Each year, Plum Village hosts a variety of retreats, with people coming from around the world to experience mindful communal living. In some cases, as many as 800 people arrive. The popularity of these retreats, while a positive reflection of the resonance that the Plum Village Tradition has with people worldwide, has also been a growing logistical challenge. Every summer, many of the sisters sleep in tents, giving up their regular beds to accommodate guests. Shoes pile up outside building entrances, and delivery vehicles interrupt the silence. In short, the growth in demand for Plum Village’s teachings and practice has outstripped the capacity of the site.

Beginning in 2023, MVRDV’s designers engaged closely with the monastic residents of Plum Village, staying in the monastery on multiple occasions to immerse themselves in Plum Village’s ideals, to analyse the challenges that the monastery faces, and to talk through potential solutions with the monks and nuns themselves in dialogue-based workshops.