapil Gupta
Reinterpreting Jain Typologies Through Contemporary Form
The architectural framework of Raj Sabhagruh is rooted in the Jain concept of the Samavasaran, a mythic assembly where knowledge unfolds through a tiered spatial order. Rather than replicating historical form, the building translates this cosmology into a vertical sequence of occupied layers, each corresponding to a different mode of learning and contemplation. The ascent through the building constitutes an intellectual and spatial progression, beginning with collective discourse and culminating in individual meditation.
This progression is articulated through thirteen stacked volumes, each rotated incrementally to generate a compact yet dynamic mass. The aggregation recalls the logic of Jain shikharas, where repetition and accumulation produce transcendence, though here the reference remains abstract. The rotated geometry avoids axial monumentality, instead emphasizing a gradual, almost imperceptible transformation as one moves upward.
Programmatically, the arrangement reinforces this didactic intent. The ground level accommodates a large discourse hall, above which sit museum and classroom spaces dedicated to study and interpretation. At the apex, a meditation hall occupies both a physical and symbolic peak, concluding the ascent with silence rather than spectacle.
Structural Logic and Lean Construction Strategy
The building’s form and structure are inseparable. Each rotated layer contributes to an interlocking system of gently curved concrete shear walls that act simultaneously as a load-bearing structure, enclosure, and spatial boundary. Wall thickness is limited to approximately 500 millimeters, demanding precise structural coordination while reducing material consumption across the entire volume.
At ground level, the 5,000-seat auditorium is contained within a circular concrete drum measuring approximately 56 meters in diameter. Four intersecting arches span the space to create a column-free interior, concentrating structural loads at their intersections. This structural square becomes the bearing point for the meditation hall above, allowing vertical stacking without internal supports that would disrupt the auditorium floor.
This approach aligns with a broader lean construction strategy, where structural clarity replaces redundancy. The absence of secondary framing systems and applied finishes reinforces the building’s tectonic legibility and ensures that spatial logic remains readable across scales.
Materiality, Light, and Surface Articulation
The exterior surfaces are clad in hand-cut Makrana marble bricks sourced from discarded industrial off-cuts. Each small brick accommodates the curvature of the shear walls, producing a finely grained surface whose texture is perceptible at close range and continuous at a distance. The reuse of waste material situates the building within regional craft practices while minimizing additional extraction.
Light interacts with this surface through both reflection and incision. Deep-set circular openings puncture the thick walls, drawing daylight into the interior while reinforcing a sense of depth. As sunlight shifts across the day, the marble’s crystalline structure modulates tone and shadow, animating the otherwise monolithic mass.
Inside, ceilings and wall finishes reinterpret historical Jain ornament through abstraction. In the auditorium, concentric timber acoustic baffles radiate from the drum’s center, recalling carved temple domes without replicating their imagery. In the meditation hall, a rotating field of illuminated acoustic panels directs attention upward, using light and geometry rather than figuration to support focused introspection.
Site, Plinth, and Collective Space
Raj Sabhagruh sits atop a gentle hillock, anchored by an expansive marble plinth that extends its geometry into the surrounding site. This plinth functions as a collective forecourt, organizing access to adjacent institutional buildings while offering a horizontal counterpoint to the building’s vertical stacking.
The plaza is paved in concentric rings of white marble that echo the circular geometry of the auditorium below. Beyond formal resonance, the material choice mitigates heat gain in the intense regional climate. Rows of ficus trees introduce shade and scale, enabling the forecourt to operate as an inhabitable space rather than a residual surface.
Processional routes extend from this plinth toward the temple, dining hall, and open-air amphitheatre, integrating the building into the ashram’s daily patterns of movement and gathering. Gardens and shaded pathways beyond the plaza further embed the architecture within a landscape structured around communal rituals of learning, rest, and meditation.
About Serie Architects
Serie Architects is an international architectural practice co-founded in 2006 by Christopher Lee and Kapil Gupta, with offices in London, Mumbai, and Singapore. The studio is recognized for its work in cultural, civic, and educational architecture, underpinned by a rigorous exploration of architectural typologies and their relevance to contemporary cities. Serie’s approach emphasizes contextual responsiveness, structural clarity, and the integration of spatial, material, and social considerations into coherent architectural systems.
Credits and Additional Notes
- Structural engineers: Lera
- MEP consultants: Arkk Consulting
- Landscape designers: Ficus Design
- Client: Shrimad Rajchandra Mission, Dharampur
- Auditorium Consultant: RMM Designs
- Acoustical Consultant: Andy Munroe
- Lighting Consultant: Clarity
- Drawing Manager: Gleeds
