Vedic Architecture In Advance

suchandra · August 23, 2008

Wildwood house built in harmony with nature

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/lifestyle/stories.nsf/lifestyle/homedecor/story/020bb861d9b7d9f8862574ab0059f84a?OpenDocument

The exterior shows the symmetry of the design in the Bucks' home. Bob says though they originally wanted only a deck on one side, laws of Vedic architecture said they needed one on each side for symmetry. The deck on the right is used for meditation. The Kalash, a symbol of Vedic style, stands out atop.

(Sarah Conard/For the P-D)</td></tr></tbody></table>

WRITTEN BY AMY BERTRAND

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH LIFESTYLE EDITOR

08/23/2008

Bob Buck began his journey with Transcendental Meditation more than 30 years ago. Along that journey, he read about Maharishi Vedic architecture, a type of building design in accord with the Natural Law. The principles of Vedic architecture were set forth thousands of years ago in a Sanskrit text. But it was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of Transcendental Meditation, who interpreted them and brought them to light for modern folks.

STG07153.gif?OpenElement "The idea is that you live in a house in harmony with nature," Bob says. "We know buildings can make you sick, so why not approach that from another perspective. What can buildings do to make you healthy?"

The idea of Vedic architecture "had always been percolating in the back of my mind," Bob says. But it wasn't until he and Joan began house hunting that his thoughts turned serious. "We couldn't find the right house, so we considered building one," Bob says.

Bob and Joan visited a subdivision open house in Fairfield, Iowa, which is considered the epicenter for Vedic building. They saw farmhouses, contemporary homes and traditional homes, and they all "had such a feeling to them, an energy," Joan says.

Bob went to the open house as a bit of a skeptic, but at the end of the day "there was something about those houses."

After designing their own home through an architect in Fairfield, the plans were sent to a team of architects in the Netherlands for approval. The Bucks then selected a builder and began the process.

STG01425.gif?OpenElement Though they built it according to the principles, the style, with its white walls, tall ceilings and exorbitant amounts of light, is all theirs. "It's sort of a contemporary Frank Lloyd Wright prairie house," Bob says. "We don't have a lot on the walls because we figure the windows to the outdoors are our art.

"You get close to nature as a result of living here," Bob says. "Friends say they feel the energy and the positive flow when they come here, and that's really rewarding."

For more information — visit www.vedicarchitecture.org

PRINCIPLES OF VEDIC STYLE

STG54804.gif?OpenElement THE RIGHT LAND • When the Bucks were looking to build, they had to find a piece of land that met the right requirements of Vedic principles. It had to face due east and had to slope to the east or south or both. It couldn't be near a prison, hospital or cemetery. The Bucks found three acres of wooded land in Wildwood and decided it was the right spot.

ALL ABOUT DIRECTION • The house, and all rooms, must be on the cardinal points of a compass. Nothing can be placed on angles; that means no corner sinks or angled walls. The staircase has to have an odd number of stairs and must go clockwise.

RIGHT PLACEMENT OF ROOMS • The rooms must be arranged in a particular way, to induce the best use of them. For instance, the kitchen must be southeast of the entrance because that site is conducive to cooking. The cooktop must also face east. "It was a bit of a challenge designing a kitchen how we wanted it that fit all the principles," Joan says. What they have is a square kitchen full of beautiful cabinets and granite countertops with a large island in the center. The west side opens to the dining room. The family room must be in the south or southwest corner. The den or office should be in the northwest portion of the house. The meditation room also must face east. In addition, you aren't supposed to have an attached garage (you don't want the toxins to enter the house), but the Bucks got around that with an attached breezeway.

BACK TO NATURE • Nature is highly valued in Vedic architecture. "You should use as many natural products as possible," Joan says. For example, they used cellulose instead of fiberglass for insulation and wood instead of metal for the beams in their home.

CENTER OF THE HOUSE • The Brahmasthan is the directional center of the home. According to Vedic principles, it must be clearly marked and cannot be walked on. To mark theirs, the Bucks put four tiles amid their Asian beechwood floors. The tile theme was also carried out in the entry for aesthetics. Light and energy must also have optimal flow along each of the four directional lines, which means a door or operable window has to be placed along each of those lines, including on the upper level, which opens to below. In addition, skylights bring in lots of light from above.

(First photo - The living room adheres to several principles of Vedic architecture, including a wide open floor plan; Second photo - The dining room also adheres to Vedic design, which, like Feng Shui promotes the flow of energy; Last two photo's - The Brahmasthan, or central point in the Buck's Wildwood home, is marked by tiles and covered by a plant stand to prevent people from walking on it. Photos by Sarah Conard | freelance Special to the Post-Dispatch.)

suchandra · August 27, 2008

A Home Built According to a Very Old Philosophy

By <address class="vcard author">Ken Byron

http://blogs.courant.com/itowns_nb/2008/08/a-home-built-according-to-a-ve.html

</address> on <abbr class="published" title="2008-08-27T07:00:00-05:00">August 27, 2008 7:00 AM </abbr> | Permalink | Comments (0)

At first glance, Dennis and Nancy Zettervall's home in a newish development in Bristol looks like many other houses. But, as with many other things, the difference is in the details.

The house, which was finished in February after two years of work, was built according to the principles of Maharishi Sthapatya Ved, a philosophy about building that goes back thousands of years and originated in the Far East. It was brought to this country to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who founded and popularized transcendental meditation.

If you want to know more about Vedic homes and the principles behind them, check out this website.

Building the house took two years because of the precision required, Dennis Zettervall said.

So why go to all this trouble? Because it makes you feel better, Zettervall told me when I visited the house recently.

"Our experience here is totally different from a regular house. I couldn't imagine moving to a normal house," he said. The principles behind Vedic architecture are so a house conforms to nature's laws, which Zettervall said makes for better living.

The Zettervalls have done transcendental meditation for 35 years and follow other teachings of the Maharishi. They were ready to build a new house and a Vedic house was a logical choice, even though there is just one in Connecticut and only about 200 in the nation.

"This looks like a normal house but the effect it creates is a lot different," Dennis Zettervall said.

The key part of the house is its orientation. As with all Vedic buildings it faces true East, where the sun rises. There are no doors on the west or south sides of the house and there must be windows set up so that light can travel through the house from all four directions. The very center of the house is called the brahmasthan. It is considered a sacred space which must be clear from the ground floor all the way to a skylight in the roof. No foot traffic is allowed in this space and to keep it that way the Zettervalls have put a tall, decorative pedestal in the spot.

Proportion and measurement of the rooms and hallways are all done according to very specific measurements. The living room, for example, is exactly 9 feet, eight inches and three-eights of an inch high. Certain rooms must be in a particular part of the house. That is because the philosophy behind Vedic architecture dictates where certain activities are best done in the house. For example, the kitchen must be in the south east corner of the house. "Sometimes I don't fee like cooking but once I get into the kitchen I feel more energy and I'm ready to go," Nancy Zettervall said.

Measurements are key and can vary from the building plan by no more than an eighth of an inch, said the Zettervall's son, Kyle. This means Vedic houses must be built with a precision that most builders are not accustomed to, Kyle said..

"There is no room for saying 'Whatever.' Everything is specifically done in a certain way to get the maximum benefit," Susan Lauer said about Vedic houses. Lauer is the administrator for Fortune Creating Buildings of Iowa, which provides building plans and consulting services for Vedic houses in this country.

Because building the house was such an involved process, the Zettervalls had their son build it. Although Kyle is an experienced builder, his parents' house was way beyond anything he had worked on before.

"What Kyle ended up doing was writing a love letter to his parents," Dennis Zettervall said about his son's efforts.

"A lot of contractors wouldn't touch it," Kyle Zettervall said about the project. "The ones who did work on the house had their doubts about it but when they got started they felt different working here."

Because the house is so special and altering it would ruin the effect, the Zettervalls hope it will stay in their family for generations. That way, the people living in it understand what went into it.

Vedic architecture sounds like it should look really different. But take a look at the photos below and you will see that these houses don't have to stick out.

And here's a picture of the Zettervalls.

The picture you see above is of the brahmasthan, the very center of the house.