Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center
Raynham, Massachusetts
Photo by Stantec / Gregg Shupe
I was the lead Landscape Architect for the site of the largest Thai Buddhist temple outside of Thailand, completed in 2014. Officially named Wat Nawamintararachutis, or the NMR Meditation Center, the temple was conceived in honor of His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King of Thailand, who was born in nearby Cambridge, MA in 1927. The landscape concept was to complement the building's formal East-meets-West inspiration, balancing the rigid building forms with a sculpted landform plinth, graceful curving paths, sustainable rain gardens, and colorful four-season interest planting design. A formal meditation plaza in the core unifies the temple and the dormitory wing.
The design preserved a mature specimen tree at the entrance.
Overall site of the Buddhist Temple (right) and the Meditation Center with monk dormitories (left). The meditation plaza in the center unifies the two buildings.
The site contouring plays an important role in presenting the building on the site: the entrance is higher than the street to comply with Buddhist feng-shui; the platform created for the temple gracefully mounds down to meet the existing grades. Rain gardens at the bottom of the mound will slowly infiltrate the runoff into the ground. (Axon by ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge.)
Courtyard design options: Lotus Fountain, Buddhist Wheel Symbol, and Mandala. The Lotus Fountain option, inspired by the shape of a historic temple carving, was selected for further development.
Precedent idea images and Sketchup studies for the fountain; construction documents plan.
A glimpse of the meditation courtyard. Photo by Boston Globe.
