The days of folks sitting on the front porch of their villa and sharing a moment with a neighbour are such a distant memory, the image may well be fictitious. And people’s enthusiasm to dine out, be pampered in commercial spas and escape into anonymous cyberspace may be because our homes have lost their soul.
Vastu, the ancient Indian design science, is all but forgotten in the contemporary world but the practice could experience a renaissance as people search for a harmonious lifestyle that emanates beyond their front doors.
It’s a sister science of other popular Indian practices — yoga and ayurveda, the science of well-being and longevity. When applied to the design of a home, nothing is left to chance and the architect and interior designer aim to create positive power in every space.
Neil Hamill says vastu shastra, or Vedic architecture, refers to the body of knowledge encompassing the science of construction or architecture. Neil is an engineer and became interested in vastu 14 years ago when working for a client in a high-tech business, in which people were the total intellectual capital.
“We needed to guarantee that when the guys needed to think, they could do so in absolute silence and achieve that eureka moment,” Neil says. “The client wanted to combine the modern use of information technology with the traditional concepts of a building that would guarantee his people would feel relaxed and creative.”
With this goal in mind, Neil completed a postgraduate degree in Vedic architecture in Holland, with architects and designers from throughout the world. The mathematical calculations, originally used for the construction of Hindu temples, can be used in commercial and domestic environments.
However, it is not just about design — vastu is about the nature of the universe and the human race’s relationship with it. Kathleen Cox, author of Space Matters writes that ancient Vedic scholars concluded that all existing shapes, including circles, triangles and the square, with its four equal and symmetrical sides, existed as the most perfect form.
“They used the square to symbolise their view of the universe, the harmony and balance that they ascribed to the heavenly realm.”
The scholars also recognised the human body mirrored the balance of the square and despite its overall symmetry — most of the body’s features are actually slightly asymmetrical.
This observation is apparent in the entire natural world. Observations of the human body and the power of space were gradually incorporated into vastu design.
“It is well-known, right from ancient Greeks, that mathematical proportions in any structure have either a desirable or non-desirable affect on us,” explains Neil.
The first principle of vastu is the need to align the body’s biorhythms with universal rhythms, which are largely connected to the sun. The second principle relates to respecting the relationship between humans and nature and bringing the natural world into homes. The third principle is a celebration of who people are and creating supportive environments in every space with things individuals love.
Many Kiwis are open-minded about vastu and they care about principles, such as sleeping in the right direction for a more pleasant and energising sleep. Neil says a lot of people are well-aware of “sick buildings” and they want to do something to improve their families’ health. He knows of about 50 buildings in New Zealand that are designed according to vastu.
“Correct orientation to cardinal directions — true north, true south and knowledge of celestial influences on the site — tells you where to place rooms, for example, if you want silence in your life, say for meditation.
“Your home is where you go to be yourself. It is a safe haven and safety for humans comes from the ability to just be. We’re not human doings, we’re human beings and that state of being is when you’re silent and self-fulfilled.”
Rooms can be designed for restoration, nurturing, cooking to aid digestion and creativity. Homeowners can retrofit vastu concepts to an existing home, but it’s preferable to consider the principles at site selection.
Asymmetry can be achieved with appropriate placement of treasured furnishings, art and aesthetically appealing collections. Importantly, everything in the home should be loved by the person who uses that space.
Stress can be an overwhelming factor of modern living but vastu designs bring peace to homes. All too often people continuously multitask, and the home has become a chaotic mishmash of computers, cellular phones, piles of bills and unrelenting lists of tasks. To create restful spaces, the clutter needs to be removed and each place retained for its intended purpose.
A bathroom should be a beautifully relaxing place where people can enjoy cleansing rituals. The money spent on exotic day spas could be invested in luxurious towels and organic surroundings that encourage lingering.
Kitchens are all about food and nourishment, and everything in them should reflect this. Old-fashioned kitchens were the cook’s domain and where families shared a meal. There were few distractions, unlike today’s world where clutter quickly mounts up in the household hotspot and everyone hurriedly microwaves their two-minute noodles before moving onto the next job.
Colour is known through all cultures to alter the mood of a room and within vastu the principle extends to the impact of light — the source of all colour. Morning light is rejuvenating and house design should allow the sun’s first rays to gently awaken the household. Late afternoon light can be harsh and draining, and vastu practitioners recommend screening this from homes with heavy furnishings in the north-western quarter of rooms.
