MASS

Toscana, Italy , 2026 , Architecture, Interior Architecture

A brutalist sanctuary shaped through concrete, light, shadow, and silence.

MASS is composed of four brutalist pavilions—meditation, workshop, exhibition, and reading—placed within the volcanic forest of Monte Amiata and connected by a winding path. Each pavilion has its own purpose and atmosphere, while raw concrete, natural light, shadow, and texture create a common architectural language throughout the project.

01, Monte Amiata, Toscana

Four pavilions shaped by forest and terrain.

The site sits within a steep, V-shaped valley. Because of the uneven terrain, the four pavilions are placed on a raised, level plateau rather than following the natural slope. This creates a common ground for the buildings while allowing the existing terrain to continue beneath them.

MASS aerial view: the four pavilion rooftops threaded through a wooded, contoured clearing, seen from directly above. — Aerial view, Four pavilions within the forest clearing

MASS terrain section render: the pavilion volumes stepping along the slope, kept low beneath the tree line, rendered in daylight. — Terrain section, Pavilions set against the natural slope

02, The four pavilions

One sanctuary, four separate buildings.

Each pavilion is shaped around one of the project's four foundations: meditation, labor, observation, and knowledge. A path through the forest connects them into a single sequence, while each pavilion maintains its own spatial character.

01MeditationA vessel for silence
Enter
02WorkshopA sanctuary for creation
Enter
03ExhibitionArchitecture as the primary exhibit
Enter
04ReadingAn archive of architectural memory
Enter

03, The route

Meditation

The meditation pavilion is conceived as a place of stillness and withdrawal, where daylight, the central oculus, and the surrounding forest create a quiet space for reflection.

01, Silence

Conceived as a vessel for silence, the Meditation Pavilion separates the visitor from the noise of the outside world and creates a space for introspection. The sequence leads gradually to the oval meditation hall, where the oculus and low ribbon window bring light and the forest back into the space.

Technical Drawings

Meditation, Floor Plan 1/50 — 01, MeditationFloor Plan, 1/50

Meditation, Ceiling Plan 1/50 — 02, MeditationCeiling Plan, 1/50

Meditation, Section A-A 1/50 — 03, MeditationSection A-A, 1/50

Meditation, Section B-B 1/50 — 04, MeditationSection B-B, 1/50

Spaces

Entry threshold: a large circular pivot door in board-formed concrete, a figure stepping through toward the reception beyond.

Threshold, A quiet transition from forest to interior.

Reception: a concrete desk beneath the MASS lettering, a full-height forest window at left, two figures crossing the room.

Reception, A first pause before the meditation space.

Changing room: board-formed concrete cubicles with pivoting doors, a locker wall with hanging robes at left, a skylit strip above.

Changing Room, A quiet space to slow down and prepare.

Locker wall: brushed steel doors above a floating concrete bench, one compartment open to hung robes.

Lockers, A quiet space to slow down and prepare.

Meditation hall: the sloped concrete ceiling opening to the canopy through the wide oculus, daylight pooling on the mats below. — Meditation hall, A space for meditation, shaped by light, silence, and the surrounding forest.

Meditation hall: the oval concrete room lit by a ceiling oculus and a ribbon window to the forest, mats, bolsters and rollers arranged on the floor. — The hall, A continuous view of the forest keeps the space connected to its surroundings.

Washroom

A quiet space framed by the forest.

Workshop

Here the concrete shell expands upward instead of compressing, turning making into something close to ritual.

02, Craft

The Workshop Pavilion draws from Brutalist principles, encouraging a direct understanding of materials through their natural qualities, weight, texture, and construction. The space is designed to make this relationship with material part of the experience of making.

Technical Drawings

Workshop, Floor Plan 1/50 — 01, WorkshopFloor Plan, 1/50

Workshop, Ceiling Plan 1/50 — 02, WorkshopCeiling Plan, 1/50

Workshop, Section A-A 1/50 — 03, WorkshopSection A-A, 1/50

Workshop, Section B-B 1/50 — 04, WorkshopSection B-B, 1/50

Spaces

Workshop display room: stepped white pedestals holding ceramics before a full-height forest window, visitors circulating. — Entry display, A small display area for objects made through the workshop and available to take home.

Workshop café: a concrete counter with cups and an espresso machine, people seated on steel stools and chairs. — Juice bar, A social pause within the workshop experience.

Workshop wash counter: two concrete sinks beneath open steel shelves stacked with terracotta jars and vessels.

Prep, A practical area for preparing, washing, and working with clay.

Workshop interior: a long concrete table facing a full-height window filled entirely with forest, people seated along it.

Commons, A shared table for working together, directly facing the forest.

Exhibition

The Exhibition Pavilion turns architecture itself into part of the exhibit, using movement, changing levels, and material presence to shape how the works are experienced.

03, Display

The Exhibition Pavilion turns architecture itself into part of the exhibit, using movement, changing levels, controlled light, and material presence to shape how the works are experienced. Pieces produced in the Workshop also become part of the exhibition.

Technical Drawings

Exhibition, Ground Floor Plan 1/50 — 01, ExhibitionGround Floor Plan, 1/50

Exhibition, Second Floor Plan 1/50 — 02, ExhibitionSecond Floor Plan, 1/50

Exhibition, Ceiling Plan 1/50 — 03, ExhibitionCeiling Plan, 1/50

Exhibition, Section A-A 1/50 — 04, ExhibitionSection A-A, 1/50

Exhibition, Section B-B 1/50 — 05, ExhibitionSection B-B, 1/50

Spaces

Exhibition corridor: a figure at a full-height forest window, daylight filtering through the perforated stone block wall alongside.

Entrance

A perforated block wall filters light and views of the forest along the approach to the exhibition.

Exhibition hall: raw sandstone blocks stacked on a plinth beside a cantilevered concrete stair, the perforated block wall and bar beyond. — The hall, The main exhibition space brings large-scale works, circulation, and gathering into one open volume.

A pair of black leather lounge chairs at a low table beside the perforated stone block screen.

Lounge, A quiet place to pause between the exhibition spaces.

Exhibition bar: a long concrete counter beneath open shelving of bottles and glasses, forest visible through the corner window.

The bar, A social space to pause and gather within the exhibition.

Pedestals with small vessels, each trailing a draped paper label, a courtyard tree filling the opening beyond.

Display, Each piece is presented together with the story behind its making.

Ceramic vessels on labeled white plinths in rows, an interior garden of ferns and a mature tree at right.

Narrative, Workshop-made pieces are arranged alongside the interior garden.

Gallery corridor: a row of printed posters mounted on glass racks beneath a skylight strip, visitors passing through.

Upper gallery, An elevated exhibition space with a more intimate scale.

Upper gallery: printed posters on glass display racks, a long window framing a mature oak outside.

Upper gallery, An elevated exhibition space with a more intimate scale.

Reading

The Reading Pavilion is conceived as a place for architectural memory, study, and reflection. Raised above the ground, its quiet interior uses filtered daylight and framed views of the forest to support reading and focus.

04, Retreat

The Reading Pavilion is raised above the ground, allowing the path to continue beneath the building and lead into a quieter upper level. Inside, a sunken reading area, deep window bays, and open shelves create spaces for reading, study, and retreat.

Technical Drawings

Reading, Ground Floor Plan 1/50 — 01, ReadingGround Floor Plan, 1/50

Reading, Second Floor Plan 1/50 — 02, ReadingSecond Floor Plan, 1/50

Reading, Ceiling Plan 1/50 — 03, ReadingCeiling Plan, 1/50

Reading, Section A-A 1/50 — 04, ReadingSection A-A, 1/50

Reading, Section B-B 1/50 — 05, ReadingSection B-B, 1/50

Spaces

A plastered garden wing of the reading pavilion, deep in the forest, visitors walking beneath its overhang toward a glazed lounge. — Garden wing, A quieter extension of the reading spaces at forest level.

A visitor reaching into a tall bookshelf beside a narrow forest window, a second sunken sofa area visible beyond.

Reading nook, Shelves frame a quieter place for reading beside the forest.

Reading room: a slot skylight and forest glazing lighting the sunken seating area from above and the side at once.

Reading nook, Shelves frame a quieter place for reading beside the forest.

Reading room: a sunken concrete step seating area with a black leather sofa, a stair rising behind it and bookshelves at right. — The pit, A sunken space for reading, gathering, and quiet conversation.

Reading room: a pivoting steel bookshelf beside sunken black sofas and a leather lounge chair, forest visible through the windows.

Shelves, Pivoting shelves can change direction, allowing the reading space to open or close toward the forest.

A private study cell: a concrete desk built beneath a folding window opening to the forest, one chair and a black leather daybed.

Carrel, Private spaces for individual reading, study, and focused work.

Upper floor

Reading room: three deep window bays with bench seating and book storage beneath, each framing the forest. — Window bays, Deep window seats create individual places to read beside the forest.

A shared work table beside a concrete column, visitors reading and working before the pine forest windows.

Study, A shared table for reading, research, and focused work.

A reading bench with rolled prints in wire baskets, a visitor browsing beside a freestanding concrete panel.

Archive, Drawings and printed material remain within reach throughout the study area.

Café

A quiet place to pause and gather at the end of the reading route.

Leaving MASS: the reading pavilion's long window counter, forest glowing through the ribbon glazing beyond.

MASS brings four distinct experiences together through concrete, light, and the forest, creating a continuous journey between silence, making, observation, and knowledge.

MASS , Toscana, Italy , 2026