The title itself reveals a few things we are going to read here. The design of built structures has a fundamental influence on man, his health and overall well being. Now, let us all see how each step helps us to clearly assess the present state of our living space, brings abundance through improvements and tunes us with nature.
Talking about women, aren't we all looking to make and create happy homes? I am sure we have stuck pictures of dream homes on our soft boards or gone to the local library to borrow the odd ‘Feng Shui' book, read about the art of ‘Zen', bought sweet sounding wind chimes and inspiring paintings for the walls and pleasing fresh flowers from the supermarkets. Would really like to know many men actually buy flowers apart from anniversaries, valentines and mother days? Don't know if its only a woman's thing or not but it does appeal to us. I remember my mum having this itch every 6 months to alter the layout of the lounge and rotate the paintings and change the colour of the curtains to bring a change in moods and a feeling of festivity! We do that a lot in India – especially when its Diwali time and its customary to clear out all the junk and redecorate the walls—just like the spring clean here –the only difference being it happens in different continents and in different seasons!
The whole process and the connection of women with it as being the prime caretakers of the home and family has made me ask some questions many times. Are there some underlying themes or laws which govern this?
We all have heard and applied Feng Shui in our own ways.. consciously or unconsciously. I would like to add here the word 'Vastu' – the basis of Feng Shui. Originated in India as a building science but couldnt make its way as fast and swift as Yoga and Ayurveda (the art of natural healing) did.
We all want happiness and vitality around us. So, lets go backwards each word by word in our topic - Spaces >> Happy >> Homes >> Healthy
Spaces here don't mean buildings and monuments. They can be the most basic shapes- a circle or a corner in your house where you can always feel relaxed and rejuvenated sitting there for even 5 mins. There are actually hidden energies around us which make it happen. And I am now going to describe how it happens for most people. Such spaces make us happy and happy people make it a home!
Spaces bring us together and also separate us from each other. They are crucial to the way our relationships work and are a very fundamental and universal form of communication. When a person pushes in front of you in a queue, you feel offended not just because you are one place further back but also because they failed to respect the rules. When we talk to each other, the space between us is part of our communication. We probably all know a friend or colleague who habitually stands too close when conversing or touches you just too much for comfort and we feel uncomfortable. The stranger who comes and sits at your table in a café even though other tables are empty; the newspaper boy who fails to shut the front gate after him, the neighbour who habitually parks in front of your house rather than hers and many more instances like these - we call them a personal space invasion. Spaces within buildings speak the same language of space as much as people can – only in the recent past many buildings have failed it to do it more properly.
Happy spaces…
Vaastu and Feng Shui both intend to create a harmonious unity to place living and building into a finer order of nature. Feng Shui developed from the Taoist tradition and puts emphasis on the life energy ‘Chi'. Vaastu was recorded in the thousand years old Sanskrit works such as ‘Vaastu Shastra' and ‘Matsya Purana'. Both systems are valid, justified, however there are differences in their strengths, weak points and emphasis.
Vaastu considers every existence is made of 5 elements - water, fire, earth, air and space but Feng Shui uses wood and metal instead of earth and space. Feng Shui mainly focuses on the flow of the life energy in the house. Vaastu establishes a relation between the house and its inhabitants depending on the directions of the compass. East and North are the universal energy providers in Vaastu which never should be blocked unlike Feng Shui which considers local climatology and geography as deciding factors.
Home…
Vaastu means the abode or the home and Shastra means the technology or method. Vaastu Shastra translates to the method to construct a (good) house = home.
Vaastu Shastra is normally applied on a bounded premise i.e.: a house, a building, a shop, factory etc. The main objective of applying the Shastra is to create a balance between the place in question and the outside environment. Vaastu Shastra in the Indian context assumes significant importance at the time of construction. It is believed that if a house is built as per the Shastra, then that particular house will never face serious health & money problems and the family members will live in harmony. TIME or the OCCUPANT does not bound Vaastu Shastra. It means the Vaastu principles can be applied at any time or any year for any person living in a particular place.
Healthy Homes….
And then I come across Building Biologists. Bau-biologie, a term coined in Germany, is a word used to describe a movement promoting the use of construction or modification of homes and workplaces. It studies the interwoven relationships between people and their homes as well as their homes and the earth.
For over 40 years Bau-biologists have researched the effects of indoor environments, identified the major causes of indoor pollution and documented the most effective strategies for reducing your exposure and lessening the toxic burden on your health and the earth. Healthy building principles are a means to improve living and work spaces and the health of people who occupy them. Bau-biologie literally means, "building biology." Both terms are now used interchangeably and both have exactly the same definition -
"how buildings impact life and the living environment."
Building Biology considers your home or work space to be your third skin: ideally a breathable, flexible and indigenous structure that is organically built to support, shelter and nurture the body, mind and spirit.
Bau-biology translated from German is "building biology" or "building for life." It specifically refers to the study of the impact of the built environment on human health and the application of this knowledge to the construction or modification of homes and workplaces. It studies the interwoven relationships between people and their homes as well as their homes and the earth. This new field of education is characterized by the terms biological, ecological, sensitive to nature, healthy, vital, human, organic, high quality, cultural and holistic.
My question is should "recommendations" vary from individual to individual for a given place and a given time? The answer is Yes. 'Vasati' - the modern form of holistic concept of architecture which has been developed for the west and more geared to the European continent. We will soon look at the task of aligning these sciences and integrate them as a composite science for the benefit of the modern generation.
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