With the perpetual advancements in technology and communication the focus and obsession of architectural critique has become surfi cially focused on building “image”. This focus on image of architecture has taken away from the true meaning and focus of what architecture is, space and experience. Although most talks today are focused on image, there are a handful of architects that push for a more phenomenological approach. In the design process, they think more of how a space will feel and stimulate the senses, enrich a viewer’s experience and strengthen the relationship of the space to the context beyond. This thesis attempts to develop methods and concepts that focus on the study of site based phenomena. This thesis attempts to fi nd design processes that will see buildings conceptually conceived from their sites rather than merely placed upon them. The development of these methods and processes is the primary concern of the thesis. It uses Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia as a laboratory for testing.

Meditation means awareness. It is a process inducing a series of steps, that leads to a state of consciousness which brings serenity and clarity. While the space we choose for meditating needs to reflect the state of clear mind, if possible, it should be isolated from the noisy city and in a natural pure land. This thesis investigates meditation theory and the natural context of Peggy’s Cove, as well as material and tectonic experiments, to design a New Meditation Centre in Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia. The design of the New Meditation Center proposes building as a new form of architecture, the form, material and construction of which engages the viewer to admire and respect our nature.