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Rui’an Puming Chan Temple
Rui’an Puming Chan Temple
China
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Other Projects by MENG ARCHITECTS
Rui’an Puming Chan Temple
China
Firm
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2023
SIZE
3000 sqft - 5000 sqft
BUDGET
Unknown
Bashui Village, located between the Lianhua and Wamo Mountains in Tangxia Township, Rui’an City, is home to a rich folk Buddhist tradition. The young abbot of Puming Chan Temple envisioned a modern space for preaching and teaching Buddhism, posing a design challenge of balancing religion, secular life, tradition, modernity, and nature.
Due to the triangular shape of the site, the traditional axial and symmetrical layout of Chinese Buddhist architecture could not be realized. However, earlier Buddhist culture shows that the circle, as a primordial form, appears almost everywhere. This led to an innovative, flexible, and asymmetrical layout strategy. Therefore, at the core of the temple stands a cylindrical building that vertically integrates the Mahavira Hall, Sutra Repository, and Lecture Hall, producing a layered spatial sequence that intensifies both rituality and serenity in the Buddhist architectural experience. Other programmatic spaces unfold around this central circle.
The Mahavira Hall features a six-meter-radius steel prayer wheel, manually rotated, with wind chimes that create a meditative ambiance. Below, the Sutra Repository and Lecture Hall serve monks and villagers for teaching, sutra study, meditation, and reflection, fostering layered experiences of ritual, learning, and community within the temple complex.
Relying solely on donations gathered by the abbot from devotees nationwide, the project took a full decade to come to fruition. With limited means, the façade is built of local stone: rugged, raw rock at ground level and polished stone slabs above. This pairing minimizes transport and costs while creating a striking visual contrast. Additionally, the temple incorporates sustainability features, including a rainwater reuse system, water-efficient recycling, and environmentally friendly materials. These measures enhance efficiency and reduce operational costs.
This design unites various 'relationships'—the sacred manifests in the secular, tradition stands amidst modernity, and architecture originates from nature.
Due to the triangular shape of the site, the traditional axial and symmetrical layout of Chinese Buddhist architecture could not be realized. However, earlier Buddhist culture shows that the circle, as a primordial form, appears almost everywhere. This led to an innovative, flexible, and asymmetrical layout strategy. Therefore, at the core of the temple stands a cylindrical building that vertically integrates the Mahavira Hall, Sutra Repository, and Lecture Hall, producing a layered spatial sequence that intensifies both rituality and serenity in the Buddhist architectural experience. Other programmatic spaces unfold around this central circle.
The Mahavira Hall features a six-meter-radius steel prayer wheel, manually rotated, with wind chimes that create a meditative ambiance. Below, the Sutra Repository and Lecture Hall serve monks and villagers for teaching, sutra study, meditation, and reflection, fostering layered experiences of ritual, learning, and community within the temple complex.
Relying solely on donations gathered by the abbot from devotees nationwide, the project took a full decade to come to fruition. With limited means, the façade is built of local stone: rugged, raw rock at ground level and polished stone slabs above. This pairing minimizes transport and costs while creating a striking visual contrast. Additionally, the temple incorporates sustainability features, including a rainwater reuse system, water-efficient recycling, and environmentally friendly materials. These measures enhance efficiency and reduce operational costs.
This design unites various 'relationships'—the sacred manifests in the secular, tradition stands amidst modernity, and architecture originates from nature.
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