Pyramid Valley International

Kanakapura Road, Bengaluru, 2011

A 28-acre campus near Harohalli, set in a valley surrounded by hillocks and a rainwater lake at its lowest point. Rock, garden, and water quiet the mind before the architecture begins. At its centre stands the Maitreya Buddha Pyramid, 160 ft square at the base, 102 ft tall, oriented to Giza proportions and seating 5,000 meditators. The pagoda-style cottages are as simple as the site demands: paired blocks in exposed wire-cut brick, separated by landscaped gardens, with pagoda roofs, deep verandahs, and windows that frame the pyramid. Split-level ventilation and filler-slab roofs keep them comfortable without air conditioning. Completed February 2011. The semicircular cafeteria clasps the lake it overlooks, reached across a clay jaali bridge. White tensile fabric at the entrance contrasts with exposed brick within. Three levels of dining, open, semi-enclosed, and covered, flow into one another, with one end opening directly onto the pyramid.

Wooden footbridge leading to the Maitreya Buddha Pyramid through the valley trees

Thatched-roof gateway framing the approach bridge to the pyramid

Maitreya Buddha Pyramid exterior with spiral and celestial surface patterns

Pyramid rising above palm trees and dense campus foliage

Circular gravel labyrinth in the campus garden with tiled-roof accommodation beyond

Campus gardens with tiled-roof buildings set among mature trees

Tensile shade canopy over the outdoor cafeteria seating area

Stepping-stone path through gravel and trimmed shrubs in the campus landscape

Thatched-roof open pavilion with wooden picnic seating on a wet deck among tropical planting

Gravel path curving through campus gardens with a large boulder and mature trees

Maitreya Buddha Pyramid reflected in a still lake, framed by overhanging tree branches