BY ARCHITECT PIERFRANCESCO ROS

An Alchemy of Elements

Once upon a time, “Cathedral Builders” immersed themselves in the place by identifying the best orientations, taking into account symbolic, geological and geomantic influences, and understood the effect of materials, shapes and colors, giving Architecture the possibility of becoming a “therapeutic” tool for a more harmonious life.

Many architectures of the past, such as the pyramid of Cheops, the ancient Indian and Indonesian temples, the palaces of Chinese and Japanese rulers, the Gothic cathedrals of (Chartres, Amiens, Notre-Dame), etc., were conceived as true alchemy of elements each of which was supposed to resonate harmoniously with the others, as if to form a synthesis between cosmic and telluric forces.

This process of architectural alchemy did not remain confined to places of worship but also extended to entire villages, cities and territories.

The Chinese capital was built, thus, on the symmetries of Ursa Major, while Sumerian and Akkadian cities were drawn on the pattern of precise constellations: Assur, for example, repeated the pattern of Arcturus, Nineveh, again, that of Ursa Major.
Entire territories such as the fields around Glastonbury, Somerset, were altered to recreate the twelve signs of the zodiac, and those in the ancient provinces of the Champagne region were ordered through French cathedrals named Notre-Dame, echoing the arrangement of the constellation Virgo.
It is then rediscovered that architecture, in its broadest term, when it is an expression of universal archetypes and is based on an understanding of the principles of nature, generates a gradual “subtle” influence that penetrates man.

This science of building and “feeling,” we may call it Holistic Architecture, quite different from the architecture of so-called “evolved” countries, where the concept of living has now taken on a more quantitative than qualitative meaning. The cause of this impoverishment is to be found in a hardening of rational thinking, which, after bringing about the technological and scientific revolution, has progressively distanced man from the profound connotation of place and the built environment, causing that serious degradation and city effect that we suffer today.
This may not be final, but precedes a synthesis toward a turning point, which may allow the “modern” system to more consciously integrate the process that created the wonders of the past as a basis for meeting the challenge of postmodern complexity.

In fact, in the West, from the first industrial revolution to the present, a slow shift from mechanistic and reductive thinking to holistic and comprehensive thinking has been noticeable. This new systemic attitude begins to consider “nature” no longer as a simple set of parts to be exploited and sectorized, but as a complex unity in which each part is closely interrelated to the whole.

Just in recent years, as far as architecture is concerned, ancient and new holistic disciplines such as Vãstu, Feng Shui, Geobiology, Bioarchitecture and organic architecture have already been brought to light. These studies recover previously neglected areas of building, scaling back technological “progress” to meet complex human needs.

THE VITAL ELEMENTS OF HOLISTIC ARCHITECTURE
Holistic Architecture is the integration of all ancient and modern knowledge with a global character on environmental culture, such as Feng Shui, Vãstu, Geobiology, Bioarchitecture, Organic Architecture and all Knowledge on the “subtle” aspects of reality, applied in a way that respects and harmonizes the life of human beings and nature.
The understanding and application of Holistic Architecture will be able to bring present-day architecture back to its distinctiveness as an art of transforming the natural that comes from following nature and guiding it at the same time, serving the deep human need to unite the “earth” with the “sky,” not through a challenge with technological height, but through that interpretation of harmony that resides within us.

Holistic architecture should be designed respecting:

Harmony of the planet
Through a research, of the place, orientation and formal appearance, thought out in such a way as to make the best use and save the available “complementary resources” (the sun, wind, water, “electromagnetism”, etc.) and implemented considering a harmonious relationship with the use of the “main energies” (electricity, gas, etc., which also contribute to heating, ventilation, lighting, creation of electromagnetic fields, etc.).
Using of materials and products, reproducible, non-polluting, low energy expenditure, socially correct, recyclable, biodegradable.
Researching materials, forms and orientations that put the built into “resonance” with earthly and cosmic “forces” through the use of principles that underlie natural laws.

The health of the body
Through the use of materials, clean, quiet, non-radioactive, non-“conducting,” which maintain, internally, proper temperature, humidity and air quality.
Through placement that is away from places with electromagnetic disturbances such as high voltage substations, cell phone antennas, transformers, etc.
Through a collocation that is far from places with geopathic ground alterations, due to the presence of faults, aquifers, iron masses, Hartmann’s nodes, Curry, etc. (used with specific arrangements only for places of worship).
Through external and internal orientation that respects the “energy” needs of each inhabitant (through the principles of Vastu and Feng Shui).

Functional needs
Seeking a harmonious arrangement of indoor and outdoor spaces designed with the purpose of facilitating behavioral and vital habits.
Harmonizing practicality and comfort according to the natural movements of the physical body and the “energy dimensions” radiating from the human organism.

Interiority
With a construction that knows how to harmonize with the “signs” of the place by activating and re-evaluating the “experience” of past traditions.
Through “archetypal forms” that know how, in their “symbolic language,” to maintain a continuous harmonious relationship between man and nature in their corresponding “dimensions” (principles of human archetypes and symbols, organic architecture).
Using materials and colors designed in such a way as to harmonize with the “symbolic” needs necessary for each interior and exterior environment (Compass School of Feng Shui).
By adopting furnishings oriented in such a way as to give security and “energy” to those who use them (Feng Shui principles).
Through furnishings chosen in a way that harmonizes the inner growth of those who use them (psychology of living).

I believe that through the implementation of these principles, Architecture can truly become a true “organism,” a synthesis of a balance, between the forces of Heaven and Earth and human functional needs, thus bringing the individual back from being in space to “inhabiting” it.
For the implementation of such a purpose, experience has made me realize that one must not so much have “holistic knowledge” as a new “Holistic Consciousness” gained through a “Path of Knowledge.”

DESIGN EXAMPLES:
Let us now see how the various realities of a building (place, soils, external and internal orientation, materials, forms and colors) approached with a systemic attitude, can make people rethink architecture, as an Art that can contribute in “subtle” ways to human evolution.

Il territorio
The territory
In various design or consulting cases, a thorough land survey is often required even before designing. I take as an example a job done on land near Belluno near a small lake with a hotel jutting out over the lake now abandoned with mountains behind it. The client, before building a private clinic to care for the elderly and terminally ill, wanted to know what kind of energy the land had and where to build. In this case, the first thing to do is to orient oneself in the surrounding space and carefully examine and “feel” the landscape.

In this particular case, the land was all under a boost due to a nearby fault; “Testing” the land, one could sense that the energy of the place was strong, “exciting,” and “pushing up,” nothing better to accommodate people who need to recharge. Such a charged terrain was also good for people who had very high blood pressure or suffered from heart disease, a matter confirmed later by the fact that in talking to some of the inhabitants of the poto it was discovered that a doctor himself had advised people with heart disease to stay there, so the pushing energy, as assumed, was not such that it could become dangerous but on the contrary beneficial.

Verifying that the spatial energy was fine, we moved on to take a closer look at the terrain, from the ripple of the adjacent mountain we notice a gully that suggests the presence of a possible underground water table (which for Feng Shui is called a Water Dragon) that descends to the terrain in question.
The hypothesis was strengthened by observing along the line toward the lake the presence of two trees choked by ivy (which for Geobiology grows especially on trees invested by soil geopaths) and a fork-shaped one near them. We then analyzed the ground energy fields and detected the presence of an underground watercourse.
Upon examination of the whole terrain, other geopathies were found. As for electromagnetic fields, we probed two high-voltage substations and their related fields and recommended that one of them be buried.

Having arrived at this point the areas neutral from geopathic interference had reduced, we then “felt” the energy near the lake and that at the inner boundary detecting the latter more charged, we finally observed the type of vegetation and where was the point where the energies of the place “embraced” reading in the territory the relationship between the 5 Elements, the 4 Animals, the position and orientation of the streets and surrounding buildings (School of Form with respect to the 4 symbolic Animals de Feng Shui).

As a result of this analysis, it was possible to determine more precisely what shape the nursing home should be (amphitheater-like in relation to the energies of the place), which way it should be entered (to the East to bring vital Wood energy into an environment so in need of life-giving energies), and how to arrange and orient the possible interior rooms (using both the Indian Vastu and the Compass School of Feng Shui).

Lot of land:
Another experience was the analysis of a house and its lot of land; a lady wanted to know whether to restore her house or buy a new one, prompted by the fact that she was not feeling very well and that her son had fallen ill with bronchitis. As we approached the entrance to the lot we passed under a high-voltage pylon that was always visible from the entrance to the house, a continuous presence that over time and all days of the year creates a not inconsiderable effect.

We observed the surrounding mountain landscape and the type of energy (Yin Yang relationship). Upon entering the property lot, a descending, sucking energy was perceived, suggesting a moist clay soil. Having observed the shape of the fence and garden so that it would have no stagnant or closed spots (note the vitality of the tree essences and their orientation) we moved on to the entrance of the house which was facing North, which for a house in general, (and especially for this one) is not very suitable since entering every day from the coldest side builds up a feeling of intimacy, loneliness and coldness not suitable for the functions of a family that usually has children guests and maintains a sense of vitality and movement. The north entrance would be fine for a single a person who does not want too many social relationships.

We surveyed the various rooms and rooms, tested the internal humidity, the quality and suitability of the materials used and their relationship (element theory), and discovered that the whole house was built on top of a layer of clay soil, and the humidity level exceeded that allowed. Obviously, the situation worsened in the rooms facing northwest and north and northeast (which Bioarchitecture considers the coldest areas of the house).
Making a rough calculation of expense for restoration and rehabilitation (which in any case did not take away the problem of soil vibration surrounding the whole area) we recommended moving to another location.

The house and its structure
Once the land, lot, and structure of the house have been analyzed, one moves on to the actual interior design or restoration. As a rule, the first step is to observe the shape of the house and its harmonious relationship with the way it is oriented with its missing parts and their directions (all investigation criteria that follow the interpretation of the Compass School of Feng Shui).

An example is that of a house analyzed that in its de facto state had the sleeping area above the garage in a southeast position. Such a position actually on a solar and energetic level is excellent for a kitchen (Vastu and Feng Shui theory), and is better reconciled for the various dynamic activities that take place, with the large ferrous masses of automobiles being poorly reconciled with the sleeping area, which was preferred to be moved to the north above a quieter area.

Then one proceeds to locate the center of gravity of the house, its heart, and observes that it is not crossed by cavities, or closet cubicles, stairs, etc., all of which would oppress it by not allowing a fluid flow of energies (by analogy one weights to a water vortex whose center, once plugged, no longer creates the surrounding dynamism).

At this point, remedies or corrective measures are recommended, which consist of rearranging rooms, sometimes following masonry work. In this regard, other examples are those of consultations done in houses where the center of gravity ended near the bathroom (a place in the house where energy descends most rapidly),or in a staircase leading to the basement. This was then done by recreating a fictitious barycenter (at a point at most one meter away from the physical barycenter) through a false ceiling in the adjacent room (which in these cases coincided with the entrance), centered and polarized with an opposing floor design that on a symbolic and “subtle” level would create an axis such that the geometric barycenter would shift (the physical barycenter still remains at its geometric point but thus decreases the energy loss).
Proceeding in the analysis of a house, we next observe the movement of energy in the rooms, which is input from the doors and attracted by the windows, lights, colors, mirrors, symbols, etc. Reading this movement makes it clearer where and how to place furnishings door openings lights etc.

Analyses made have found studio or office environments with energy passages beating on the shoulders of those working, it was then sufficient to rotate the tables in such a way that the entrance doors were controllable by those working at the desk, which in a studio area should be placed the ungo the diagonal opposite the entrance into the room (not the ungo its axis), with possibly light from the left (receptive part of the body more than the right), with the shoulders of the worker covered by a solid wall (the Turtle in the School of Form) in a position of privateness from the other tables, and possibly facing photos or posters with a calming energy for the subject (School of Ba Gua) etc.

We sometimes find houses tipped over from the point of view of heliothermal energy (of the sun) with the living area in the North and the sleeping area in the South that need to be effectively corrected (laws of Bioarchitecture and the indoor microclimate), although it is necessary to take into account what energy comes through the windows, in other words what I see, what light I have. It often happens, in fact, especially in cities where houses are surrounded by buildings, that the North is actually the South of a house that has the only decent opening and view there, or the South is the North as it is shielded by a house with cold colors that are reflected by entering the rooms and making this part colder (An analysis with double orientations is then maintained).

We then look at the thermal system, best wall or underfloor with condensing boiler (Bioarchitecture), the electrical system with biointerrupters for the sleeping area placed with star plant avoiding wires behind bed heads, and the plumbing system running close to the walls, avoiding resting areas, and with a slope that goes, if possible, from Northeast to Southwest (Vastu theory).
All of these analyses, in most cases, are subsequent to a geobiological survey of geopathic zones (aquifers, faults, Hartmann and Curry grids, etc.); these surveys are the basis for designing interiors with higher quality, healthiness, and livability.

Finally, all materials, but especially those that reside in “delicate” rooms (sleeping area, kitchen, etc.) will be chosen in a way that is environmentally friendly and respectful of reproduction cycles (bioecological materials dictated by bioarchitecture).

The home the “mirror of the soul”
One then enters the most complex and subtle aspect of the home: furnishing.
This is the world of the inhabitant’s soul; each person furnishes the space of the house in accordance with what his or her inner “world” suggests and manifests.
What we express externally to ourselves is in direct relation to what we inwardly experience.
Furnishings read in this key reveal or suggest a set of messages about a person’s nature creating, thus the possibility of a psychosomatic analysis through the symptoms of the occupant and the environment in which he or she lives to then arrive at solutions that work “therapeutically on the individual.”

To understand this concept, we observe that one principle in the reading of furnishings is that of “affinity,” that is, everyone finds what is most akin to his or her energetic (psychophysical) situation. For example, one who feels a sense of constriction will find people, partners, objects and dwellings “restricted.”
The internal condition calls an external one its kindred.
At this point one tries to read and feel in the arrangement of the furniture another principle that of “repressed” in which events (actions, attitudes, impulses) not accepted but suffered are repressed due to a defense and adaptation mechanism that regulates the human psychic system.

Repressed energy is unconsciously processed and expressed in neurotic symptoms and psychophysical or relationship disorders.
These repressed unconscious contents are projected onto people, environments, objects, etc., which symbolize the repressed potential. For example, those who have not been encouraged will have repression in asserting themselves and will translate this with aggression on people, choice of environments, objects, etc.
Consequently because of the repressed principle there is a tendency to look for living situations in affinity with the repressed principle so as to negatively reinforce the repression suffered; those who have not been encouraged will have a repression in asserting themselves which they will manifest with aggression and the choice of an aggressive environment.
And this is where furniture design viewed holistically should operate, namely in making tenants aware of the mechanism of the “repressed” thereby making them achieve greater inner freedom and independence. An attempt will therefore be made with tenants, in the said case, to seek housing situations that provide security by creating positive reinforcement that will trigger the overcoming and understanding of the “repressed.”

To sum up: those who have not been encouraged will have a repression in asserting themselves and will translate this with aggression but made aware of this mechanism will try to encourage themselves and increase self-confidence also through the choice of balanced and reassuring environments and objects.

Thus, self-healing is achieved: through positive reinforcement, the psychophysical state (identifiable with physical pathologies) heals since, by understanding the cause of the “repressed” one can transform the attitude manifested so far by positively influencing the weakened physical part accordingly (actually balances and balances the internal tension) .
For example, non-encouragement that creates fear, and somatized with back pain, once replaced with an attitude of self-confidence influences and helps resolve the weakened back.

This type of analysis, perhaps the most complex one that requires deep intuitiveness and introspection (bringing together the Ba Gua school of Feng Shui and the psychology of living) gives the possibility of furnishing with a deep and we could also say “therapeutic” attention in that by reading the living space in its aspect of “unconscious projection” and operating at harmonization through furnishing, the inner “space” of those who live there is influenced and harmonized accordingly.

Holistic Interior Design
Another focus on the psychology of a person’s living is to offer him or her the possibility of having rooms related to internal needs: a room of one’s own, a corner in which to cuddle and snuggle, a room for creative work, a room for physical practices; a room for meditation or prayer; a corner for reading; etc.
Sometimes, in fact, psychological suffering arises from not having one’s own intimate space or dimension within a house in which several people live, tying in with the fact that it is socially recognized to share everything but does not correspond to a natural human condition (found in the relationships of family members in simple cultures more tied to natural principles).

A further analysis in interior design is to provide for harmonizing environments, furnishings, colors, forms through the investigation of the energy relationships of the eight oriented Gua, and through the study of light and colors (study of color therapy) within the various environments.
One will then look at the personal horoscope (both Western and Eastern referred to the eight glyphs to the five Elements of Feng Shui) to see the best attunement of the occupants to the various directions and orientations of a house.

In addition, it is necessary to evaluate the Yin Yang relationship of furnishings and interior rooms their positions, characteristics, orientations (5 Elements of Feng Shui report).
Aspects of forms in rooms are observed, and unbalanced situations are corrected with colors, shapes and the inclusion of appropriate objects (the nine cures of Feng Shui).

One loads the areas of life example fame, marriage, wealth, etc.; in relation to related spaces in the home (through the school of Ba Gua).
Finally, one suggests the auspicious time either to start a construction site or business or to move (the vacant periods of the Japanese and Chinese numerological tradition).
In the opening of a house, rituals of purification (if there is a need for it with respect to those who have lived there before) or opening a new home will be provided.

Architecture read and felt in this way will then reveal itself no longer as a “rational space” devoid of influence on man but rather will become a “living dimension,” a synthesis of “an existential space” that can help man re-establish his own natural balance.