WELLNESS AMALIA DESARDI APH 505 | SPRING 2020
Un k n ow i n gly, m y u pbri ngi ng has been a p u r su it of p a ssion m od e le d by m y fa t h e r. H is dedi cated, al most obse ssive n a t u re to m a st e r ka ra t e wa s a n d s till i s a major par t of my f a m ily d y n a m ic . H is d e di c a t i o n to t h e mar ti al ar ts began when h e w a s seve n t e e n a nd, a s a s eve n t y -year-ol d man, i s sti l l cha sin g h is d re a m s a s if h e w a s a yo u n g b oy. Yes, there were ti mes I d e sp ise d t h is a r t , esp ec i a l ly w h e n h e purchased a yel l ow Vo lk sw a ge n . T h e ve h ic le b e c a m e a m arke t in g tool wi th l oads of dec a ls a n d in f or m a t ion on my fa t h er ’s Do jo . D uri ng my teenag e year s, h ow eve r, it fe lt like a n emb a r rass m e n t . My father was not the typ ic a l b u sin e ss m a n , n in e to fi ve a n d t h e ye llow car made i t even more obviou s.
B u t tod ay I l o o k ba c k w i t h ove r w he l m i ng g ra t i t ude f o r hi s pur s ui t to le a d in g a p a ss i o na t e l i fe . T hro ug h hi s o w n j o ur ney he ha s sho w n m e h ow to live pa s si o na t e l y a nd re m a i n de di c a t e d. At m y c o re I a m m y f a t h e r ’s d a u g ht e r ; e m be dde d i n m e i s t he sa m e de s i re to c ha s e m y p a ssion s, c ul t i va t e m y o w n l i fe st yl e a nd a c k no w l e dg e m y o bse s si ve n a t u re to a f a ul t . D avi d Bro o k s, a Ne w Yo r k T i m e s w r i t e r, w ro t e w i t h a d m ira t ion a nd use d La dy Ga g a’s pa s si o na t e l i fe st yl e a s a c a s e st u d y m u c h s i m i l a r to m y f a t he r s. To l e a d a pa s si o na t e l i fe , he a c k n ow le d g e s eve n t he m o s t c l i c hé e l e m e nt s w hi c h he de sc r i be s a s f ollow in g: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
H ave a n inte nse de sire to com ple te the m se lve s P u rsue whole he a r te dly, without re se r va tion P rope lle d by wounds A n e m otiona l na ture m e e ts a consum ing voca tion … le ss willing to be rule d by the tyra nny of public o pinion. … opt out of things tha t a re re pe titive , routine a nd de a de ning (Brook s 2015)
D avi d B rooks . “ L ad y Ga g a a nd t he L i fe o f Pa ssi o n. T he Ne w Yo r k T i m e s, T he Ne w Yo r k T i m e s, 23 O c t . 2015,
A s I re fl ec t o n m y fathers pursui t for a pa ssion a t e life , m u c h like Bro oks d e s crib ed, I turn wi thi n to und e r st a n d m y gu id in g va l ue s as a fo u n d ati on to an archi tectural p ra c t ic e . A gre a t b ase l i ne fo r th is re fl ecti on has come throu gh t h e VI A C h a ra c t e r A ss e ss m e n t . Th ro ugh the assessment I f ou n d m y top c ore va lu e s to be a s fo llo w in g: S pi ri tual i ty, Perspecti ve , H on e st y, C re a t iv it y a nd A p pre ciatio n for Beauty and Excel l enc e . Re f le c t in g on t h e se va l ue s I h ave s e le cted par ti cul ar phrasi ng f rom t h e VI A C h a ra c t e r A ss e ss m e n t w h ich I feel contri bute to my d e f in it ion a n d p e r son a l et h os .
[ sp i r i tu a l i ty ] “... S p iritu ality h as b een d ef in ed co n sisten tly by scien tists as th e search f o r o r c o n n e c tio n with “th e sacred ”. Th e sacred migh t b e th at wh ich is b lessed , h o ly, revered , o r p a r tic u la rly sp ecial. Th is can b e secu lar o r n o n -secu lar: sacred n ess migh t b e p u rsu ed a s th e s e a rc h f o r a p u rp o se in life o r as a clo se relatio n sh ip with so meth in g greater... A s a c h a ra c te r stren gth , sp iritu ality in vo lves th e b elief th at th ere is a d imen sio n to life th at is b eyo n d h u man u n d erstan d in g ...” [ p e r sp e c ti ve ] “... ab ility to see th e b igger p ictu re in life... I t allo ws th e in d ivid u al to a d d re s s im p o r tan t q u estio n s ab o u t th e co n d u ct an d mean in g o f life.” h o n esty ] “ . . . yo u sp eak th e tru th ... yo u p resen t yo u rself in a gen u in e an d sin cere way, w ith o u t p re ten se, an d takin g resp o n sib ility f o r yo u r feelin gs an d actio n s... yo u r go als a c c u ra te ly rep resen t yo u r imp licit in terests an d valu es.” [ c re a ti v i ty ] “ ... gen erates id eas o r b eh av io rs th at are n ovel o r u n u su al an d th ese make a p o sitive c o n t rib u tio n to th e in d ivid u al’s life o r th e lives o f o th ers gro u p” [ A p p re c i a ti o n for B eauty and E xcel l ence] “ ...th ree ty p es o f go o d n ess: • • • • •
“ VI A Of fe r s Pe r so n ality A ssessmen t Focusi ng on Charact er St rengt hs.” Per son al i ty A s se s sm e n t, Pe rs on al i ty Trai ts R eve al e d i n Free V I A S u r vey V I A In stitu te, 1 9 J an. 2020
hy sical B eau ty : th is may in clu d e au d ito r y, tactile o r ab stract. Th is typ e o f P go o d n ess p ro d u ces awe an d wo n d er in th e p erso n exp erien cin g it. kill O r Talen t (Excellen ce): th is is o f ten en ergizin g, an d co mp els a p erso n to S p u rsu e th eir o wn go als. I t in sp ires ad miratio n
V ir tu e O r Mo ral G o o d n ess: v ir tu o u s go o d n ess makes so meo n e wan t to b e b etter, mo re lov in g an d creates feelin gs o f elevatio n .”
“ V I A O f fe rs Pe rson al i t y A sse ssm e nt Fo c usi ng o n C ha ra c t e r St re ng t hs.” Pe r so na l i t y A sse ssm e nt , Pe r so na l i t y Tra i t s R eve a l e d i n Fre e V I A S u r vey V I A I nst i t ut e , 19 J a n. 2020
M u c h w h at I like a bout the val ue of hones t y, t h e se gu id in g va lu e s w il l rem ain c o n s is tent i n my personal and a rc h it e c t u ra l p ra c t ic e . My p ra c t i c e th e re fo re becomes a par t of and is a n e xt e n sion of m y life . Un de r l yin g an d c o nsi stentl y vi brati ng thro u gh t h e se va lu e s is m y ow n pe r so n al wa lk i n fai th wi th God. I desc r ib e it a s su c h b e c a u se w e a re hu m an . We make mi stakes. We ge t lost . B u t u lt im a t e ly w he n you q u ie t t h e noi se around you and list e n to you r in n e r voic e t h e b ea u ty a n d clari ty i n ones l i fe emerg es. There fore , t h is is the fi rst formal attempt to ve r b a lize m y a rc hi t ec tu ra l p ra c ti ce as one centered arou n d t r u t h a n d w e llb e in g. Tr u t h sh o w n th ro u gh the expl orati on of l i gh t , in w h ic h t a ke s yo u beyon d yo u r p hysi cal surroundi ng s. To evoke a n e m ot ion a l resp on se an d re c o gni ti on of somethi ng g re a t e r t h a n on e s se lf . I t is n o t so me t h in g o f s ci ence, or factual but a fe e lin g t h a t is fe lt . Thi s t r uth sp e a ks beyond just l i ght, but al so t h e a b ilit y to sp e a k t r ut h over o t h e rs ’ lives. A sor t of truth whic h e xp re sse s t h e w el l b ei n g o f o n e s space and l i fe. I feel arc h it e c t u re is n ot c on f in e d to bu i l di n gs, m u ch l i ke I am desi gni ng my ow n life , w h y w ou ld I n ot h e l p o t h e rs - in d iv idual s and compani es- t h rou gh t h e sa m e a c t ?
C ONTENTS
Inf luences What i s Wel l ness? Academi c Fi ndi ngs A rchi tectural P racti ce of We lln e ss
M a rk Ro th k o , B la c k in De e p Re d
B l a c k i n D e e p Red .� Black in De ep R ed by Mar k Rot hko
A n th o n y De S a rd i, Wa te r Dra g o n
Water Dragon. Anthony DeSardi. Janurary 11, 2020
Raul Barrenech, “Rick Joy: 2019 Interior Design Hall of Fame Inductee,” Interior Design (Interior Design Magazine, December 6, 2019)
Ric k J oy, T h e B ay H o u se
M a r w a n A l- S ayed We n d e ll B u rn e tt e Ric k J oy A m a n g iri Re so r t + S pa Written By Franhein, “Amangiri Resort Spa in Canyon Point, UT by Marwan Al-Sayed Inc. Architecture Design in Collaboration with Wendell Burnette and Rick Joy,” Interior Design Addict, accessed March 29, 2020
C ONTENTS
I n f lu en ces What is Wellnes s ? Academi c Fi ndi ngs A rchi tectural P racti ce of We lln e ss
“What Is Wellness?,� Global Wellness Institute, accessed March 29, 2020
H ISTO RY OF WEL L N ESS “ . . . We lln ess i s a modern w ord wi t h a nci ent root s. T he key te n e ts o f w e lln e s s a s b o th p reve n t ive and holi sti c can be t ra ced ba ck to a nci ent ci vi liza tio n s f ro m th e Ea s t ( In d ia , C h i n a) to t he West ( Greece , R ome) . I n 19t h- cent ur y Europ e a n d th e Un ite d S ta te s, a va rie ty o f i n t elle c t ual , reli gi ous an d medi ca l movement s devel op e d in p a ra lle l w ith c o n ve n tio n a l m e dic in e. Wi th their focus on hol i st i c a nd na t ura l a pproac h e s, se lf - h e a lin g a n d p reve n tive c a re, t h e se movements have provi ded a fi r m founda t i on f o r w e lln e s s to d ay. . .” D EF INING WEL L N ESS “ . . . Th e Glo bal Well ness I nst i t ut e defi nes wel l ness a s t he a c tive p u rs u it o f a c tivitie s , c h o ic e s a n d life st yl es that l ead to a st a t e of hol i st i c hea l t h. T here a re t wo i mpor tant aspect s to t hi s defi ni t i on. F i r st , w el l ness i s no t a pa ssi ve o r st a t i c st a t e b ut rat her an “act ive p ur s u it” th at is as s ociated wi t h i nt ent i o ns , c h o ic e s a n d a c tio n s a s we w o rk toward an optima l st a t e of hea l t h a nd wel l bein g . S e c o n d , w e lln e s s is lin ke d to h o l i st ic h eal th—that i s, i t e xt ends beyond physi ca l hea l t h a n d in c o rp o ra te s m a n y d if fe re n t d i me n sio n s that s hould wor k i n ha r mony. . .” • • • • • •
P h y s ical: A hea lth y b o d y th ro u g h e xe rc ise , n u tritio n , sl eep, et c. Men tal: E nga g e m e n t w ith th e w o rld th ro u g h l ea r ni ng , probl e m - so lvin g , c re a tivity, e tc . Em otion al: Bei n g in to u c h w ith , a w a re o f , a c c e p tin g of, a nd a bl e to e x p re s s o n e’s fe e lin g s ( a n d th o s e o f ot her s) . S p ir itu al: Our s e a rc h f o r m e a n in g a n d p u rp o s e in huma n exi st enc e . S ocial: C onnec tin g w ith , in te ra c tin g w ith , a n d cont r i but i ng to o th e r p e o p le a n d o u r c o m m u n itie s. En v iron m en tal: A h e a lth y p h ysic a l e n viro n m e n t free of ha za rds ; a w a re n e ss o f th e ro le w e p lay i n bet t er i ng ra t h e r th a n d e n ig ra tin g th e n a tu ra l envi ronment .
“What Is Wellness?,” Global Wellness Institute, accessed March 29, 2020
BU I LT E N VI RO N ME NT + W E LLN E SS “ O ur e x i st i ng built env iro nment has a mas s ive and increas ing ly neg at ive impact o n o ur w el l ness . . . w ith o u t co mmittin g to a d ramatic tran sf o rmatio n in wh ere an d h o w we live. We m u s t s h if t o u r reso u rces an d o u r in vestmen ts in to th e p laces th at give u s th e b est retu rn s o n o u r h e a lth – th at is, o u r h o mes an d co mmu n ities... We n eed to ref rame o u r co n cep t o f th e p ro fe ss io n s a n d in d u stries th at are p ar t o f o u r welln ess an d p u b lic h ealth lan d scap e... real e s ta te in ve s to rs, u rb an p lan n ers an d d esign ers, arch itects, tran sp o r tatio n p lan n ers an d th e c o n stru c tio n ind u str y...” T W O AP P R OACH E S
• Wel l nes s lifes t y le re al e s t at e is d e f in e d a s h omes th at are p ro actively d e sig n e d a n d b u ilt to su p p o r t th e h o listic h e a lth o f th e ir resid en ts.
• Wellnes s co mmunit y is a gro u p o f p eo p le livin g in clo se p rox imity wh o sh are co mmo n go als, in terests, an d exp erien ces in p ro actively p u rsu in g welln ess acro ss its man y d imen sio n s. I t can b e ro o ted in a p u rp o seb u ilt p h ysical sp ace, o r can b e cu ltivated aro u n d sh ared cu ltu re o r so cial n etwo rks with o u t p u rp o se b u ilt stru ctu res.
I MP LE ME NTATI O N • “ M i ni mizing e nv iro nme nt al i m pa c t s o n human healt h: re d uce toxic s u b s t a n c e ex p osure ; im prove slee p, red u c e s t res s ; and prom ot e e ar t h fr ie nd ly p ra c t i c es . . . • S uppor t ing behav io r chang e a nd he a l t hi er lifes t y le s : encourage movemen t , a c t ive life st y le , m ind -bod y h ea l t h , a n d h ea lt hy e at ing; use nat ure to i mp rove men t a l/psychological... w el l b ei n g . .. “What Is Wellness?,” Global Wellness Institute, accessed March 29, 2020
• Fo s t er ing a s ens e o f place, co m munit y, and belo ng ing : sm ar t d e sign can e ncourage social e ncount e r s, incre ase com m unit y int e ract ions, and build t r ust and civ ic e ngage m e nt ...”
T H R E E HOT WEL L NESS AR CHITECTUR E TR ENDS FOR 201 9
Wel l n es s D es i g n is Spre ading Ac ro ss H o spitality Arc hite c ture and B eyo nd
“ . . . S u st a in abil i ty i s about th e hea l t h of t he pl a net . Welln ess a rc hi t ec t ure i s a bo ut t he hea l t h o f i ts oc c upant s , es pecial ly h u m an s . I t i s i nfl uenci ng resid e n tia l a n d c o m m e rc ia l b u ild in g d e sign , b u ilding products , rea l est a t e devel opment a nd re a l e sta te s a le s . . .” “ . . . Wo r k in g women ( and me n) a re busi er t ha n ever now, bu t m a n y a re se e k in g f o o d s , p ro d u c ts, spa c e s an d habi ts that enh a nce t hei r hea l t h a nd wel l - bei n g , a s w e ll a s savin g th e m tim e . . .”
“ . . .‘ Youn g er generations , sp ecifically Millen n ials , valu e e x per i enc e a nd w el l - bei ng w hen m a k i ng l i fes tyle cho ices ,” Schrei bei s Smi t h obser ves, a d d in g , “ T h is w ill s ig n if ic a n tly im p a c t t he b u ild in g i ndustr y. We w i l l see more re- t hi nk i ng of ea c h ro o m in th e h o u se a s yo u n g e r g e nera t io n s more open to n ew w ay s of liv in g s ur p as s Ba by B o o m er s i n po pul a t i o n a nd sp en d i n g i n t he co ming decad e .’ .. .”
“ ... ‘ th ere is a s hift in fo cus to in clud e h ealthy m ater ial s t ha t ha r m nei t her t he pl a net o r h umans wi t hin the buildin g. T hi s shi ft i n t he professi onals ’ f o c u s a lig n s w ith th e sh if tin g a w a ren ess of t he co ns um er for tox in -free food , p rod u ct s, a nd envi ro nm ent ,” th e a rc h ite c t p o i nt s o u t .’...” “ . . . ‘ T h is i n clus io n of nat ure i n desi gn i s p roven to en h anc e c o g ni t i ve per f o r m a nc e, c l ea nse t h e a i r, l ower s tres s , redu ce toxin s an d utilize m ore renew a bl e a nd sust a i na bl e re so urc es,” Sc h re ib e is S mi th notes .’ ...”
Jamie Gold, “Three Hot Wellness Architecture Trends For 2019,” Forbes (Forbes Magazine, January 4, 2019)
“ . . .’ De s ig n in g f o r welln ess rath er th an merely f itn ess o r h o sp itality in vo lves a careful c o nsi dera t i o n o f s o cial and no ns o cial areas . MacEwen an d h is team craf ted sp ecif ic sp aces f o r c o n ve rsa tio n , like th e mo n u men tal staircase o n th e seco n d f lo o r; sp aces f o r so lid arity, like th e m e d ita tio n ro o m; an d s pace s fo r “be ing to g et her, alo ne,” like th e lo u n ge. “We d id n’t wan t to ove r p ro g ra m an y o n e ro o m—wh en yo u d o th at n o o n e h an gs o u t th ere—b u t we wan ted to c re a t e a n em o tio nal impact t hro ug h o ur us e o f mat er ials , s ens e o f co mpres s io n, lig ht ing , a nd w ay f i ndi ng ,’ .. .” “ . . .’ T h o u g h th e w elln ess tren d will p lay itself o u t an d ch an ge over time, peo ple -ce nt r ic, hea l t h- f o c used des ig n will endure in ho s pit alit y archit e ct ure. C o mb in ed with o u r cu rren t p ro p e n sity to w ard mi xed- use spa c es a nd a d va nc ed t ec hno l o gy, bui l d i ng bo und a r i es wi l l co n t in u e to b l ur —no t o nl y bet ween ho t el a nd gym, but a c ro ss i ndust r i es o f a l l ki nd s.’” Olivia Martin, “How ‘Wellness’ Design Is Spreading across Hospitality Architecture,” Archpaper.com, May 19, 2017
F i r st R eflec tion We l l ne ss arc h ite cture focus on the heal th of b ot h t h e in d ivid u a l a n d c ol l e c t i ve as a w h ol e. It’s peopl e centri c v s. su st a in a b ilit y w h ic h is f o c u se d o n t h e e nvi ronment. It does no t e xc lu d e su st a in a b ilit y b u t w or ks h an d in hand. Wel l ness archi tec t u re f oc u se s on t h e emo t i o nal, p h ys ic a l, soci al , envi ronmental , m e n t a l a n d sp ir it u a l. Thi s i d ea th at w e llness i s an acti ve pursuit , m u c h like t h e p u r su it I fe e l i n m y o wn fa ith, resonates wi th me; , “. . . it is as s oci at ed w i th i nt e n t i ons , c ho i c e s a n d a ction s a s we wo rk tow ard an op t i m al s t a t e o f he al th and wellbein g . . . is lin ked to h ol i s ti c h eal t h — th at i s , i t e x t e n d s b eyo nd ph ysica l h ea lth a n d in corp orates m an y d i fferen t d im en si o n s th at s h oul d work i n harmony...” .
C ONTENTS
Infl uences What i s Wel l ness? Aca demic F inding s A rchi tectural P racti ce of We lln e ss
Sen sor i nes s an d Transcendence: On the Ae s t h e t i c Po s s i b i l i t y o f Ex pe ri e n cing Div inity A e s th eti c Trans cendence “ . . . The pa rad igm -disrupting as p e ct o f p h i l o s o p h i cal ae s t h et i c s d oes n ot on l y c on s i s t i n t h e sha king of th e subje ct – de f i n e d by rati o n al i s m as an a g en t of l og i c a l (n ot s en s i t i ve) c o g nit io n – that occu rre d wh e n B au m g ar te n s tu di e d s e ns i t i v i t y from t h e p oi n t of v i ew o f his philosophical aesthe ti cs . Th e s u b je ct, u n de r s to o d a s t h e c on s c i ou s i n s t i g a tor a n d c o nt ro ller of cogn ition , als o b e cam e e n dan g e re d b e cau se w h a t B a u mg a r t en n ow s t u d i ed c o mprised im agination, am o n g o th er th i n g s . Im agin ation pro duc es i dea s o f so m et hi ng t h a t i s n ot direct ly given i n an em p ir ical s en s e, an d it i s t heref o re by na t ure o f a t ra nsc en d i ng charact er. B ein g of th is character it als o by de f i ni t i o n g o es beyo nd w ha t t h e su b j ec t of logical cogn ition can con trol: it als o e xc eeds w ha t i s a c c essi bl e to ra t i o na l u n d erstanding, as it proceed s to a d im en s ion th at is onl y c o m prehensi bl e to rea so n. I n o t h er words, im agination h as acce s s to wh at i n K an t i s c a l l ed i d ea s , a n d w h i c h h e d oes n ot se e a s so me th ing tran sce n de n t s o m e wh e re el s e , b u t as a ‘more’ – a t ra n s c en d en c e – i n t h e immanent sphe re . Th is ve r y i m ag i n ati o n , acco rdi n g to K a n t , i s g i ven p a r t i c u l a r l y free re in in t he work of th e ae s th e ti c p o we r o f ju dg m e n t, wh ere u n d er s t a n d i n g d oes n ot w i t h i t s c o nc ept s restrain im aginati o n’s p ro du cti o n o f th o u g h ts ( rep res en t a t i on s ) . T h i s , h ow ever, is a lso to s ay th at th e su bje ct do e s n o t co n tro l th e th i n k i n g p ra c t i c ed by t h e a es t h et i c po w er of j u dgm e n t, wh ose way o f th i n k i n g K an t cal l e d e x p a n d ed . W i t h i t s ex p a n d ed w ay of t h inking , t he aesthe tic pow er o f ju dg m e n t u n i te s di f fe re nt t h i n g s i n t h ou g h t , w i t h ou t red u c i n g d if ferenc e to sam en e ss. It tran s cen ds to s o m e th i n g u n i ver s a l , b u t w i t h ou t l os i n g w h a t i s u n iq ue about th e par ticu la r. Th e ae s th e ti c p o wer o f ju dgmen t i s c a p a b l e of t h i s ex p a n d ed w ay o f t hin king than ks to i m ag i n ati o n’s co n tr i b u ti o n o f f ree refl ex i v i t y to t h e w or k i n g of t h e po w er of j u dgm e n t, wh ich al s o , co n ve r s e l y, m e an s th at t h i s ex p a n d ed t h i n k i n g s u s p en d s t h e su bj ec t a s it was def ine d by rati o n al i s m an d was take n over by K a n t .
“ . . . U n d er s tood as t he way of t hink ing of t he ae st he t ic powe r of j ud gm e nt , expand e d t hink ing i s a es t h et i c t h i nk ing. Alre ad y Baum gar t e n’s int e re st in se nsit iv it y and t he re lat e d se nsit ive c og n i t i on op ene d up for e xplorat ion of t his t hink ing, and so, in a way, be gan t he subst it ut ion of t h e s u b j ec t wit h Dase in, which was since car r ie d out by he r m e ne ut ic phe nom e nology. T h u s , t h ere i s on one hand an aby ss of d iffe re nce bet we e n t he or iginal subj e ct of ae st he t ic p h i l os op h y a n d Dase in as und e r stood by phenom e nology. On t he ot her hand , t he re is also a b r i d g e of s i milar it y : Dase in and t he subj e ct of se nsit ive cognit ion have in com m on t he t ra n s c en d en c e associat e d wit h im aginat ion, for im aginat ion is ce nt ral am ong t he ne t he r p ow er s of c og nit ion d e alt wit h in e ar ly philosophical ae st he t ics, and Dase in, accord ing to H ei d eg g er, d ist inguishe s it se lf by be ing e cst at ic, i.e . se lf-t ransce nd ing. Re gard e d as D a s ei n , ma n i s ind e e d t ransce nd ing by nat ure. No t o nly unde r s to o d in t he s ens e t hat w e c a n i g no re o ur bo dies o r have an et er nal s o ul, but in t he s ens e t hat in us a fo rce is a c t i ve t ha t ex pands o ur awarenes s – in bo t h t ime and s pace. It is no t t hat we t rans cend i n t he epi st emo lo g ical s ens e t hat we o ur s elves co ns cio us ly reach fo r s o met hing , be it i nc o m pre hensible o r no t . But it is abo ut being o pen to t rans cendence, to s ens ing what ha ppens i n t he immane nce, s ens ing o ccur rences o f an ev ident ial charact er. Being pres e nt , w e a re c o nst a nt ly expanded, co ns t ant ly bro ug ht beyo nd o ur s elves , to s o met hing o t he r t ha n o ur se l ves , by which we are pres ent – bo t h in t he pres ent s pace and in memo r y. T his D a s ei n , a s s a i d above , is of t he fe lt bod y (in d ist inct ion to t he m at e r ial bod y or t he m ind ) and i t s c h a ra c t er i s t ic ope nne ss to t ransce nd e nce is an ae st he t ic or prope r ly aist he t ic ope nne ss to t h a t i n t h e se nsible wor ld which t ransce nd s t he m e re ly sensuous.”
Jø rge n s e n , D or th e. Sen so rin ess and Transcendence: On t he Aest het i c Possi b i l i ty of E x p e ri e n c i n g D i vi n i ty Ac ce s se d M a rch 2 0 , 2 0 2 0 .
J ø rge n se n , D or th e . Se nso r i ne ss a nd Tra nsc e nde nc e : O n t he A e st he t i c Po ssi bi l i t y o f E xpe r i e nc i ng D i vi ni t y A c c e s se d M arc h 2 0 , 2020.
D es i g n for Sen s or y Rea lit y “ . . . O ur ex p e riential sen se o f re al i ty cal l s f o r th e in ter p lay o f t he senses. Fu s ed i n to a u n ified ex perien ce, th ese s e n s ati o n s g i ve r i s e to a m u l ti s en s or y ex p er i en c e of rea l i t y. ‘ M y p erc ep ti on is no t a s um of v is u al, tactile an d aud ib le gi vens : I p erc ei ve i n a tot a l w ay w it h my wh ole be ing: I gras p a u n i q u e s tr u ctu re o f th e th i n g , a u n i q u e w ay of b ei n g , w h i c h speaks to all m y sen ses at o n ce ,’ M au r i ce M e r l e au -Po n ty ob s er ves . O n l y t h i s fu l l y i n t eg ra t ed e x p erienc e can proje ct the ve raci ty o f th e re al ...” “ . . . This t a c tile e xperien ce i n te g rated i n vi s i o n was cal l e d mod én a t u re by L e C or b u s i er i n h is 1923 manifesto of m oder n arch i tectu re , Ve r s u n e arc h i t ec t u re (c ommon l y t ra n s l a t ed a s To wards a New Architecture ).3 Gas to n B ach e l ard, th e p hi l os op h er of s c i en c e a n d p oet i c imag er y, di vid e d im ages in to two cate g o r i e s – f o r m al an d ma t er i a l – a n d h e a rg u ed t h a t t h e la t t er t ype convey d e e pe r e m o ti o n al e xp e r i e n ces .”
Peter Zmth o r, Th erme Vals, Vals S witzerlan d , 1996 B o tto m Lef t
Le C o rb u sier, Mo n aster y o f S ain teMarie d e La To u rette Eveu x, Fran ce, 1960 B o tto m R igh t
“ . . . a s designe rs we are tau g h t to b e aware o f o n l y f o cu s ed v i s i on , b u t u n foc u s ed p er i p h era l pe rcept io ns seem to h ave a m o re i m p o r tan t ro l e i n o u r e x p er i en c e of s p a t i a l q u a l i t i es , sit ua t ions, atm osphe re s a n d fe e l i n g s ... I n f act, th e e xp e r i en t i a l rea l i t y of a mea n i n g fu l pie c e of arch itecture is n o t o n l y th e s u m o f i ts s e n s o r y p rop er t i es , a s i t g en era t es i t s ow n e x is t ent ial world, which we i n te ract wi th th ro u g h o u r s e n s e of s el f a n d c on s c i ou s n es s .” “ . . . We respond to arch itect u re th ro u g h o u r en ti re s e n s e of b ei n g ra t h er t h a n v i s i on i n iso la t ion. H ow does an arch i te ct i m ag i n e , co n ce p tu al i s e a n d c ommu n i c a t e ex p er i en c es evoked by th e e xisten tial s e n s e ?... I t i s b eyo n d do u b t th a t t h e a rc h i t ec t ’s t a s k c a l l s for a n u n derst andin g of ph e n om e n a b eyo n d vi s i o n , an d s u b tl e ti es of i n t era c t i on t h a t c a n h a rd l y b e c o mmunic ated th rou gh vis u al m e an s . Th e s e m i n al re q u i remen t i n tod ay ’s res ea rc h , ed u c a t i on a n d prac t ice is to e xpand th e de s i g n e r ’s i m ag i n ati ve an d emp a t h i c c a p a c i t i es b eyon d t h e v is u a l realm in to an e m bodi e d, e m p ath i c an d i m m e r s i ve i d en t i fi c a t i on a n d u n d er s t a n d i n g . T h is understan din g can be ach i eve d th ro u g h e m p ath i c i nt er n a l i s a t i on a n d i ma g i n a t i on . O u r senses and beh aviour are f u n dam en tal l y b i o l o g i cal l y c on d i t i on ed , a n d a rc h i t ec t u ra l e d u c a t ion s h ou ld also incl u de as p e cts o f b i o l o g y. Th e vera c i t y of ou r ex p er i en c ed rea l i t y i s in it s layered, orch estrated an d i n te racti ve e s s en ce , wh i c h en g a g es u s a s c omp l et e h u ma n be ing s wit h all ou r sen ses , e m o ti o n s , i n s ti n cts , m e m o r i es a n d i ma g i n a t i on .”
Juhani Pallasmaa, “Design for Sensory Reality: From Visuality to Existential Experience,” Architectural Design 89, no. 6 (November 2019): pp. 22-27
Juhani Pallasmaa, “Design for Sensory Reality: From Visuality to Existential Experience,” Architectural Design 89, no. 6 (November 2019): pp. 22-27
T he S i x t h Sen s e - The Meaning of Atmosp h e re a n d Mo o d “ . . . We g a ze in te n tionally at vi s u al o b je cts an d eve n ts , wh erea s a t mos p h eres c ome to u s omn i d irec t ionally, sim ilarly to a co u s ti c an d o l f acto r y s e n s ati on s . We s en s e t h e overa l l mood , t u n ing , feel ing, am bian ce an d atm o s p h e re o f a s e tti n g b efore w e h ave b ec ome c on s c i ou s of it , or have id e n tified any o f i ts co n s ti tu e n t fe atu re s . I n the p roc es s of d es i g n , a t mos p h er i c q u alit ies a l so arise u n cons ci o u s l y i n an e m b o di e d an d h a p t i c ma n n er ra t h er t h a n t h rou g h c o nsc io us re tinal strategie s an d i n te n ti o n s . Th e s e n s e of a c oh eren t ex p er i en t i a l en t i t y i s evoked by th e designe r ’s s e n s e o f e xi s te n ce an d b o dy m ore t h a n c on s c i ou s a n d d el i b era t e v is u a l int en tionality. Atm o s p h ere i s ce r tai n l y cl o s el y re l a t ed w i t h t h e s p i r i t of p l a c e, i t s g e nius loc i, as we ll as our e m p ath i c an d af fe cti ve cap ac i t i es . I n t h e s a me w ay t h a t mu s i c c a n c harg e a spatial or soci al s i tu ati o n wi th a p ar ti cu l ar mood , t h e a mb i a n c e of a l a n d s c a p e, to w nsc a pe or inte rior space can p ro ject s i m i l ar i n teg rati n g a n d en c omp a s s i n g feel i n g s . E m o t ional re action s usual l y ar i s e vag u el y, wi th o u t an y d i s t i n c t foc u s ed ob j ec t or n a mea b l e c a use. Love, happine ss an d h ate , f o r i n s tan ce , are n o t o b j ec t s ; t h ey a re rel a t i on s h i p s , mood s a n d st a t es of m ind. Sim ila r l y, we m ay n eve r i n te l l e ctu al l y ‘ u n d er s t a n d ’ a w or k of a r t , b u t i t c a n c onvey an ine f f able inf l u e n ce th ro u g h o u t o u r e n ti re l i ves . “‘ W h et h er p eop l e a re c on s c i ou s of i t or n ot , t h ey a c t u a l l y d er i ve c ou n t en a n c e a n d s u s t en a n c e from t h e ‘a t mos p h ere’ of t h e t h i n g s t h ey l i ve i n or w i t h . T h ey a re root ed i n t h em j u s t a s a p l a n t i s i n t h e s oi l i n w h i c h i t i s p l a n t ed .’” — Fra n k L l oyd Wr i g h t , 1 9 5 4
“ . . . O n e rea s on why pe r iphe r ic pe rcept ions have be e n und e r value d , or tot ally ne gle ct e d , i n a rc h i t ec t u re is t hat we have not ack nowle d ge d t hat e m ot ions evaluat e , ar t iculat e and s t r u c t u re ou r relat ions wit h t he wor ld . Em ot ions are re gard e d as unconscious, se cond ar y rea c t i on s , i n s t e ad of posse ssing int e nt ionalit y and fact ual value. Ye t e m ot ions ar ise from p r i ma l l evel s of consciousne ss and , significant ly, t he fir st wave of ne ural signals is alway s d i rec t ed to t h ese unconscious sy st e m s. As t he philosophe r M ar k J ohnson has argued : ‘ T he re i s n o c og n i t i on wit hout e m ot ion … e m ot ions are not se cond -rat e cognit ions; rat he r t hey are a ffec t i ve p a t t e r ns of our e ncount e r wit h our wor ld , by which we t ake t he m e aning of t hings a t a p r i mord i a l leve l.’ 16 T here is st rong ev id e nce t hat t he unconscious sy st e m of pe rce pt ion h a s a h i g h er ex ist e nt ial pr ior it y.17 T he pot e nt ial supe r ior it y of t he unconscious processe s i n c omp a r i s on wit h consciousne ss is reve ale d d ram at ically by t he ne urological fact t hat t h e i n for ma t i on-hand ling capacit y of our e nt ire ne r vous sy st e m is e st im at e d to be 1015 t i mes t h e c a p a cit y of our conscious sy st e m .18T he nat ure of v ision it self has be e n grossly mi s u n d er s tood as som e t hing autom at ic, obj e ct ive and pre cise . Re se arch has reve ale d t hat t h e p roc es s of v ision is a fragm e nt e d and d iscont inuous m osaic t hat const ant ly fuse s p erc ep t i on s w it h m e m or y and im aginat ion. A v isual im age it self is com pose d of se parat e p erc ep t s of c o lour, for m and m ove m e nt , re ce ive d at t he t e m poral d ist ance of 40 to 60 mi l l i s ec on d s . In ad d it ion, our focuse d v ision se e s what we have le ar ne d and what we want to s ee, w h erea s t he pe r iphe ral sy st e m of pe rce pt ion is capable of id e nt ify ing what is genuine ly n ew. M ood t u ne s us e m ot ive ly wit h our e nv ironm e nt , and as a conse que nce we d o not ne e d to c on t i n u ou s l y and consciously m onitor it s ove r whe lm ing m e d ley of d e t ails.
“‘ T he r iche st e xpe r ience s happe n long be fore t he soul t ake s not ice . And w h en w e be gin to ope n our eyes to t he v isible , we have alre ad y be e n suppor t e r s of t he inv isible for a long t im e .’
Fra n k L loyd Wrig h t, Ta lie sin We s t, S c o tts d a le , A rizo n a 1938 Juhani Pallasmaa, “The Sixth Sense: The Meaning of Atmosphere and Mood,” Architectural Design 86, no. 6 (August 2016)
—
G abr ie le d ’Annunzio, 1912 “
Juhani Pallasmaa, “The Sixth Sense: The Meaning of Atmosphere and Mood,” Architectural Design 86, no. 6 (August 2016): pp. 126-133
C ONTENTS
Infl uences What i s Wel l ness? Academi c Fi ndi ngs Archit ect ura l Pract ice o f Wellnes s
B ui l d i ng Stan d ard T h e Int ernation al WEL L Bui l di n g I n s ti tu te ™ ( I WB I™) i s l e a d i n g t h e g l ob a l movemen t to t ra nsform our bu ildin gs an d co m m u n i ti e s i n ways th at h el p p eop l e t h r i ve. I W B I delivers the cutting-edg e WE LL B u i l di n g S tan dard™, t h e l ea d i n g g l ob a l ra t i n g s y s t em a n d t he firs t to be f ocused excl u s i ve l y o n th e ways th at b u i l d i n g s , a n d ever y t h i n g i n t h em, c a n improve ou r com for t, dr i ve b e tte r ch o i ces , an d g e n e ra l l y en h a n c e, n ot c omp romi s e, ou r h e a lt h and welln e ss. T h e WE LL v2™ pilot is a re ce n tl y l au n ch e d ve r s i o n o f i ts p op u l a r W EL L B u i l d i n g S t a n d a rd , a n d t h e WE LL C om m u n ity Standard™ p i l o t i s a di s tr i ct s cal e ra t i n g s y s t em t h a t s et s a n ew g l ob a l be nc hma rk f or h e althy comm u n i ti e s .
Arc hitec tu ra l P ra c t i c e We b el i eve t h a t reconne ct ing pe ople wit h t he e nv ironm e nt will le ad to a he alt hy, prospe rous, a n d reg en era t i ve fut ure for all. We leve rage high-pe r for m ance d e sign, whole sy st e m s t h i n k i n g , a n d rese arch in biophilic d e sign, bioinspire d innovat ion, and e cological d e sign to ma ke t h i s g oa l a re alit y. T his bre ad t h of wor k and e xpe r ie nce e nable s us to d eve lop cre at ive , i mp a c t fu l s ol u tions for our clie nt s.
I W B I mobilize s the global we l l n e s s co m m u n i ty th ro u g h m a n a g emen t of t h e W EL L AP ™ c re dent ia l, conve n e s a glob al n e two r k o f o rg an i zati o n s t h rou g h I W B I memb er s h i p , p u r s u es a pplic able re search, devel o p s e du cati o n al re s o u rce s , an d a d voc a t es for p ol i c i es t h a t pro m o t e health an d welln e s s eve r ywh ere .
“International WELL Building Institute,” WELL, accessed March 29, 2020
“Services,” Terrapin Bright Green, accessed March 29, 2020
We l l n e ss K i tc h en
A rc h i tectu ral Prac t ice M i ssion
In the past 65 years, our eating and lifestyle habits have changed drastically yet very little has changed in kitchen design. We now know there is a strong correlation between diet and preventable diseases and that a nutritious diet is necessary for a long and healthy life. Our question is, why haven’t kitchen designs caught up to support the healthier way more people eat today? We exist to solve that problem. The kitchen is the true heart of the home. We design the space to comfortably gather, entertain, and nourish one another.
Fro m ba lan ced and fu n ctio n al h o m e an d wo r k p l ace de s i g n , to s p ec i a l i zed ret rea t ex p er i en c es — we design with re generati ve we l l n e s s i n m i n d. We care fu l l y s el ec t b u i l d i n g ma t er i a l s a n d d e s ig n space layouts to su p p o r t h u m an an d p l an e tar y h ea l t h g oi n g b eyon d tod ay ’s ra t i n g sy st ems for gree n or h e alt h y des i g n .
People spend 90% of their time indoors. So it’d better be good, and good for you. We have all felt the beneficial effects of time spent outdoors. In fact, neuroscientists and microbiologists can name the changes in cognitive behavior and brain chemistry that many of us feel after communing with nature. As research continues to establish the positive advantages of wellness living, we build our practice upon the benefits of natural materials and textures that nourish a space, positive rituals that guide our daily activities, and elements that delight the senses.
“Our Work,” Vera Iconica Architecture, accessed March 29, 2020
“Vera Iconica Kitchen,” Vera Iconica Kitchen, accessed March 29, 2020
B ibl iography
Mar t i n, O l i vi a. “How ‘We llne ss’ De sign Is S pre a ding a cross Hospita lity A rc hi te cture .” Archpa pe r.com , May 19, 2017. https://a rchpa pe r. c o m/ 2 017/05/we llne ss-de sign-hospita lity-a rchite cture /.
Ba rrenech , R a u l . “ R i ck J oy: 2 0 1 9 I n t e r io r D e sig n Ha l l o f Fame I nduc t ee.” I nt eri o r D esi gn . Int e r i or D e s ig n M ag azin e , D e c e m b e r 6, 2019. ht t ps: // w w w. i nt eri o rde sign .n e t /a r t i cl e s/ 1 7 3 1 4 - r ic k - j oy- 2 0 1 9 - in t e r io r- des i gn- hal l - o f - f ame- i nduc t ee/ .
“Our Wo rk.” Vera Iconica Archite cture . Acce sse d Ma rch 29, 2020. ht t ps ://ve ra iconica .com /our-work /.
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