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The Power
of
Place
Ar. Prajal Pradhan, Ar. Prabina Shrestha
MANY of us may have experienced the tantalizing
retreat and breathed in the magic that mesmerizes by
the lakeside of Pokhara, a favorite destination for
a vacation in Nepal.
We may get a sense of inspiration from taking a walk
in the forest or contemplating a beautiful sunset. A
view of a placid lake may give us a special sense of
joy. Our surrounding has a tremendous impact on our
mood and attitude. A stimulating environment can
effect transformation of our whole being.
Dr. Jonas Salk, who developed polio vaccine, was so
frustrated during the research for development of
the vaccine that he took a retreat to the village of
Assisi in Italy. The spirituality of the
architecture there rejoiced and inspired him for
designing the research that led to the development
of polio vaccine. This is the power of a place!
Most of us associate certain emotions, energy levels
and even mental status with various spaces in which
we spend our lives. We feel much more secure and
comfortable being at a place which resembles our
favorite place. Conversely, feelings of anxiety,
irritation or insecurity may surge up in a place
alike to the one where such negative incidents had
occurred.
The mind, body, spirit are always striving to
maintain resonance with the environment. If the
environment is unbalanced or superficial it will use
up its energy in maintaining its life force. This is
why many people in an unhealthy environment feel
sick and tired most of the time. But the good news
is - we can tune up the environment positively to
have beneficial effects and to experience the
tremendous power of a place.
Neuroscience for architecture:
A study on impact of an environment When an
architect designs a space, he/she creates an
environment with it. A space has either positive or
negative impact on human body, mind and soul. To
know exactly how and why the brain perceives and
responds to architectural cues, neuroscientists and
architects are collaborating for a research in many
parts of the world.
A landmark study in early 1980s found that 23 post
surgical patients in rooms with views of a stand of
trees stayed for fewer post operative days, received
fewer negative evaluation comments in nurses’ notes
and required fewer potent analgesics than 23 matched
patients in similar rooms facing a brick wall. Many
such studies have shown that well designed
environments can reduce anxiety, lower blood
pressure and lessen pain.
What neuroscientists learn from the studies can one
day be applied to make evident based design. For
example, by understanding how an architectural
setting impacts the cognitive ability of children,
architects could design enriched learning
environments. The outcome of such a research may
also help create spaces that allow people to reach
their full potential. For instance, supportive
design of staff spaces can help employees cope
better with workplace stress, reduce absenteeism,
may lower turn over and in several ways support
employees in providing quality care. The future
generation of hospital, school and offices can
benefit to large extent from such research.
Positive transformation:
tuning the elements of a place
Mind, brain and nervous system can be directly
influenced, positively or negatively by sensual
elements in the environment. A positive environment
can alleviate stress and anxiety, revive the spirit
and promote general well being, contrary to which
the negative influence of an environment may result
in high stress level, general fatigue, pain and
nausea, to name a few.
A space is created through an amalgamation of a
number of elements. Through the number of researches
carried out by neuroscientists and architects it has
been discovered that manipulation of these elements
can bring about positive transformations in a space.
The proper adjustments of the basic elements -
sound, light, color, material and symbolic meanings,
which give a place its attribute, can bring harmony,
peace and joy.
Sound
Sound can be either positive or negative. Noise
represents negative sound which is the sound that is
beyond the comfort level of human beings. Such sound
is recognized as one of the major environmental
pollutants and is accountable for various health
hazards.
The positive sound is eternal sound or healing
silence. Healing silence here does not mean dead
silence. Dead silence is the state of complete
absence of sound, which is never good. Healing
silence, in the other hand, means eternal sound -
gentle, calming, life supporting, unobstructed like
the soft sound of rustling leaves, gentle sea
breeze, twittering of birds, flowing water, etc.
Light
Lighting, a part of environmental design has
tremendous power to induce profound change in both
health and behavior. Artificial light is a powerful
and positive design element. A study has shown that
when fluorescent lights are replaced with full
spectrum lights in classrooms, hyperactivity
decreases while learning and at the same time,
memory retention and optimism increases. Various
frequencies of light have the potential to alter the
daily rhythmic patterns in the body effecting
different energies in the body.
Light has terrific impact on mood and on release of
certain enzymes and hormones that control our mood.
Natural sunlight holds as much importance as a
brightly lit luminous environment which satisfies
our biological and basic needs. Too much light on
the other hand creates visual discomfort or visual
noise and creates a feeling of gloom.
Colour
A study shows that our mental health, behaviour and
efficiency depend largely on colour balance. Most of
the energy that we need to maintain the health of
our mind, body and soul are received through colours.
Colour has the power to motivate, balance, excite,
sedate and heal.
Various
use of colours result in various outcomes. Red can
bring warmth, passion, aggressiveness and energy. It
stimulates the nervous system and increases
appetite. Purple or violet may help one to sleep
well and heal nerve disorders. It has calm a
soothing effect that will help decrease tension and
improve rest. It can also relieve headaches.
Similarly, green is recommended for heart disease
and for regulating blood pressure, while light green
encourages sprouting of new ideas. Yellow may help
alleviate depression, biringing with it brings joy,
zeal and fertility. Gold can help clear self doubts
or cluttered thoughts. Blue can act as a tonic on
the entire system, reconciling energy that is out of
balance. It also brings coolness and peacefulness.
White brings a sense of purity and cleansing.
According to a study, when disruptive students were
placed in blue classrooms, their aggression subsided
dramatically. A very interesting report has revealed
that when England changed the colour of its bridges
from black to blue, suicide rates decreased by 50
percent!
Material
An emerging body of research and observation is
showing that natural materials are more important in
achieving occupants health and well being, stress
reduction, healing and increased productivity.
According to Katrina Barnett, American institute of
architects (AIA), her firm not only used hardwoods
in public spaces of several Pittsburgh hospitals but
also in patient care areas, to make the patients
feel more comfortable. The hard wood, a natural
material, gives them an impression of something that
is less institutional looking. It adds some warmth
to the space.
Most of
the people prefer natural environment over urban
environments. The use of natural materials may give
a feel of connection with nature which seems to help
people feel more comfortable. Materials reach us
through our senses of sight, sound, touch and hence
one can actually ‘feel’ their nature. For example,
we can actually feel the coolness of a glassy tile
without even touching it in a hot summer day as we
can feel the warmth of a terracotta floor radiating
the afternoon sun. It is the same property of
natural materials that makes most people feel close
to nature.
Efforts
have been made by architects to bring the nature
indoors via natural materials which benefits the
occupant physically as well as psychologically.
Symbolic meaning and built environment
Most of us certainly do miss being back home while
we are visiting a foreign city and anything which
resembles a favourite place in our home town easily
catches our attention. We feel secured and
comfortable in that place. Comfort and security is
most needed in a health care institution. Hence
architects often design hospitals that are more
homelike and less impersonal, encouraging patients
not to worry about safety, sanitation or physical
discomfort. This becomes an important method to
indicate that focus of the hospital is on the
individual patient.
The
‘homelike’ and ‘impersonal’ feelings that a design
gives is its symbolic meaning. These are positive
impacts of a built environment. The symbolic meaning
or a built environment should always evoke positive
feelings and should never give an alienated feeling
to anybody.
Conclusion
The world is heading towards evidence based design
to create a better environment which will definitely
improve the quality of people’s lives and the life
system of the planet. We must understand the
integral relationship between our body, mind, and
spirit with the energetic influences of colour,
light, sound, images and symbols.
The
elements of design have the power in altering energy
frequencies resulting in changes in physical and
mental performances. Hence efforts are required in
understanding positive attributes of place and bring
it practically to life.
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