Project Overview

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva hall worships the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva of Great Vows, who is also called the king of the hell realm due to being patient and immovable like the great earth, and his meditation is deep and profound like a secret storehouse; therefore, his name conveys the meaning of “earth store.” Listed the four most iconic buddhas in Chinese Buddhism with Guanyin, Manjusri, and Samantabhadra, Ksitigarbha vowed that once all sentient beings were saved, he would then attain Buddhahood, and it was not until the hells were empty of suffering beings that he would become a Buddha. Parn Shyr Design adopts the great vows to construct the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva hall at Songshan Cihui Temple in Taipei. Taking the patience and steadiness of Ksitigarbha as the aim, the designer creates the detailed designs with the inspiration from the Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra, also reflecting Yao-chihuahua Chin-mu (Golden Mother of the Jasper Pool), the main goddess that Songshan Cihui Temple is dedicated to. The overall space presents the religious symbols: Mu Niang light of origin, lotus dome, and iridescent clouds.

Organisation

Parn Shyr Design

Team

Yung-Hsi Peng, Pei-Chi Hung

Project Brief

The project is the one-story 109 sq Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva hall which is located in Songshan Cihui Temple. With the 3 meters high Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva of Great Vows statue as the main design, the rectangular space plan is different from another conventional temple hall, the oval elements spread with the planar arrangement while the statue is in the center. Marble material is used in the project on the flooring and wall evaluation surfaces, creating a sense of solemn and tranquil religious place. The designer adopts white lightwell to introduce natural lights in order to echo the changing light and shade in the interior. It shapes the layers of light and shadow, at the same time, the exterior and interior share the unity. Parn Shyr Design designs the relief carvings of chrysanthemum petals, iridescent clouds, etc. which symbolize fortune, purity, and peace. Besides, the contents of the Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra are used laser cutting 8 mm acrylic carving to present on the wall. Combining the 3 meters high white jade Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statue, space shows the pure, magnificent, and kind image of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in the project.

Project Innovation/Need

As for the design concept, the designer captures the image of Ksitigarbha being patient and immovable like the great earth and his profound meditation, using pure white jade and marble to build a magnificent and elegant space. The 9.5 meters Bagua diagram lightwell in the center of the overall space, which will bring in a lot of natural light. What’s more, the philosophic ideology of each thing generating each other and evolution is derived from the Bagua theory. With the crystal white chrysanthemum petals decorated around the top of the lightwell echoing natural daylight, the white color shows four seasons, dust and dawn, and the changing weather while the chrysanthemum represents the natural law, fortune, elegance, and purity. In addition, on the high-ceiling oval wall, white marble is carved to mezzo-relieve with the shape of iridescent clouds. It is a unique and iconic Chinese culture figure like the dragon pattern, symbolizing fortune and standing for one of the lively art forms.

Design Challenge

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva hall is 9 meters wide, 12 meters long, and 9.5 meters high in architecture. Being the new construction on the original site, the host of Songshan Cihui Temple dug the base and placed metal beams and columns one by one with the bare hands 50 years ago. Expect the main temple site, the other 8724 square meters space including the open square, metal built halls, etc. in total 4 buildings are torn down and reconstructed, and the 109 square meters Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva hall is one of them. After the reconstruction, the designer presents a pure white and solemn space, forming Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s attitude of burning his bridges behind him within the scope. The designer hopes that the believers can not only relate to the space during worship but also gain spiritual support in their following life.

Sustainability

Religious belief is the gem of human culture, the respect of gods and spirits, and even is the power of the believers that leads the path of rightness and kindness. The performance form of religion includes ritual, preaching, memorial, and worshiping. Based on his great wish of saving all the suffering beings before attaining Buddha-hood, the designer creates this project as a solemn and sublime Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva hall for the people to worship. Meanwhile, crystal decoration is carved referring to the Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra, helping the believers reach peace in mind and find the proper path of life.