Designing a building for worship and community service requires architects to balance spiritual symbolism, functional programming, and climate-responsive construction. Shanti Sadan, a facility for the Sisters of St. Ann in Mysore, India, completed in 2020 by BetweenSpaces, demonstrates how these three priorities can be addressed through deliberate spatial planning and material selection. The facility includes bedrooms, a dormitory, a classroom, a dining area, a kitchen, an office, and a chapel on a 2,687-square-meter site with a built-up area of 760 square meters. The design draws from Buddhist cave architecture at Ajanta, the apsidal plan of the Durga temple at Aihole, and the longitudinal plans of Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic churches to create a space that supports both communal worship and daily residential life. Structural consulting was provided by Skylark Engineering Consultant and construction by Abraham and Thomas Engineers Pvt. Ltd.
Program Separation and Site Organization
The site already contained a two-story structure adjacent to an existing hospice. That old building had become structurally weak due to age and disrepair and could no longer support the growing needs of the congregation. The design team was asked to create a new facility that consolidates residential, educational, administrative, and worship functions. The program was organized into two distinct parts: an accommodation wing and a detached chapel.
The dormitory, bedrooms, classroom, office, dining area, and kitchen are grouped together in a linear two-story arrangement on the northern side of the site. The chapel is physically separated from this main block, pulled outward into the surrounding greenery. This separation serves a metaphorical purpose: the act of walking from the residential wing to the chapel represents a transition from worldly concerns to spiritual focus. The design team, which included Cariappa, Pooja Nagraj, Pramod Jaiswal, and Divya E, arranged the program so that residents move through a deliberate sequence of spaces as they go about their daily routines.
Spatial organization strategies for mixed-use religious facilities
- Linear residential block: Accommodation, dining, classrooms, and administration arranged along a single axis for efficient circulation and service distribution across two floors.
- Detached worship space: The chapel separated from the main building to create a dedicated quiet zone free from domestic activity noise and foot traffic.
- Courtyard connectors: Two small courtyards bridge the two-story rear mass with the single-story foreground programs, providing pause points and enabling cross-ventilation between both zones.
- Green buffer: Existing trees and landscaping around the chapel site provide visual and acoustic separation from the residential wing while integrating the building into its natural surroundings.
Vaulted Ceilings for Thermal Performance and Spatial Experience
The most distinctive feature of Shanti Sadan is its vaulted roof construction. The two-story linear mass on the northern side uses reinforced cement concrete (RCC) vault roofs finished with China mosaic tiles. This design choice addresses three challenges simultaneously: thermal performance, spatial volume, and functional accommodation. The vault form is not merely decorative; it actively contributes to the building’s climate performance while creating the heightened interior experience associated with religious architecture.
Heat reflection through China mosaic finish
Mysore experiences summer temperatures that regularly exceed 35 degrees Celsius. The China mosaic tile finish on the vault roof reflects a significant portion of incoming solar radiation, reducing heat transfer to the interior spaces below. This passive cooling strategy is particularly effective on curved surfaces where incident sunlight strikes at varying angles throughout the day. The white and light-colored mosaic tiles achieve a solar reflectance index comparable to cool-roof coatings, keeping the roof surface temperature 15 to 20 degrees Celsius lower than a standard dark concrete roof would under the same exposure conditions.
Increased ceiling height for occupant comfort
The vault profile raises the ceiling significantly higher than a flat slab would. Higher ceilings create a larger volume of air that warms more slowly than the air in low-ceilinged rooms. Warm air stratifies near the vault apex while occupants remain in the cooler zone below. In the dormitory, the vaulted ceiling accommodates bunk beds stacked vertically, making efficient use of the increased height while keeping sleeping occupants above the warmest air layer near the floor. The spatial experience also supports the contemplative atmosphere expected in a religious facility.
| Roof System | Peak Surface Temp | Interior Heat Gain | Cost Index | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RCC vault with China mosaic | 35-40 degrees C | Low | 1.3x flat slab | Low (quarterly wash) |
| Flat RCC slab, dark finish | 55-60 degrees C | High | 1.0x (baseline) | Low |
| Flat RCC slab, cool coating | 40-45 degrees C | Moderate | 1.05x | Moderate (recoat 5-7 yr) |
| Metal sheet with insulation | 45-50 degrees C | Moderate-high | 0.7x | High (sealant replace) |
Historical Architectural References in Contemporary Religious Design
The design team drew inspiration from multiple architectural traditions spanning centuries and continents. The vaulted ceilings reference the Buddhist caves at Ajanta, where carved stone ceilings create spacious interiors within solid rock. The apsidal plan, a semicircular termination at one end, references the Durga temple at Aihole, one of the earliest surviving stone temples in India. The longitudinal chapel arrangement with a nave-like central space follows the basilica plans used in Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic churches across Europe. These references demonstrate how contemporary religious architecture can draw from a global vocabulary of sacred forms.
These references were not applied as literal copies but reinterpreted through modern construction methods. The RCC vaults echo the shape of Ajanta cave ceilings but use reinforced concrete for faster construction at lower cost than carved stone. The apsidal chapel plan provides excellent sightlines for congregants during services, while the semicircular wall improves the acoustics for spoken liturgy and choral singing compared to a rectangular room with parallel reflective surfaces. The material palette of exposed concrete and natural finishes references the austerity of the Buddhist caves rather than the ornamentation of Baroque or Gothic cathedrals.
Acoustic performance of vaulted chapel spaces
A vaulted ceiling with hard interior surfaces produces a longer reverberation time than a flat ceiling with acoustic treatments. For chapel spaces where spoken word and music both occur, a reverberation time between 1.2 and 1.8 seconds is desirable. The RCC vault with its smooth finished surface falls within this range without requiring additional acoustic cladding. The China mosaic finish on the exterior provides thermal benefits while the interior soffit remains bare concrete, which contributes to the austere aesthetic requested by the client congregation. The sisters specifically wanted a space that reflected their simple lifestyle through its material honesty.
Courtyards as Climate Control and Transition Spaces
Two small courtyards connect the double-story rear mass with the single-story foreground programs. These courtyards serve multiple functions within the overall building strategy. They introduce pause points along the circulation path, providing outdoor moments between interior spaces that break up the linear arrangement. They also enable cross-ventilation by creating low-pressure zones that draw air through adjacent rooms, naturally cooling the building without mechanical assistance.
Courtyard performance in warm climates depends on several design parameters that were applied in this project:
- Aspect ratio: Courtyards wider than they are deep allow more shade on walls during peak sun hours. The Shanti Sadan courtyards maintain a width-to-height ratio that keeps wall surfaces in shadow for most of the day.
- Vegetation placement: Deciduous trees on the east and west sides of each courtyard provide seasonal shade while allowing winter sun penetration when the leaves drop. Ground-level planting cools air through evapotranspiration before it enters the building.
- Floor surface: Permeable paving or exposed aggregate surfaces reduce heat storage compared to solid concrete. The courtyards use local stone laid on a gravel base, allowing rainwater infiltration and reducing reflected heat gain.
- Connecting openings: Doors and windows on opposite sides of each courtyard create a wind path that flushes warm air from interior rooms. Operable louvered openings allow variable control of airflow rates depending on wind direction and speed.
Material Selection and Construction for Austere Religious Architecture
The Sisters of St. Ann lead an austere life, and the building reflects this value through restrained material choices. Exposed concrete, natural stone, and simple finishes dominate the interior and exterior surfaces. The design team avoided decorative elements that would add cost without serving functional or symbolic purpose. The overall aesthetic draws inspiration from the simplicity of Buddhist cave architecture rather than the ornamentation found in many historical religious buildings.
The contractor team managed the complex formwork required for the RCC vault roofs, which demanded custom curved shuttering and precise concrete placement to achieve the desired geometry. The China mosaic tile application required skilled masons who could follow the curved roof surface while maintaining consistent tile alignment across the vault span. Photography by Shamanth J Patil documents the completed facility, showing how the vaulted volumes, courtyard transitions, and restrained material palette work together to create a building that supports worship, community service, and daily residential life. The project demonstrates that religious architecture can draw from historical precedents without replicating them, using modern construction methods to achieve similar spatial and spiritual effects at lower cost and with better climate performance than traditional approaches.