We are born of light. The seasons are felt through light. We only know the world as it is evoked by light.
— Louis Kahn
Silverado fire evacuations sapped my energy this week. Just when you thought 2020 cannot be worse, it showed us not to underestimate it’s Jumanji levels. While the country dealt with the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett, Orange County dealt with the fire in it’s backyard. Thankfully, no lives and property were harmed although two firefighters were severely injured and intubated. Hopes and prayers, and fund raising — as usual we are responding with the three passive activities we seem to be settling with. This moment could have been a great teaching moment on why fires happen, why we shouldn’t build in the mountains and disturb natural terrains and why we should focus on clearing dry brush near populated areas. But, we are busy. Busy election planning. SCE did have a downed wire to feed the fire again, might face disciplinary action from the State, but again, a lost opportunity on eliminating electrical feeds passing through terrains susceptible to heavy winds and fires. The lack of long range planning bothers me.
Here is continuing “Project 250”, a personal project based on Michael Sorkin’s Two Hundred Fifty Things an Architect Should Know.
36. Something about Vastu Shilpa
Sorkin’s use of “Shilpa” confuses a bit, I don’t know if he meant Balkrishna Doshi’s Vastu Shilpa Consultants, or did he mean Vastu Shastra, ancient science of Indian architecture. I will assume it’s the latter, given that item is preceeded by “something about Feng Shui”. Growing up in India, Vastu played a strong role in placing the kitchen and prayer room, although builder developed apartments reduced that flexibility and “remedies” had to be offered by the Vaastu experts to reduce the ill effects. Although it’s easy to google search Vastu Shastra, and discover the history and applications on Wikipedia, and watch videos for contemporary interpretations, one has to remember that Vastu Shastra, like any Indian shastra is based on the macro and micro-climate of India. Instead of blindly following the text, keep an open mind about the suitability of design and theorotical applications to your specific location. In short, wearing a ring on your right hand on Thursdays will not/ cannot remedy the lack of fresh air in your house.
“Vastu Shastra are the textual part of Vastu Vidya — the broader knowledge about architecture and design theories from ancient India. Vastu Vidya knowledge is a collection of ideas and concepts, with or without the support of layout diagrams, that are not rigid. Rather, these ideas and concepts are models for the organisation of space and form within a building or collection of buildings, based on their functions in relation to each other, their usage and the overall fabric of the Vastu”
— Wikipedia
Indian scriptures had a unique way of delivering the theories to layman without overburdening them with scientific details. They would create a “God”, a keeper of the science associated with that action, and weave a story around the application of the theory to ensure it was followed in action. Eventually, the theories were overlooked, and applications were guarded without the science. Mughals used Vastu Shastra in site planning and design for the palaces in India, playing with the light and wind directions, but eventually the British imposed dark and cold architecture without any consideration to the location. People who held on to these traditions were labeled superstitious and the principles were deemed ritualistic, and there were thought leaders ready to prey on them offering “remedies”. At this point, no one knew why the door had to be in a certain direction, or the kitchen in a certain location, but they formed new frameworks that depended heavily on influencing the luck of the resident with certain special prayers.
Architects in planning rooms today have forgotten their faith in natural light. Depending on the touch of a finger to a switch, they are satisfied with static light and forget the endlessly changing qualities of natural light, in which a room is a different room every second of the day.
— Louis Kahn
The guidelines for Vastu Shastra are based on the environmental and ecological principles designed for the climatic zones in India, and the spatial organization of the Vastu Purusha (image above) is based on, and in response to the site sun orientation. The hierarchy of spaces within is guided by wellness and sustainibility principles that impact human health. While it’s possible to design and construct to maximize density, and utilize technology with utilities to remedy the lack of flow of air and light within any space, the impending doom and gloom of climate change and global warming have us rethink our lifestyle choices — and consider going back to the basics of scriptures and shastras, applying them scientifically to progress the sustainability initiatives and reduce our energy consumption and environmental foot print.
