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Feng
Shui has been around some 5,000 years. Indigenous peoples have built houses of
natural materials since cave times. And Permaculture has seen a widening influence
and acceptance as we learn to synergize with nature instead of trying to dominate
it. In a time of great change, it's encouraging to see the beginnings of natural
integration of these traditions. Indeed, the more one looks at such an integration,
the more sense they make together.
A
case in point is The Straw Bale Village located in southern Oregon. A development
of 15 custom homes on a large tract, it illustrates how using organic techniques
can create a housing situation where the residents feel complete with nature while
being ecologically sound. City
and county boards clearing such projects are often conservatively based and thus
the developers, A.C. Morrison Construction, had to demonstrate to officialdom
that their concept was sound and would actually add value to the town of Jacksonville.
They began by giving the rights for almost half the property to the Nature Conservancy
for hiking trails. Plotting
most of the individual building sites around a seasonal creek, the site plan utilized
the land in an efficient way, closer to co-housing than to the usual suburban
development sprawl. Roadways were to be left natural so that there would be no
runoff nor need for sewer lines. The Feng Shui consultant for the project, Sugeet,
was brought in at the onset to energetically clear the land and bless the project.
As several of the sites posed serious concerns about the flow of chi, the consultant
worked with the Permaculture Consultant on staff to mitigate the effect through
synergistic planting and landscape. The
architect for most of the homes, Chris Keefe, principle of Organiforms Design,
worked with the developer and the buyers to customize two story straw bale homes.
The plans were reviewed by the Feng Shui consultant to make sure the layout maximized
the positive flow of chi throughout the home. Each
specialty brought its own skills to the organic project. Together, they melded
into a development that was not only sustainable and ecologically sound but aesthetically
beautiful as well. The major stumbling block has been that such construction is
more costly than the traditional stick frame. Buyers, in the typical American
mind set, have not considered the fact that straw bale construction is incredible
caring of the indoors. Not only does the atmosphere of a straw bale home exude
a warmth and nourishment not found in more common styles of construction, but
the ability to sculpt walls, niches and seats balances the predominantly yang
energy of conventional design with the female yin energy needed for balance. The
energy savings in both heating and air conditioning are maximized. Reluctant
buyers often wanted to take lower initial cost over long-term savings. This shortsighted
view directly contradicts the way nature works. At
a time when global warming is becoming widely accepted as a major ecological threat,
the insulating properties of this construction method (as well as cob construction)
stand out. Combine organic design, with the principles of Feng Shui and landscape
with the amazing benefits of Permaculture and one has a return to nature without
having to forgo any modern convenience. Not only is the development at peace with
nature, but the inhabitants get homes that will last lifetimes instead of disposable
buildings. What are the rest of us waiting for? Sugeet
is a Feng Shui expert, who's consulting and design firm, Creative Visions Feng
Shui, is based in Ashland, OR. He has taught Feng Shui at Southern Oregon University
and serves clients on the West Coast. He can be reached at Sugeet@FengShuiCV.com.
Organic
Forms Architect Chris Keefe
http://www.organicformsdesign.com/sbv.html Straw
bale Education & Construction, A.C. Morrison Construction
http://www.strawbale.com/ Feng
Shui Design & Consultation, Sugeet
http://www.FengShuiCV.com Other
organic buildings
http://www.cobtogether.com/index.html | 