Inspire Colour...Creative Designs!

Basic climatology and passive design

2024-03-08T05:18:00.001+00:00

Passive design strategies starting from building #orientation, natural environment to provide heating, cooling, #ventilation, and #daylighting to a building align totally with sustainable, affordable buildings of the future.

Basic design principles and concepts taught in architectural schools and choice of materials for thermal massing go a long way.

A unique community in Garden Village, Rendlesham, Suffolk

2023-10-03T06:30:00.000+00:00

This is one of the largest Vastu community projects in the world at the Maharishi Sthapatya Veda community or Peace Colony in Rendlesham, Suffolk, England about 70 miles northeast of London — known as Maharishi Garden Village.

Watch details and experiences

Dr Peter Warburton, Raja of Great Britain for the Global Country of World Peace speaks about the beautiful quality of light in this part of England, which is on the east coast just a few miles from the sea. 'It's one of the regions of the country where many of Britain's famous painters lived and enjoyed beautiful scenery—wonderful sunsets. It's always considered to have ''bigger skies'' than anywhere else in Great Britain!' Raja Peter said.

http://www.pictures.globalgoodnews.com/archive/archive-2008/gb/index.html

All structures are built according to the Vedic principles but done in a traditional British style that blends in with surrounding homes in the area.The leaders of the project Richard Johnson, the National Director of the Transcendental Meditation Programme in England, Jeanie Livesley, the developer for the project and John Renwick, the planner and also a Sthapatya Veda consultant explain the whole complex includes a Peace Palace with open countryside to the north, Vastu houses to the east, apartment buildings, school and more.

Core components of change making

2023-07-16T05:01:00.005+00:00

Exploring series to demystify the core components of systems change. Ideas, tools and resources required to address systemic challenges.

#systemicdesign

Creative problem solving

2023-07-01T05:42:00.000+00:00

Human centric approach to solve complex problems. #innovation #designthinking

The power of environment is the great check

2023-07-01T05:41:00.001+00:00

Vedic architecture is a reflection of the universe. There are many times when we are in a new building, city or a public space, we feel out of place or experience we are not experiencing the person we truly are. Just like meditation and breath control are ways to centre our soul, there are corrections in Vedic architecture using sounds, shapes and volume proportions to define quiet and activity zones making them feel positive.

This Yoga of Architecture has principles and tools to create Saattvic (divine, pure, and spiritual) areas in any environment of manifested matter - a room, house, office or a city where we can find our true self. It has the power to alter the way we feel energy, the way we think and even how we make decisions. And, this is how the designer of the environment with his design can control our Karma - our actions to break the chain of cycling and recycling.

Verse 7 and 8 from Chapter 4 of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali also talk about how the power of environment influences our journey, our experiences and sub-conscious manifestations to define Karma. Patanjali was a scholar who lived approximately 2500 years ago wrote the Yoga Sutras, 196 verse aphorisms that teach about Ashtanga (eight limbed) Yoga - the “eightfold path”.

karma ashukla akrisnam yoginah trividham itaresam

verse 4.7 - Works are neither black nor white for the Yogis; for others they are threefold — black, white, and mixed.
When the Yogi has attained perfection, his actions, and the Karma produced by those actions, do not bind him, because he did not desire them. He just works on; he works to do good, and he does good, but does not care for the result, and it will not come to him. But, for ordinary men, who have not attained to the highest state, works are of three kinds, black (evil actions), white (good actions), and mixed.

verse 4.8 - From these threefold works are manifested in each state only those desires (which are) fitting to that state alone. (The others are held in abeyance for the time being.)
Suppose I have made the three kinds of Karma, good, bad, and mixed, and suppose I die and become a god in heaven. The desires in a god body are not the same as the desires in a human body; the god body neither eats nor drinks. What becomes of my past unworked Karmas which produce as their effect the desire to eat and drink? Where would these Karmas go when I become a god? The answer is that desires can only manifest themselves in proper environments. Only those desires will come out for which the environment is fitted; the rest will remain stored up. In this life we have many godly desires, many human desires, many animal desires. If I take a god body, only the good desires will come up, because for them the environments are suitable. And if I take an animal body, only the animal desires will come up, and the good desires will wait. What does this show? That by means of environment we can check these desires. Only that Karma which is suited to and fitted for the environments will come out. This shows that the power of environment is the great check to control even Karma itself.

Assessment of whole life carbon emissions

2023-05-26T04:23:00.001+00:00

Another great initiative to introduce carbon regulation supported by industry leaders.

Easy downloadable copy here

Connecting the #Dots - Simplifying #Creativity

2017-12-06T17:37:00.001+00:00

How can we make buildings as agile as tech?

2017-11-15T21:43:00.001+00:00

Insights and Innovations webinar #8: How can we make buildings as agile as tech?

Principles of Building Biology

2016-04-02T09:47:00.004+00:00

Buildings as a third skin?

In Bau-Biologie, we envisage humans wearing multiple layers of skin. The first skin is the actual living organ that contains the body, provides protection from the elements and it must be able to 'breathe'. Secondly, our clothes are our second skin. By wearing clothes made of natural fibres that breathe and which do not attract positive ions, we nurture our first skin and enhance its functions. There is actually a scientific field of study dedicated to understand how our external environment’s effect upon our genes can influence disease? Epigenetics could prove more important than genetics for understanding environmental causes of diseases.

The push for higher air-tightness standards might be improving the energy performance of buildings, but what affect is it having on the health of occupants? This is where Building biology takes a whole view of the connections between the built and non built environment, and human biology. The discipline treats buildings as a ‘third skin’ that is just as important to human health as our skin or clothing.

Images copyright @thelifesourcesolution

The 25 Principles of Building Biology

Verify that the building site is geologically undisturbed
Place dwellings away from industrial centers and major traffic roads
Place dwellings well apart from each other in spaciously planned developments amidst green areas
Plan homes and developments taking into consideration the human aspect and the needs of community, families, and individuals while respecting the natural environment
Use natural and unadulterated building materials
Use wall, floor and ceiling materials that allow the diffusion of moisture
Allow natural self-regulation of indoor air humidity using hygroscopic materials
Consider sorption of building materials and plants (in- and outside), which allow filtration and neutralization of toxic airborne substances
Design for a balance between thermal mass and insulation in living spaces
Plan for optimal surface and air temperature
Use thermal radiation for heating buildings employing solar energy as much as possible.
Assure health-promoting humidity levels and rapid desiccation of wet construction processes in new buildings
Utilize building materials, which have neutral or pleasant natural scents and which do not emit toxic vapors
Provide for natural light and use illumination and color in accordance with nature
Provide adequate protection from noise and infrasonic vibration or sound conducted through solids.
Avoid building materials that have elevated radioactivity levels.
Preserve the natural (DC) air electrical field and physiologically beneficial ion balance in space.
Preserve the natural (DC) magnetic field.
Minimize technical (AC) electric and (AC) magnetic fields.
Minimize the alteration of vital cosmic and terrestrial radiation.
Utilize physiological knowledge in furniture and space design.
Consider proportion, harmonic orders, and shapes in design
Consider proportion, harmonic orders, and shapes in design
Do not support products or building materials that over-use limited and irreplaceable raw materials.
Support building activities and production of materials which do not have adverse side effects of any kind and which promote health and social well-being.

The power of thoughts on water

2016-01-22T12:08:00.002+00:00

Crystals formed in frozen water reveal changes when specific, concentrated thoughts are directed toward them. Dr. Emoto found that water from clear springs and water that has been exposed to loving words shows brilliant, complex, and colourful snowflake patterns. In contrast, polluted water, or water exposed to negative thoughts, forms incomplete, asymmetrical patterns with dull colours.

http://www.whatthebleep.com/crystals/

Healthy architecture for kids

2015-12-31T18:50:00.002+00:00

Last time we were in India, we experienced the vibrant colours of Rajasthan contrasted with the international branding colours at Ambience Mall, Gurgaon. With India so closely and frequently bombarded with ‘foreign’ colours one begins to wonder, do kids there at a young age have been made to believe that ‘blue’ is for boys and ‘pink’ is for girls?! How about we explore a very simple, Indian approach to colours? It is time to take clues from nature, from Indian psyche, from Indian diversity and from ancient sciences and combine all of them with modern research and environmental health data.

Take sleeping spaces as an example where the quality of light in an enclosed space defines its character. Light controls our circadian rhythms the same balance which our bodies take time to achieve when we travel by air. The Purkinje Effect confirms ‘reds, oranges and yellows’ become colourless and ‘darker greens and blues’become clearer at twilight. It is clear only shorter wavelengths of light become colourless as if by magic.

Colours inspire emotion. They also structure our behavior. We perceive the reality around us because of colour. All that we experience from cosmic to atomic, is because of the colour energy where ‘light’ plays a very important role. As Dr. Sternberg rightly says 'BUILDINGS THAT ENHANCE THE HEALTH OF ITS INHABITANTS is not only a prerequisite for survival but already the first step in the right direction.'

Why is the building stock in the United Kingdom is amongst the least energy efficient in Europe

2015-12-18T10:42:00.001+00:00

George Clarke says "There is a perception that eco-designed homes are newbuilds, with a lot of hi-tech modern features. But all homes need to become eco-homes if we are to reduce carbon emissions in line with the Kyoto Protocol. Just think how much energy – and money, when it comes to fuel bills – can be saved with roof insulation and double-glazing alone,"

In 2004, housing accounted for 30.23% of all energy use in the UK (up from 27.70% in 1990). 2006 saw a significant tightening of energy efficiency requirements within the Building Regulations. Then again in 2009, buildings accounted for about 43% of all the UK’s carbon emissions.The government announced their ambition that all new housing should be built to zero-carbon standards from 2016 and are considering extending this to include all other buildings from 2019.

More on the ongoing discussion about what to do with inefficient buildings from past eras. http://www.fastcodesign.com/3054647/should-we-save-mid-century-modern-icons-that-hurt-the-environment

The theory of natural, healthy materials and the building technology is somehow detached from the users

2015-12-18T10:40:00.003+00:00

Designers across the globe value the pre-design process to establish the interests of the client, emotional expression and psychological needs. But a clear imbalance still exists ...

Care needs to be taken with all material types and attention given to treatments and processing in product manufacture. A pungent chemical, Formaldehyde is used in the manufacturing of many products, including synthetic carpeting especially underlays, particleboard, insulation, paints, adhesives, plywood, foam cushions and cosmetics. It is also used to soften fabrics and improve paper absorbency in paper towels. Research now shows that when it off-gases, it can irritate eyes, cause allergic reactions and trigger asthma.

Often such symptoms are lessened or even completely relieved when changes are made in the home. However, the physical problem is multi-dimensional and other aspects need to be considered as well.

For example, migraines could be caused by environmental exposure plus may have a hormonal aspect. Or, multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) could stem from chronic candida infection, harmful exposures to electro-magnetic fields and/or heavy metal poisoning. It is important to find a health-care professional who is experienced with environmental illness. Whether these symptoms exist or not, moving in the direction of a healthier building makes sense for everyone.

Take the example of purifying indoor air. Before you buy an electric air purifier consider plants that are able to grab and filter common pollutants found indoors and purify the air. NASA’s space centre has made a list of the most beneficial plants in order of their effectiveness. Having said that – how do you actually know which toxins are in your environment and plant works best to enhance the feel-good factor of your clients? What does the staff prefer – is the spider plant, dragon lily or the date palm, which colours and flowers can add to the décor, what is easy to maintain and yet gives the best productivity results?

Our customers could be a small establishment, a micro company, a family home or a home office but all need careful planning to realise their project. A client or a DIY enthusiast still needs to know what questions to ask a decorator or a designer. They can know more about building codes that comply with acceptable thresholds for harmful materials.

Let’s promote health and well-being of individuals and greater communities. We welcome suggestions and new members to our group and have meaningful discussions on topics that impact building design and provide sources of support for green, sustainable living and built-environments.

Register your interests goo.gl/6TxOWo or join our efforts on www.facebook.com/groups/natureandhealth/ This is a place for professionals, entrepreneurs and community to share green ideas, events and projects.

Peter Clegg on Holistic Sustainability

2015-11-30T11:54:00.000+00:00

Between Intuition and Pragmatism: Peter Clegg on Holistic Sustainability. 'Design exists between the dialectic of these two influences, and understanding of the design process informs us when to jump and dive and when to ponder and analyse.'

"Architecture is an art form but also social science and we have a duty not only to work with our current client base and generate ideas collaboratively, but also think ahead and envisage the needs of future generations who are our ultimate clients. Our most creative work comes from working closely with creative clients who are more prevalent in the creative and cultural industries."

World Health Organization: to recognize electromagnetic and chemical hypersensitivities as real diseases.

2015-11-30T11:49:00.004+00:00

The declaration calls upon national and international bodies and institutions and particularly the WHO, for taking urgently their responsibility for recognizing electrohypersensitivity and multiple chemical sensitivity as real diseases, including them in the International Classification of Diseases.

This International Declaration also asks national and international institutions to adopt simple precautionary measures of prevention, to inform populations and requires the appointment of real independent expert groups to evaluate these sanitary risks in total scientific objectivity, which is not the case today.

More information on:
www.appel-de-paris.com
www.ehs-mcs.org
http://eceri.ideal-lab.com/
www.artac.info

UK's first dementia friendly checkout

2015-11-30T11:47:00.002+00:00

It is a disease that affects 850,000 people in the UK and campaigners say communities need to change to help people with #dementia.

Ageing better by design

2015-11-30T11:46:00.000+00:00

Have you heard ‘Ageing better by design - Lord Best’ by designcouncil
‪https://soundcloud.com/designcouncil/ageing-better-by-design-lord?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=twitter

Healthy Building Checklist

2015-11-30T11:43:00.000+00:00

Healthy Building Checklist

BY ALEX STADTNER / TUESDAY, 19 FEBRUARY 2013 / PUBLISHED IN ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING, HEALTHY BUILDING INSPECTIONS

This is the second in a series of blogs diving deeper into the Healthy Building Rating System’s Healthy Home Standard. There are four healthy building checklists within the Healthy Home Standard: Qualification Checklist, Indoor Air Quality Checklist, Electromagnetic Radiation Checklist, and Water Quality Checklist.

This blog reviews the first and perhaps most important healthy building checklist, the Qualification Checklist. Passing this checklist without finding any of the prohibited concerns is a prerequisite for pursuing certification through the Healthy Home Standard. I find this checklist a useful guideline for others asking “when do I need ahealthy building inspection?” Because any of these potential problems are obvious red flags about the health-supporting nature of the building.

Much of the text below is taken directly from the Healthy Home Standard.

Healthy Building Checklist – Healthy Home Standard

The Qualification Checklist

Inspect and assess for the following before proceeding to test the home or calculate a letter grade based on Checklists and verification testing. The presence of any of the following results in an immediate overall letter grade of F for the home until the Action required is completed. Before performing any additional verification testing, each of these items must be evaluated and deemed a “pass” until no further action is required.

Natural gas or propane odor is present in the air in the house due to a leak at a fitting, stove burner that does not shut off, leaky boiler or leaky hot water heater controller. Testing Method: Check fittings and appliances using a Tiff combustible gas meter or equivalent. Action Required: Repair leaks.
A mal-odor is present either from mold, sewer gas, building materials, furnishings or an unknown source. Testing Method: Olfactory (a.k.a. “sniff test”). Action Required: Identify and mitigate source.
An odor is present from fragrance. Testing Method: Olfactory. Action Required: Unplug and discard any plug-ins or other types of chemical air fresheners.
An odor is present from ozone-producing air cleaners. Testing Method: Olfactory or Observation of air cleaner. Action Required: Unplug device.
An odor is present from mothballs. Testing Method: Olfactory/Observation. Action Required: Discard mothballs.
If an outdoor air intake is present on the HVAC system, the damper is closed or the system is off or malfunctioning in a manner that fresh outdoor air in not being introduced.
Visible mold is present. Testing Method: Visual. Action Required: Open damper, turn on unit or make repairs.
Carbon monoxide is detected (Note: Carbon monoxide may be detected from an outdoor source. Indoor readings should not be higher than outdoor readings. Any deviation from outdoors should be investigated.) Testing Method: Professional CO meter. Action Required: Identify source(s) and eliminate.
The interior of the HVAC system is dirty, the lining inside the system is burnt or deteriorating lining or the filters are dirty or missing. Testing Method: Visual. Action Required: Clean system, replace lining if necessary.
Pesticides are being used or stored on the property. Testing Method: Visual inspection. Action Required: Properly dispose of pesticides. Implement an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Plan.
Water damage is visible or an active moisture problem is present. Testing Method: Visual inspection by a “professional” using a moisture meter. Action Required: Find and eliminate sources of moisture. Mold contamination inspection done by a qualified professional.
A/C coils or drain pan are dirty or not draining properly. Testing Method: Visual inspection. Action Required: Clean, modify as necessary.
Compact florescent light (CFL) bulbs, also known as energy saving light bulbs, are being used. These contain mercury, radiate EMF, and cause headaches from light flicker. Testing Method: Visual inspection. Action Required: Discard. Contact local municipality regarding safe disposal of mercury-containing materials.
House was built before 1978. Testing Method: Age of home. Action Required: A lead-based paint assessment should be done by a professional with the right credentials for your area.
House was built before 1979. Testing Method: Age of home. Action Required: Professional assessment in regard for the need for an asbestos survey, particularly if there are friable materials in poor condition.

Healthy Building Qualification Checklist

Building biologists thought that these basic qualifiers should be met before a home can even consider certification. “The intention here is to avoid giving a home an “A” in air quality just because a visual inspection and air quality testing indicate clean conditions, even though, for example, one can smell an abnormal and possibly offensive odor.”

We’ve alluded to other building inspector environmental checklists, and much of that blog post came from this Healthy Home Qualification Checklist. We’ll revisit the other three healthy building checklists in subsequent blog posts. Please stay tuned…

Healthy Buildings

2015-11-30T11:41:00.001+00:00

'We frequently use two images to remind people of how important health is: 1) from the American Lung Association, “when you can’t breathe, nothing else matters,” and 2) If you were driving your kid uphill to the hospital and he was having an asthma attack – would you drive your Prius slow to improve your fuel economy?

I like to think these help people frame the importance of healthy buildings. Without our health – what do we have?'

Environmentally Friendly Concrete

2015-10-01T20:26:00.000+00:00

A New Form of an Old Material

Scientists at a British concrete manufacturer, the London-based Novacem, claim to have developed a new form of concrete that effectively absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide as it hardens. Novacem's new version of concrete, uses a different raw material, magnesium sulphate, which requires much less heating. Novacem claim that each tonne of cement can absorb up to 0.6 tonnes of CO2. This is opposed to figures that claim that each tonne of old style cement emits about 0.4 tonnes of CO2.

O - where does timelessness start?

2015-06-30T18:24:00.000+00:00

They say that great designs stand the test of time.

How does one do that? Listing a few points we learnt as a student of architecture--way back in 93!

1. IMAGINATION - INSPIRATION
2. CREATION WITH LOGIC AND COMMAND ON THE CREATION
3. ACCURACY
4. PUNCTUALITY
5. SIMPLIFICATION AND CLARITY OF THOUGHTS
6. BOLD PRESENTATION
7. UNDERSTANDING AND THE USE OF ART PRINCIPLES
8. SENSE OF APPRECIATION

What strikes is the point 4 > sense of timing? By losing the sense of time, we are one in spirit. Try and explain it to a teacher, to a boss or a client when there is homework, meetings and project deadlines :-)

So where does timelessness really begin?

connecting Epigenetics and Environment

2015-06-30T18:23:00.001+00:00

Another good article connecting our environment to well-being.

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/06/30/new-proof-that-our-emotions-cause-physical-pain-how-to-change-them/

...scientific findings also would logically explain why green spaces heal us, or we ‘see red’ and revert to our most protected, contracted, egoic self.

In the case of being surrounded in green – aside from providing a more oxygen rich environment, sitting in a park or taking a stroll among trees and flowers after a stressful day has been proven to lower blood pressure and heart rates, as well as reduce levels of cortisol.

This is 'Full Spectrum Architecture' - not just 'green architecture'!

2015-01-30T14:09:00.003+00:00

'Bioarchitecture follows pure set of rules for design, construction and land use, which utilise the necessary 'fractal' or rose like symmetry and shape of electric fields which allow all living systems to thrive. An ideal example of this concept is found in a rose’s petals, which unfold along the golden mean ratio and are fractal, meaning that they are capable of infinite non-destructive interference and attract charge inward towards the centre causing implosion (the electrical principle of life itself).' This resonates very much with Building biology - which is unique in that it also considers a variety of environmental quality parameters.

Watch Now: World Premiere of ‘Archiculture’

2014-12-17T17:35:00.002+00:00

Archiculture takes a thoughtful, yet critical look at the architectural studio. The 25-minute film offers a unique glimpse into the world of studio-based, design education through the eyes of a group of students finishing their final design projects. Interviews with leading professionals, historians and educators help create crucial dialog around the key issues faced by this unique teaching methodology and the built environment these future architects will create.

Enigmas of the Ancient Megalithic Structures

2014-12-16T21:43:00.000+00:00

In ancient times many large monuments and megalithic structures had been built across the globe. Thought to be build by different cultures, there are certain similarities between them which could prove there ever was a global civilization or organisation in the ancient past. Many ancient cultures did build pyramids or pyramid-like structures; There have been found large pyramids in North and South America, Egypt, China, and some smaller ones in Greece, the Canary Islands and Indonesia.

More on > http://talc.site88.net/mega.htm?mmskip=1