A mobile meditation studio hit New York City’s streets on February 5th, and made a special afternoon stop in front of the AN office today at 21 Murray Street in Manhattan. The BE TIME bus, with interiors designed by architects Rolando Rodriguez Leal and Natalia Wrzask of AIDIA STUDIO, will offer 30-minute meditation sessions for stressed New Yorkers. After originally planning on launching in late January, the bus has finally been spotted rolling around Manhattan.
At only 27 feet long and seven feet, four inches wide, the interior of the bus had to feel larger than it actually is. The designers worked around this limitation by custom fabricating a series of reflective metal panels, perforated with a repeating fractal pattern, that gives the space a light and airy feel. Wood paneling and flooring was used for a more typical studio look, and all of the walls curve to soften the geometry of the space.
Being inside of a bus, the studio naturally has two ends, which allowed the designers to build out focal points for the participants. A glowing, color-changing orb sits at the far end, and represents an awakened “third eye”; practically, it serves to focus guests’ attention on the instructor. Both ends of the bus have been clad in a mirror finish, and this interplay with the lack of hard angles creates a wrapping infinity effect.
The BE TIME bus held a special half-day public unveiling event on February 5th from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm at Madison Square Park, complete with free classes. After the new launch, the bus will make stops around the city and announce their upcoming locations on the BE TIME website and via Twitter. Thirty-minute sessions for first-timers will cost $10, a discount off the typical $22 cost.
Designing for mindfulness has been a hot trend lately, as architects have integrated meditation studios in nearly every project type, including schools. With the launch of BE TIME, wellness design has gone mobile.
