ABSTRACT Title of Thesis: THE SHAVASANA: REIMAGINING MIND AND BODY WELLNESS THROUGH ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN Christina Bernardo, Master of Architecture, 2022 Thesis Directed By: Professor Madlen Simon It is critical to maintain good health in both mind and body to lead a healthy and happy lifestyle. The context of the physical environment inevitably has a pivotal effect on how people function within a space. Similarly, the practice of yoga is a wellness mechanism that improves how people function and perceive their conceptual world. In the practice of Yoga, Shavasana is a restorative pose, that helps one make time to be mindful. This thesis will engage methods of research-based design inspired by the ancient practice of yoga to create an architype that ultimately improves the well-being of its occupants through the lens of a Health and Wellness Center. A framework will be established for designing a physical environment that improves its occupant?s overall health, mood and productivity. What will be discovered through critical analysis will be a set of design principles that can be applied through architecture and design that foster a healthy lifestyle to its users. The significance of the findings will support designs of all unique pieces of architecture. THE SHAVASANA: REIMAGINING MIND AND BODY WELLNESS THROUGH ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN by Christina Marie Bernardo Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of [Master of Architecture] [2022] Advisory Committee: Professor [Madlen Simon], [Lindsey May] [Matthew Bell] ? Copyright by [Christina Marie Bernardo] [2022] Table of Contents Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... ii List of Figures ............................................................................................................... v Introduction ................................................................................................................. vii Chapter 1: Health and Wellness .................................................................................... 1 Awareness of Mental Health ..................................................................................... 1 Connection Between Body and Mind ....................................................................... 2 Chapter 2: Wellness and The Physical Environment .................................................... 7 The Five Senses ........................................................................................................ 7 The Physical Environment ........................................................................................ 8 Workplace Case Study .............................................................................................. 9 Health Care Facility Case Study ............................................................................... 9 Chapter 3: Spatial Qualities? and Wellness ................................................................ 12 Effects of Yoga on Wellness ................................................................................... 12 Effects of Architecture on Wellness ....................................................................... 13 Design Standards and Spatial Quality ..................................................................... 15 Spatial Qaulity .................................................................................................... 18 Chapter 4: Research Methodology: Literature Review .............................................. 20 Environmental Psychology ..................................................................................... 20 Neuroscience and Architecture ............................................................................... 22 Architecture and the Human Body ......................................................................... 24 Chapter 5: Principles of Architecture for Wellness ................................................... 26 Architecture as Yoga ............................................................................................... 26 The Eight Limbs of Yoga ................................................................................... 26 Yama ................................................................................................................... 27 Niyama ................................................................................................................ 27 Asana ................................................................................................................... 28 Pranayama ........................................................................................................... 28 Pratyahara ........................................................................................................... 29 Dharana ............................................................................................................... 29 Dhyana ................................................................................................................ 30 Samadhi ............................................................................................................... 30 ii 10 Principles of Design ........................................................................................... 30 Chapter 6: Research Methodology: Precedent Study ................................................ 34 Typological Precedents ........................................................................................... 34 Garden Dialogues ................................................................................................ 34 Arrowwood ......................................................................................................... 35 Therme Vals ........................................................................................................ 35 Thorncrown Chapel ............................................................................................ 36 Programmatic Precedents ........................................................................................ 37 The Mashouf Wellness Center ............................................................................ 37 The Student Wellness and Recreation Center at GSCU ..................................... 38 Duke Student Wellness Center ........................................................................... 39 Chapter 7: Introduction to Case Study ....................................................................... 40 Site Selection .......................................................................................................... 40 Program ................................................................................................................... 46 Chapter 8: Design Proposal ....................................................................................... 47 Bibliography ............................................................................................................... 58 This Table of Contents is automatically generated by MS Word, linked to the Heading formats used within the Chapter text. iii iv List of Figures Figure 1, Words of Health, (Source:flickr.com) .......................................................... ix Figure 2: Savasana, (source: GonzalezNovo) .............................................................. ix Figure 3: Stretch Sketch (An original sketch by Luis Bernardo) .................................. 4 Figure 4, Passive Daylighting, (Source: flickr.com) ..................................................... 8 Figure 5: LEED Gold, (source: Fabrizio Pivari) ......................................................... 16 Figure 6: Living Building Challenge Flower and Pedals, (source: Palmer, Olivia) ... 18 Figure 7Dr. Robert Zarr MHD, (Source: parkrxamerica.org) .................................... 20 Figure 8, Garden Dialogues, Source: Photograph by Sheryl Bernardo ...................... 21 Figure 9, Ingrid Fetell Lee at Ted Talk, (Source: flirckr.com) ................................... 22 Figure 10Vitruvian Man,(Source: at creativecommons.org, Author: asolutesteve) ... 25 Figure 11: The Eight Limbs of Yoga (source: YOGATEKET) ................................. 26 Figure 12: Moving Garden (source: Sheryl Bernardo) ............................................... 34 Figure 13: Transition (source: Luis Bernardo) Figure 14: Japanese Garden (source: Sheryl Bernardo) ........................................................................................... 34 Figure 15: Fitness Center (source: design collective inc) ........................................... 35 Figure 16: Therme Vals / Peter Zumthor, (source: Mariano Mantel) ......................... 36 Figure 17: Front View from Thorn Crown Chapel Eureka Springs Arkansas, (source: amanderson2) .............................................................................................................. 37 Figure 18: Mashouf Wellness Center Program Tabulation, (source:author) .............. 38 Figure 19: GCSU Wellness & Recreation Center (source: CannonDesign) ............... 38 Figure 20: Duke Student Wellness Center Program Tabulation, (source: author) ..... 39 Figure 21: Site Matrix (source: author) ...................................................................... 41 Figure 22: Site Selected, (source: author) ................................................................... 42 Figure 23: Parcels, (source :author) ............................................................................ 42 Figure 24: Rails to Trails Bike Path, (source: author) ................................................ 43 Figure 25: Bus Stops, (source: author) ....................................................................... 43 Figure 26: Street Network, (source: author) ............................................................... 44 Figure 27: Corridor Edge, (source: author) ................................................................. 44 Figure 28: Existing Fabric, (source: author) ............................................................... 45 Figure 29: Viewpoints, (source: author) ..................................................................... 45 Figure 30: The Shavasana Program Tabulation (source: author) ............................... 46 Figure 31: Ten Principles (source: author) ................................................................. 47 Figure 32: Indoor-outdoor Continuity (source: author) .............................................. 48 Figure 33: Program (source: author) ........................................................................... 49 Figure 34: Social Program (source: author) ................................................................ 50 Figure 35: Fitness Program (source: author) .............................................................. 50 Figure 36: Meditative Program (source: author) ........................................................ 51 Figure 37: Places Plan (source: author) ...................................................................... 52 Figure 38: Indoor-outdoor Rooms (source: author) .................................................... 53 Figure 40: Promenade (source: author) ....................................................................... 54 Figure 41: Daylight Strategies (source: author) .......................................................... 55 Figure 42: Sustainable Strategies (source: author) ..................................................... 56 Figure 43: Louver System (source: author) ................................................................ 56 v Figure 44: The Shavasana Design (source: author) .................................................... 57 vi Introduction A holistic approach to wellness is key to living a healthy lifestyle. Attaining a successful, happy life begins with proper physical and mental care of the body and mind. These two general ways of categorizing the human body, should not be looked at as separate, as they are interconnected and work with one another. Yoga is a powerful wellness practice that acknowledges this two-dimensional approach to understanding the human body. The nervous system and musculoskeletal system work together closely and have a cause-and-effect relationship to one another.1 This is why ones? physical and mental health coincide so strongly with one another. The physical environment can be termed as a space that nature, or architecture produces.2 Inhabiting a space has a physical aspect to it that can be better understood through imaging the five senses of a human. What occupants? see, hear, feel, smell and touch are how they interpret their surrounding environment. The space within a home may likely feel different than the space within a shopping center, based on the changing qualities of the physical environment. The way humans interpret their environment can affect their mood and comfort levels.3 If the spaces that humans inhabit affect their mood, this in turn can affect their mental state and physical well- 1?Stress Effects on the Body,? American Psychological Association (American Psychological Association, November 2018), https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body. 2 Akpan EU and Pepple NM Edem MJ, ?Impact of Workplace Environment on Health Workers,? OMICS International (OMICS International, July 31, 2017), https://www.omicsonline.org/open- access/impact-of-workplace-environment-on-health-workers-2329-6879-1000301.php?aid=92181. 3Akpan EU and Pepple NM Edem MJ, ?Impact of Workplace Environment on Health Workers,? OMICS International (OMICS International, July 31, 2017), https://www.omicsonline.org/open- access/impact-of-workplace-environment-on-health-workers-2329-6879-1000301.php?aid=92181. vii being. Similarly, the practice of yoga can have a beneficial impact on physical comfort and phycological state of a person.4 This thesis aspires to explore the depths by which architecture can be inspired by principles of yoga to ultimately improve how aspects of a design can powerfully change an occupant?s experience. Humans spend 90% of their time indoors.5 The role architecture plays in one's life is therefore very important and inevitably has a pivotal effect on how people function in a space. Focus on the occupant?s overall health, mood and productivity will be key to establishing the proper framework. The Shavasana, is symbolic in its meaning that stems from the practice of yoga, defined as a moment of rejuvenation through reflection and enlightenment. This Health and Wellness Center will be the model for looking to architecture as a wellness mechanism that draws inspiration from the wellness functions of yoga. Ten principles of architecture will be established that promote a great physical environment that can be applied to other typologies in the profession. 4 B. Rael Cahn et al., ?Yoga, Meditation and Mind-Body Health: Increased BDNF, Cortisol Awakening Response, and Altered Inflammatory Marker Expression after a 3-Month Yoga and Meditation Retreat,? Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 11 (2017), https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00315. 5 ?Indoor Air Qaulity,? EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), accessed October 13, 2021, https://www.epa.gov/report-environment/indoor-air-quality. viii Figure 1, Words of Health, (Source:flickr.com) Figure 2: Savasana, (source: GonzalezNovo) ix Chapter 1: Health and Wellness Awareness of Mental Health The topic of Health and Wellness is gaining more attention today considering the recent Covid-19 Pandemic. Physical and psychological stressors have become a prominent effect on society because of the hardships that have stemmed from the illness. An emphasis on mental health has risen as a result. Shifts are occurring within the workplace and educational world. Some universities and high schools have created a new concept called ?The Mental Health Day? for students. This functions as a random day off every so often to allow students to catch up with their course work given the circumstances some might undergo from the pandemic. Workplaces across the globe have been working virtually, even beyond government regulations allowing an in-person experience to return. Employees are discovering virtual work to be more convenient in the context of maintaining their personal lives. It took a global pandemic to remind these institutions that it is important to let people slow down occasionally to take a personal moment. Living a healthy lifestyle is crucial to leading a happy, fulfilling life. Health constitutes the ability to live, work and play. Without one?s health, simply nothing else can be. Taking a closer look at the association between the mind and body will outline an understanding of the importance of mental health care, as well as give an idea about why the mindful practice of yoga is so beneficial to one?s health. 6 Young 6 B. Rael Cahn et al., ?Yoga, Meditation and Mind-Body Health: Increased BDNF, Cortisol Awakening Response, and Altered Inflammatory Marker Expression after a 3-Month Yoga and Meditation Retreat,? Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 11 (2017), https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00315. 1 adults tend to struggle with mental health while adults in their fifth or sixth decade of life are often faced with more physical related issues. When one's mental health is deteriorating it is likely coinciding with a physical deterioration as well.7 Society today tends to neglect the effects that proper mental hygiene has on physical health. The Human body is comprised of many complex systems. It is made up of two hundred and six bones, six hundred muscles, and eleven major organ systems. Human bodies take on a multitude of variations, with each person being unique. All the systems of the body work together cohesively. This connection is why it is crucial to maintain a healthy balance of care between both mind and body. Somatics is a term used to acknowledge this holistic body experience. Yoga is a powerful wellness mechanism because of its attention to psychological and physical connections of the human body. 8 Connection Between Body and Mind Consider how stress can onset the premature growth of gray hairs. Now consider what stress is doing internally while it is simultaneously appearing to the exterior part of the body. Stress can cause insomnia, chest pain, fatigue, nausea and headaches, teeth grinding.9 7 Izabela Jurewicz, ?Mental Health in Young Adults and Adolescents - Supporting General Physicians to Provide Holistic Care,? Clinical medicine (London, England) (Royal College of Physicians, April 2015), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4953734/. 8 B. Rael Cahn et al., ?Yoga, Meditation and Mind-Body Health: Increased BDNF, Cortisol Awakening Response, and Altered Inflammatory Marker Expression after a 3-Month Yoga and Meditation Retreat,? Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 11 (2017), https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00315. 9 Sandhya Pruthi, ?How Stress Affects Your Body and Behavior,? Mayo Clinic (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, March 24, 2021), https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy- lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050987. 2 The relationship between the systems of the body, and the way they internalize stress is multifaceted. Short term stress and long-term stress have different effects on the body. Short term stress is a healthy reaction that the human body has to a situation considered to be a threat. This level of sporadic stress is normal. Momentary stress causes a spike in heart rate, which elevates blood pressure, otherwise known as the fight or flight response. Prolonged stress occurs when the human body stays in a constant state of stress. Long term, this occurrence can develop into much worse conditions that effect ones? well-being and physical health.10 The practice of yoga teaches one how to cope with stress which leads to a healthier approach to internalizing life?s stressors. Studies have proved yoga decreases anxiety, depression as well as increases mindfulness. 11 Prolonged stress can lead to issues within the cardiovascular system. This system is made up of the heart and blood vessels. Consistent ongoing levels of stress hormones, and elevated blood pressure can lead to hypertension, heart attack and 10Sandhya Pruthi, ?How Stress Affects Your Body and Behavior,? Mayo Clinic (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, March 24, 2021), https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy- lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050987. 11 B. Rael Cahn et al., ?Yoga, Meditation and Mind-Body Health: Increased BDNF, Cortisol Awakening Response, and Altered Inflammatory Marker Expression after a 3-Month Yoga and Meditation Retreat,? Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 11 (2017), https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00315. 3 stroke. It can also lead to inflammation of the circulatory system, especially in the coronary arteries.12 Stress affects each system in the body differently. In the Musculoskeletal system, stress causes the muscles to tense up. This is a natural response that helps humans protect themselves when a sense of danger presents itself. However, muscles being affected by long-term stress leads to tightening in the neck and shoulder area, tension headaches, and discomfort. Chronic stress leads to chronic muscle tension. Relaxation techniques and other stress reducers have been shown to reduce the muscle tension caused by stress.13 Methods such as yoga, meditation, time spent outdoors and physical exercise can all serve as an outlet for shedding internalized stress. Figure 3: Stretch Sketch (An original sketch by Luis Bernardo) 12 ?Stress Effects on the Body,? American Psychological Association (American Psychological Association, November 2018), https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body. 13 ?Stress Effects on the Body,? American Psychological Association (American Psychological Association, November 2018), https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body. 4 Stress can take on its form in the respiratory system through exhibiting shortness of breath or rapid breathing. Panic attacks can occur when one becomes aware of these types of changes in breath. The more panicked the individual becomes, the more the breathing is affected. Effective methods of relaxation and breathing techniques can also aid in healing for this type of stress relief. 14 Yoga is proven to be beneficial regarding reducing anxiety through use of breathing and fitness techniques.15 The Endocrine System is responsible for producing stress hormones such as cortisol and glucocorticoids. The body produces cortisol, known to be felt as adrenaline. Normal amounts of cortisol are produced by the body to give it energy. Prolonged levels of cortisol result in physical and mental health conditions, fatigue depression, immune disorders.16 The Gastrointestinal system has millions of neurons and bacteria which have effects on the brain. Therefore, sometimes it is possible to have a ?gut? feeling or to sense nervousness in your stomach known as ?butterflies?. It is all connected and can be affected by stress. Pain, bloating, nausea, loss of appetite, increase of appetite can all be altered because of psychological stressors. Stress is associated with changes in gut bacteria, which can then alter brain function and affect digestion.17 14 ?Stress Effects on the Body,? American Psychological Association (American Psychological Association, November 2018), https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body. 15 B. Rael Cahn et al., ?Yoga, Meditation and Mind-Body Health: Increased BDNF, Cortisol Awakening Response, and Altered Inflammatory Marker Expression after a 3-Month Yoga and Meditation Retreat,? Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 11 (2017), https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00315. 16 ?Stress Effects on the Body,? American Psychological Association (American Psychological Association, November 2018), https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body. 17 ?Stress Effects on the Body,? American Psychological Association (American Psychological Association, November 2018), https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body. 5 Depression and anxiety are all diseases of the nervous system. Rates of depression, suicidal behaviors, eating disorders, substance abuse, and obesity have been increasing exponentially over the past few decades. According to a research paper conducted by the Royal College of physicians 1 in 5 adults have symptoms of anxiety or depression, 2.2% of young adults aged 16-24 in Great Britain have had a depressive episode, 6.2% have attempted suicide, and 8.9% have a self-harmed. Although young adults tend to be content with their lives, these statistics are alarming. Suicide is the leading cause of death in young adults aged 15-24. For every suicide occurrence there are 100 suicide attempts form young adults. 18 More attention needs to be dedicated to human psychology, and this includes a holistic approach to maintaining good health. 18Izabela Jurewicz, ?Mental Health in Young Adults and Adolescents - Supporting General Physicians to Provide Holistic Care,? Clinical medicine (London, England) (Royal College of Physicians, April 2015), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4953734/. 6 Chapter 2: Wellness and The Physical Environment The Five Senses The built environment shapes human interactions and creates a multitude of experiences. How architecture shapes space can potentially promote health and wellness. Design can be explored as a means of impacting the mind, body, and spirit, through each of the five senses. Light and color are perceived through sight. Studies have shown that artificial light rather than natural light can lead to levels of depression and elevated blood pressure. Increased level of natural daylighting can improve mood and sleep and have positive effects on occupants. 19 Research shows that blue and green have a peaceful energy, while both yellow and orange tend to be more engaging and exciting. Acoustics of the physical space are contributed to by sound or music. Tranquil noises of nature can improve the autonomic nervous systems, which helps release endorphins.20 The five senses of the human body internalize attributes of the physical environment. 19 Myra Fouts and Diane Gabay, ?Healing through Evidence-Based Design - Accc-Cancer.org,? Healing Through Evidence-Based Design, accessed October 13, 2021, https://www.accc- cancer.org/docs/documents/oncology-issues/articles/mj08/mj08-healing-through-evidence-based- design.pdf?sfvrsn=8244c991_0. 20 Myra Fouts and Diane Gabay, ?Healing through Evidence-Based Design - Accc-Cancer.org,? Healing Through Evidence-Based Design, accessed October 13, 2021, https://www.accc- cancer.org/docs/documents/oncology-issues/articles/mj08/mj08-healing-through-evidence-based- design.pdf?sfvrsn=8244c991_0. 7 The Physical Environment Studies have shown that the physical environment plays a major role in one's health, happiness and satisfaction. The physical environment directly affects how people function. 21 A case study that exemplifies this is office workplaces. An office space may influence a worker's satisfaction level. For example, students tend to go to libraries to maximize productivity and limit distractions. Leaving the home environment where there may be temptations to socialize, or rest will limit productivity. The physical environment of a home is different from the physical environment of a library. Libraries have acoustic, thermal, visual, and comforting aesthetics that stimulate the studying environment. Ideal Daylighting and Views to Landscape Figure 4, Passive Daylighting, (Source: flickr.com) 21 Akpan EU and Pepple NM Edem MJ, ?Impact of Workplace Environment on Health Workers,? OMICS International (OMICS International, July 31, 2017), https://www.omicsonline.org/open- access/impact-of-workplace-environment-on-health-workers-2329-6879-1000301.php?aid=92181. 8 Workplace Case Study Features of a physical environment that include lighting, ventilation rates, access to natural lighting, and acoustic rates are proven to make for a more productive workspace. Studies have shown these factors will improve attitudes, behaviors, performance, and productivity.22 A study in Abuja, Nigeria showed that healthcare workers agreed that having these same qualities of a physical environment was crucial to productivity. Sixty-five percent of the respondents agreed that having poor workplace environmental factors, such as unwanted noise, poor lighting, and ventilation, decreased productivity. The spatial design of the office is also a contributing factor. 23 Health Care Facility Case Study Health care facilities are another leading example on how the physical environment can influence its occupants. Hospital rooms that are designed with soft colors, artwork, plants, and plenty of natural daylighting give off a home feeling and help the process of healing become more successful. Increasing evidence of cancer patients? success rates is responsive to the environment they are healing within. All 22 Akpan EU and Pepple NM Edem MJ, ?Impact of Workplace Environment on Health Workers,? OMICS International (OMICS International, July 31, 2017), https://www.omicsonline.org/open- access/impact-of-workplace-environment-on-health-workers-2329-6879-1000301.php?aid=92181. 23Akpan EU and Pepple NM Edem MJ, ?Impact of Workplace Environment on Health Workers,? OMICS International (OMICS International, July 31, 2017), https://www.omicsonline.org/open- access/impact-of-workplace-environment-on-health-workers-2329-6879-1000301.php?aid=92181. 9 these pleasant physical environment qualities can ultimately make a patient's experience more comfortable and lead to shorter hospital stays, and decreased use of pain medication.24 D. Kirk Hamilton is an architecture professor, a fellow for the Center of Health Systems and Design at Texas A&M University, and a part of the board of directors for Center for Health Design (CHD). The CHD is dedicated to exploring and researching the different qualities of a therapeutic environment that help aid the patient. Psychologically supportive rooms help the patient establish a sense of control. The CHD conducted a research project named the pebble project, on how the built environment affects healthcare. This took place in four different hospitals. Evidence based design suggests that social support, patient control, positive distractions and the influence of nature are important contributors to the healing environment.25 Naturally a disease such as cancer makes patients feel like they have a loss of control in their life, because they are no longer in control of their own health. The patient's relationship to their physical environment can help establish gaining some sense of control back.26 24 Myra Fouts and Diane Gabay, ?Healing through Evidence-Based Design - Accc-Cancer.org,? Healing Through Evidence-Based Design, accessed October 13, 2021, https://www.accc- cancer.org/docs/documents/oncology-issues/articles/mj08/mj08-healing-through-evidence-based- design.pdf?sfvrsn=8244c991_0. 25 Myra Fouts and Diane Gabay, ?Healing through Evidence-Based Design - Accc-Cancer.org,? Healing Through Evidence-Based Design, accessed October 13, 2021, https://www.accc- cancer.org/docs/documents/oncology-issues/articles/mj08/mj08-healing-through-evidence-based- design.pdf?sfvrsn=8244c991_0. 26Myra Fouts and Diane Gabay, ?Healing through Evidence-Based Design - Accc-Cancer.org,? Healing Through Evidence-Based Design, accessed October 13, 2021, https://www.accc- cancer.org/docs/documents/oncology-issues/articles/mj08/mj08-healing-through-evidence-based- design.pdf?sfvrsn=8244c991_0. 10 Hospital designs that have louder noise levels, a lack of privacy, and no access to views of the outside world are subject to poorer healing rates of patients. However, these are the qualities of a physical environment that are, if manipulated correctly, pivotal to the patient?s recovery. As we have learned with the effects that stress can have on the body, limited stressors within the physical environment will ultimately help a patient heal physically. Model healing environments tend to have home-like features that are comfortable to the patients and reduce their stress levels. In one case study, Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan found that private rooms, patient control of the thermostat and larger windows with operable shades lead to a more comfortable experience. This same hospital had a horticultural garden and fishpond on the main floods of the hospital.27 The physical environment is a key factor within a healing environment. If the practice of architecture can be used as wellness mechanism, then how might it draw inspiration from effective wellness models that exist today? How can principles from the practice of yoga be embodied in designs of the physical environment to promote the same richness?s of healing? 27 Myra Fouts and Diane Gabay, ?Healing through Evidence-Based Design - Accc-Cancer.org,? Healing Through Evidence-Based Design, accessed October 13, 2021, https://www.accc- cancer.org/docs/documents/oncology-issues/articles/mj08/mj08-healing-through-evidence-based- design.pdf?sfvrsn=8244c991_0. 11 Chapter 3: Spatial Qualities? and Wellness Effects of Yoga on Wellness This thesis engages methods of finding a common language between architecture and the practice of Yoga. Yoga is a wellness mechanism28 that can be used to inspire an architecture that too acts as a wellness mechanism. Exploring how to make an architype that draws inspiration from both practices requires a deeper understanding of how each unique practice effects peoples? health and well-being. Finding similarities between the two seemingly drastic different practices is quite simple when broken down further. The practice of yoga has a unique vocabulary that relates closely to principles of architecture. For example, the art of yoga considers transitions between poses to be just as important as poses themselves, which in context relates to architectural thresholds, sequence, and interstitial spaces. Some elements of design that are also found in the practice of yoga are the concepts of balance, threshold, opposition, energy, and community.29 To better understand the way in which architecture can act as a wellness mechanism, the impact that the built environment has on people must be considered. 28 ?9 Benefits of Yoga,? Johns Hopkins Medicine, accessed November 11, 2021, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/9-benefits-of-yoga. 29 ?9 Benefits of Yoga,? Johns Hopkins Medicine, accessed November 11, 2021, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/9-benefits-of-yoga. 12 Effects of Architecture on Wellness Now that a general understanding has been framed for the ways in which the physical environment affects the wellness of human-beings, an analysis through the lens of architecture and urban planning can be applied. Public health issues have become more prevalent in the recent years and can be linked to the physical environment. 30 Obesity puts the population at risk for diabetes, heart disease and other health conditions.31 Antidepressants are now the single most prescribed medication among the population. Suburban Sprawl leaves the urban environment vacant and less than ideal for desired living situations. Aside from notable car emission increases from longer commutes, and physical inactivity, people are becoming more isolated from one another. There is a lack of community that prevails in this circumstance where neighbors are not as friendly, and people are more private and closed off. Children or elderly populations without cars are even more likely to be isolated from basic amenities.32 Walkability in America's suburbs has been lost. The lack of walkability to amenities increases the risk of boredom and depression, as well as eliminates the regular physical activity people used to once 30 Andrew L. Dannenberg, Howard Frumkin, and Richard J. Jackson, Making Healthy Places Designing and Building for Health, Well-Being, and Sustainability (Washington, DC: Island Press/Center for Resource Economics, 2011). 31 Andrew L. Dannenberg, Howard Frumkin, and Richard J. Jackson, Making Healthy Places Designing and Building for Health, Well-Being, and Sustainability (Washington, DC: Island Press/Center for Resource Economics, 2011). 32 Andrew L. Dannenberg, Howard Frumkin, and Richard J. Jackson, Making Healthy Places Designing and Building for Health, Well-Being, and Sustainability (Washington, DC: Island Press/Center for Resource Economics, 2011). 13 have on a regular basis prior to suburban living.33 Physical fitness does not look the same for everyone. There is an image in society that running, and weightlifting are an end all be all to attain health, when for many these types of activities cause pain and discomfort. Although many people find success in that form of exercise, it is not a model for everyone, as everybody is different. Walking and moving throughout the day are shown to be an effective means for exercising and this is what has been lost in the context of the physical environment. Many people wake up in the morning and drive thirty minutes or more to get to work in the city, only to just sit for eight hours and drive back home to the suburbs. This lifestyle is a product of the planning of communities and the physical environment. The built environment design needs to be geared in favor of a lifestyle that incorporates physical activity. Next let's look at how architecture can enable the solution. The World Health Organization terms the definition of health as ?not merely the absence of disease, but the state of one's physical, mental and social well-being.? 3435 The Marriam-Webster dictionary defines the physical environment as the ?circumstances, objects and conditions by which one is surrounded?.36 37 These descriptions begin to describe the 33 Andrew L. Dannenberg, Howard Frumkin, and Richard J. Jackson, Making Healthy Places Designing and Building for Health, Well-Being, and Sustainability (Washington, DC: Island Press/Center for Resource Economics, 2011). 34 Andrew L. Dannenberg, Howard Frumkin, and Richard J. Jackson, Making Healthy Places Designing and Building for Health, Well-Being, and Sustainability (Washington, DC: Island Press/Center for Resource Economics, 2011). 35 ?Home,? World Health Organization (World Health Organization), accessed November 10, 2021, https://www.who.int/. 36 Andrew L. Dannenberg, Howard Frumkin, and Richard J. Jackson, Making Healthy Places Designing and Building for Health, Well-Being, and Sustainability (Washington, DC: Island Press/Center for Resource Economics, 2011). 37 Marriam-Webster Dictionary, The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (Massachusetts: Merriam- Webster, Inc, 2006). 14 possible connections of design to human well-being. Diverse urban dwelling is a positive thing for not only a human's health, but the health of the environment.38 Without the presence of overpopulated car use, people tend to walk more and live closer to their work, and other amenities. This also contributes to less air pollutants and impermeable parking lots which keeps water systems cleaner. The choices of design that affect a human's health also affect the environment's health, and therefore a healthy architecture cannot merely be considered for a human's health but also must be sustainable. 39 Design Standards and Spatial Quality The method of which sustainability is rising in the built environment is through design building standards such as LEED, WELL and the Living Building Challenge. The LEED Green Building Standard is beneficial at both the human scale and the environmental scale. Designs that incorporate LEED standards into their design consider many of the same qualities that are linked to the case studies looked at previously of a workspace and hospital room. For example, the sun orientation of the building design is considered to maximize use of daylight and minimize use of artificial light. 38 Andrew L. Dannenberg, Howard Frumkin, and Richard J. Jackson, Making Healthy Places Designing and Building for Health, Well-Being, and Sustainability (Washington, DC: Island Press/Center for Resource Economics, 2011). 39 Andrew L. Dannenberg, Howard Frumkin, and Richard J. Jackson, Making Healthy Places Designing and Building for Health, Well-Being, and Sustainability (Washington, DC: Island Press/Center for Resource Economics, 2011). 15 LEED?s saying ?Bringing in the good and keeping out the bad? contributes to their healthier and happier spaces by improving air quality and spatial quality with features that decrease air pollutants and increase daylight. 40 Improved air quality and daylight leads to lower rates of asthma and depression. LEED spaces create optimal workplace environments that increase employee?s productivity. 41 LEED design contributes to the environment in several ways as well. Example of LEED Plaque Awarded to a Building that met Gold Standards Figure 5: LEED Gold, (source: Fabrizio Pivari) The WELL Building standard values ?People first places? and key words such as ?Dynamic, Resilient, Validated?. These concepts are intriguing due to their 40 ?Why LEED,? Why LEED certification | U.S. Green Building Council, accessed November 10, 2021, https://www.usgbc.org/leed/why-leed. 41 ?Why LEED,? Why LEED certification | U.S. Green Building Council, accessed November 10, 2021, https://www.usgbc.org/leed/why-leed. 16 connection and commitment to the physical environment of a space. Spatial qualities used in WELL make people healthier, happier, and more productive.42 WELL follows ten core concepts that support human mental and physical health which leads to spaces that aid people in being their best selves and therefore doing their best work. The ten concepts are the following: air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind, community, and innovation. The WELL Mind concept is dedicated to bettering the mental health of occupants through program and design strategies that influence the emotional well- being of people.43 Spatial quality is improved through each of the ten concepts. WELL removes sources of pollutants and when necessary implements technology. WELL utilized passive and active building design and operation strategies to ensure high levels of indoor air quality.44 Because humans spend 90% of their time indoors45, air quality can have both a good and bad impact on occupant health, mood and overall well-being. Poor air quality is responsible for headaches, and other cold- like symptoms. Long-term air pollutants can lead to many serious diseases such as cancers, asthma and legionella bacterial infection, carbon monoxide poisoning. The Living Building Challenge Standard embodies similar qualities to the WELL Building Standard?s ten concepts. These are what The Living Building Challenge refer to as their ?Pedals? which includes key words of place, water, energy, 42 International Well Building Institute, accessed November 10, 2021, https://www.wellcertified.com/about-iwbi/. 43 International Well Building Institute, accessed November 10, 2021, https://www.wellcertified.com/about-iwbi/. 44 International Well Building Institute, accessed November 10, 2021, https://www.wellcertified.com/about-iwbi/. 45 ?Indoor Air Qaulity,? EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), accessed October 13, 2021, https://www.epa.gov/report-environment/indoor-air-quality. 17 materials, equity, beauty, health and happiness.46 These key words come up frequently in Yoga. How can these green building design standards be further progressed by inspiration of the ancient wellness system of yoga, to better their own wellness system concepts? If Green Building Standards are a wellness mechanism just as yoga is, then they can look to the ancient practice of yoga for further development. Living Building Challenge Flower Pedals Figure 6: Living Building Challenge Flower and Pedals, (source: Palmer, Olivia) Spatial Qaulity A spatial quality that promotes physical activity through its design to ensure the movement of its occupants is one example of a healthy architecture. This type of 46 ?Living Building Challenge,? International Living Future Institute, May 8, 2021, https://living-future.org/lbc/. 18 design acts as a wellness mechanism that improves the health of people filtering through the building. Thermal comfort influences occupants' satisfaction levels in buildings. Hot and cool spaces often house yoga studios to either increase the level of difficulty within a session or combat a raising body temperature with a cooler temperature setting. Yoga increases body temperature just as stairs and other green buildings standards do. Material selection plays a large part in spatial aesthetics and too effects people?s comfort levels.47 The Prescence of wood in a space softens the room and makes for a more relaxing space. Materiality is often considered in yoga at the scale of the human body. Mindful awareness of how the environment feels and how the body relates to it can be considered in design. This is what the pose shavasana is all about; becoming mindful within a space. Light plays a vital role in the physical environment by promoting visual, biological, and mental health. 48 Green Building Standards contribute to spatial quality as well as an occupants? overall well-being. Yoga creates a state of peace within humans which effects the experience moving through spaces in daily life. How can architecture mimic this peace that comes from yoga? It can draw influence from traditional practice itself. 47 International Well Building Institute, accessed November 10, 2021, https://www.wellcertified.com/about-iwbi/. 48 International Well Building Institute, accessed November 10, 2021, https://www.wellcertified.com/about-iwbi/. 19 Chapter 4: Research Methodology: Literature Review Environmental Psychology Environmental psychology can be looked at through the lens of how both the built and natural environment can affect human beings.49 Referring to previous chapters, it can be understood how the built environment has an impact on its occupants through scales ranging from a room to a city. Doctor Robert Figure 7Dr. Robert Zarr MHD, Zarr, MHD has a unique history of how he treats patients (Source: parkrxamerica.org) with various types of disease and mental disorders including diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and depression. He looks at the multiple studies showing connections between improved health and connection to time spent outdoors. Over 400 studies have shown a direct connection to improvement of health from spending time outdoors.50 The spatial qualities and features of nature are found to improves human health drastically. How can architects and designers implement inspiration from the natural world into their designs of the built environment? 49 ?Environmental Pyschology ,? Environmental psychology described (Hingham, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers), accessed November 10, 2021, http://seas.umich.edu/eplab/documents/envtpsych.html. 50 ?Dr. Robert Zarr, MD,? Park Rx America, accessed November 10, 2021, https://parkrxamerica.org/dr-robert-zarr.php. 20 Dr. Zarr prescribes ?parks? quite literally to prevent and treat chronic disease and promote well-being.51 Looking further into the natural elements within a park, many key features can be observed that align with similar qualities found in research- based design and Green Building Standards. The first and the most obvious, is the presence of greenery. Integration of greenery in the built environment is called biophilic design. This principle of design contributes to better air quality. The second key element that stands out relates to the presence of greenery, and that is the freshness of the air. Indoor air quality is important when considering both LEED and WELL building standards, as it improves the health of a building's occupants. 52 Elements found in nature that can also be applied in designs are wood, sounds of nature, natural light, and movement. The design of a garden from the garden dialogues53 Figure 8, Garden Dialogues, Source: Photograph by Sheryl demonstrates how moving elements in a space offers a Bernardo different experience from stillness in a space. This static versus dynamic principle found in nature can be incorporated into design. Ingrid Fetell Lee is a designer that has dedicated an entire study to exploring the wonder of joy. She explores how spaces and objects at various scales that humans 51 ?Dr. Robert Zarr, MD,? Park Rx America, accessed November 10, 2021, https://parkrxamerica.org/dr-robert-zarr.php. 52 International Well Building Institute, accessed November 10, 2021, https://www.wellcertified.com/about-iwbi/. 53 ?Garden Dialogue 2021: Annapolis, MD,? Garden Dialogue 2021: Annapolis, MD | The Cultural Landscape Foundation, accessed November 10, 2021, https://tclf.org/garden-dialogue-2021- annapolis-md. 21 interact with affect the mood and the somewhat intangible feeling of joy humans experience. Ingrid identified ten aesthetics of Joy that relate to what has been previously learned about good spatial environments, but through the lens of not only physical health, but mood and mental health. The aesthetics are as follows ?Energy: vibrant color and light, Abundance: lushness, multiplicity, and variety, Freedom: nature, wildness, and open space, Harmony: balance, symmetry and flow, Play: circles spheres and bubbly forms, Surprise: contrast and whimsy, Transcendence: elevation and lightness, Magic: invisible forces and illusions, Celebration: synchrony sparkle, and bursting shapes, Renewal: blossoming, expansion and curves.54 This list intrigues a deeper exploration to how architects can utilize the aesthetics of joy cultivated from Ingrid Lee as a design mechanism for creating great spaces. For instance, the word blossom has an array of meanings that can be used for flowers or for Figure 9, Ingrid Fetell Lee at Ted Talk, an experience of growth and transformation. Spatial (Source: flirckr.com) typologies that house meditative rooms could use this concept of renewal for a design approach. Neuroscience and Architecture John P. Eberhard asks a similar question that my thesis proposition seeks to explore, that is how designers can use Neuroscience to establish a framework for 54 Ingrid Fetell Lee, Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness (New York: Little, Brown Spark, 2021). 22 design that improves the wellbeing of humanity. Eberhard is a part a group based out of San Diego with architects and scientist, called The Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture. His mission promotes ?knowledge that links research to a growing understanding of human responses to the built environment.?55 This introduces a new focus that explores the connection between neuroscience and architecture. While Eberhard notes that the dialogue has only just begun between architects and neuroscientists, his book calls attention to the findings thus far. Neuroscience, by definition, is the study of the brain.56 Neuroscientist have proven reason to believe that the brain is the organ responsible for a human?s cognitive behavior. 57 Think of the brain as a control center for all five of the human senses, now ask the question of how neuroscience is linked to the physical environment and architecture? If humans experience their physical environment through the five senses, and the five senses are controlled by the brain, then there is a direct connection to neuroscience and architecture. The concept of how a brain works can be simplified to understand its possible relationships with the physical environment. DNA is the part of each human that acts similarly to how a blueprint works in architecture. 58 These genetic ?rules'' are what dictates all functions of the human body. This is what society knows at the ?Nature? 55 Harry Francis Mallgrave, The Architect's Brain: Neuroscience, Creativity, and Architecture (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011). 56 John P. Eberhard, Brain Landscape: The Coexistance of Neuroscience and Architecture (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009). 57 John P. Eberhard, Brain Landscape: The Coexistance of Neuroscience and Architecture (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009). 58 John P. Eberhard, Brain Landscape: The Coexistance of Neuroscience and Architecture (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009). 23 part of the saying ?Nature vs. Nurture?.59 The Nurture part comes to play from the changing variables of one's physical environment. As John P. Eberhard puts it, ?The environment can modulate the function of genes and, ultimately, the structure of our brain. Changes in the environment change the brain and therefore can change our behavior?. 60 This quote indicates just how pivotal the spaces are that surround people. Architecture and the Human Body Architecture relates to the scale of the human body in examples found everywhere in the physical environment. Take the door for instance, most modern doors are around 8 feet tall to ensure that a passing human can fit through. Now consider a high-rise building that has a double height first floor with large inviting windows at ground level. This is a design feature used that makes multistory buildings more approachable to people passing by at street level. Studies on the human scale date back to Leonardo da Vinci in the 1400s with the famous Vitruvian Man image.61 This shows a human body within a circle and a square. Leonardo da Vinci was fascinated with how the human body related to architecture and studied a real human corpse at the Santa Maria Nuova church. 62 59 John P. Eberhard, Brain Landscape: The Coexistance of Neuroscience and Architecture (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009). 60 John P. Eberhard, Brain Landscape: The Coexistance of Neuroscience and Architecture (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009). 61 Harry Francis Mallgrave, The Architect's Brain: Neuroscience, Creativity, and Architecture (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011). 62 Harry Francis Mallgrave, The Architect's Brain: Neuroscience, Creativity, and Architecture (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011). 24 Leonardo's findings in architecture were heavily dependent on the human figure and proportions. Figure 10Vitruvian Man,(Source: at creativecommons.org, Author: asolutesteve) 25 Chapter 5: Principles of Architecture for Wellness Architecture as Yoga The Eight Limbs of Yoga In the traditional eastern practice of yoga, there are eight limbs of yoga that help achieve the union of one?s mind, body and spirit.63 These are as follows: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi.64 These eight limbs will be explored through the lens of architecture to establish a common language between the two practices. Through the analysis, the eight limbs will be interpreted as design elements that support built spaces. Figure 11: The Eight Limbs of Yoga (source: YOGATEKET) 63 Holger Cramer, Romy Lauche, and Gustav Dobos, ?Characteristics of Randomized Controlled Trials of Yoga: A Bibliometric Analysis,? BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 14, no. 1 (February 2014), https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-14-328. 64 Davendra Kumar Taneja, ?Yoga and Health,? Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine (Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, April 2014), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4067931/. 26 Yama Practice of the eight limbs of yoga leads to a holistic lifestyle. The eight limbs bring ?a state of complete physical, social, mental and spiritual well-being and harmony with nature?. 65 Yama is the first limb of Yoga. It is concerned with one's integrity and morals. It is an internal focus on how one conducts themselves in life to treat others ethically. There are five Yamas that include the following: Ahimsa, concerned with nonviolence, Satya, concerned with truthfulness, Asteya, non- stealing, Brahmacharya, awareness of spiritual practice and Aparigraha, non- possessiveness. 66 Architecture as relating to the first limb of yoga can be viewed through the similarity of common ethical principles. The non-stealing moral relates to architecture overusing resources from the environment. Green Building Standards such as LEED, WELL and The Living Building Challenge are setting the bar high for architecture to not use more resources than necessary. In the world of architecture this means building sustainably. Niyama The second limb is Niyama, which has to do with discipline of the body senses and mind. There are five Niyamas that include as follows: Saucha, purity of body and mind, Samtosa, contentment or gratitude, Tapahs, destruction of mental 65 Davendra Kumar Taneja, ?Yoga and Health,? Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine (Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, April 2014), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4067931/. 66 Davendra Kumar Taneja, ?Yoga and Health,? Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine (Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, April 2014), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4067931/. 27 impurities through control of the body and mental organs, Svadhyaya, self-study and Isvara Pranidhana, surrendering yourself to a higher power. 67 Niyama as built space would likely look to providing spatial qualities that embody enlightenment. Architecture should strive to contain spaces that support contemplation, reflection, and relaxation. Asana Asana is the method of postures used in yoga. The postures are comfortable enough for the human body to withstand long periods of stillness in meditation. The postures vary, but one part stays constant, that is that the head, neck and chest must be aligned, leaving a natural curvature in the spine.68 Principles of architecture that relate to asana have to do with the structure of the building. Pranayama Pranayama recognizes the connection between the breath, mind and emotions.69 The breathing aspects of yoga can quite literally relate to how a building breathes. Natural ventilation and good air quality can lead to a healthier building. If buildings do not breath properly mold and bacteria becomes an issue, leading to a sick building and sick people. 67 Davendra Kumar Taneja, ?Yoga and Health,? Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine (Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, April 2014), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4067931/. 68 Mara Carrico, ?Get to Know the 8 Limbs of Yoga,? Yoga Journal, September 22, 2021, https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/philosophy/8-limbs-of-yoga/eight-limbs-of-yoga/. 69 Mara Carrico, ?Get to Know the 8 Limbs of Yoga,? Yoga Journal, September 22, 2021, https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/philosophy/8-limbs-of-yoga/eight-limbs-of-yoga/. 28 Pratyahara Pratyahara has to do with shifting one's focus internally to draw our attention away from the external world. This is to look at the impressions of the world on one's mind as what they are, simply an external source. 70 How does architecture help establish this barrier between the internal and external world? An architecture can create a series of thresholds that support a shedding journey when entering a space, that ultimately leaves its occupants internally focused once arriving. Ultimately it would explore qualities of architecture that keep people in the present, rather than focusing on the past and future. Dharana All eight limbs of yoga work together cohesively to prepare one for the next step. Pratyaraha helps prepare one for the purest concentration by shedding the layers of the outside world before entering a deep meditative zone. 71 Yoga often focuses on the five senses. Meditative techniques include focusing on present sounds, smells, sight, feelings, and taste. People experience architecture through their senses. This is what they see visually, what they hear acoustically and what they feel texturally. An architecture that embodies Dharana will pay special attention to the human scale and five senses. 70 Davendra Kumar Taneja, ?Yoga and Health,? Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine (Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, April 2014), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4067931/. 71 Davendra Kumar Taneja, ?Yoga and Health,? Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine (Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, April 2014), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4067931/. 29 Dhyana Dhyana is the prolonged period of concentration that is reached from a mastery of the eight limbs of yoga listed thus far. 72 It is no easy task, and everyone?s journey is different. Similarly, everyone experiences the physical environment different because no one person is the same. Architecture that explores the diversity of the human experience within a place will reinforce the principle of Dhyana. Samadhi Samadhi is the final state of ecstasy and self-realization. The meditator comes to a realization of the profound connection to the divine and interconnectedness of the world. 73 Architecture that embodies Samadhi would express spatial moments that reinforce a journey through the building, along with maintaining a connection to nature. 10 Principles of Design This thesis engages methods of research-based design to address modern epidemic diseases relating to physical and mental health. Through the analysis thus far of how the physical environment affects human beings, it can be stated that 72 Mara Carrico, ?Get to Know the 8 Limbs of Yoga,? Yoga Journal, September 22, 2021, https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/philosophy/8-limbs-of-yoga/eight-limbs-of-yoga/. 73 Mara Carrico, ?Get to Know the 8 Limbs of Yoga,? Yoga Journal, September 22, 2021, https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/philosophy/8-limbs-of-yoga/eight-limbs-of-yoga/. 30 architecture is a major catalyst for possible improvements in world health. A framework for a healthy design will be outlined with ten design principles, that being Sustainability, Light, Comfort, Mind, Materiality, Journey, Balance, Connectivity, Equity and Scale. It is critical for today?s architects to consider the lasting impacts that man- made construction has on the environment. Climate Change is a threat to both the Earth and human lives.74 Green Building Standards such as LEED, WELL and The Living Building Challenge should be considered when meeting sustainability codes. Sustainability is ?The avoidance of depletion in order to maintain an ecological balance?.75 As explained in the first limb of yoga, Yama, using up resources beyond a necessary point is stealing from the environment and generations to come. As mentioned in Chapter Two, light can be pivotal in the experience and health of the occupant. 76 Adequate lighting relates to the comfort aspect of Asana. Case studies done in offices and hospital rooms show, that workers are more productive, and patients are healing faster with adequate daylighting.77 78 The second principle will ensure that daylighting is accessible in every space within a building. 74 The Climate Reality Project, ?The Climate Crisis in 2021: 5 Key Facts to Know,? Climate Reality, September 28, 2021, https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/climate-crisis-2021-5-key- facts-know. 75 ?Oxford Languages and Google - English,? Oxford Languages, accessed December 14, 2021, https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/. 76 Akpan EU and Pepple NM Edem MJ, ?Impact of Workplace Environment on Health Workers,? OMICS International (OMICS International, July 31, 2017), https://www.omicsonline.org/open- access/impact-of-workplace-environment-on-health-workers-2329-6879-1000301.php?aid=92181. 77 Akpan EU and Pepple NM Edem MJ, ?Impact of Workplace Environment on Health Workers,? OMICS International (OMICS International, July 31, 2017), https://www.omicsonline.org/open- access/impact-of-workplace-environment-on-health-workers-2329-6879-1000301.php?aid=92181. 78 Myra Fouts and Diane Gabay, ?Healing through Evidence-Based Design - Accc-Cancer.org,? Healing Through Evidence-Based Design, accessed October 13, 2021, https://www.accc- cancer.org/docs/documents/oncology-issues/articles/mj08/mj08-healing-through-evidence-based- design.pdf?sfvrsn=8244c991_0. 31 The principle of comfort speaks to an all-encompassing experience within the space one inhabits. Relating to Dharana and Pranayama, one?s comfort often has much to do with the five senses. The spaces within a building should support comfort for all occupants through methods of design that appeal to the five senses through acoustics, visual atheistic, kinesthetics, and thermal comfort. This principle is reinforced by the research stated previously of John P. Eberhard, Ingrid Fetell Lee and Dr. Zarr explaining the need for adequate ventilation, engaging spaces, and presence of nature respectively. Mind is the design concept that will relate to the physical and mental connectedness of an individual within a space. Acknowledging that the built environment inevitably holds influence over an occupant?s mental well-being, relates back to John P. Eberhard statement in chapter four: ?The environment can modulate the function of genes and, ultimately, the structure of our brain. Changes in the environment change the brain and therefore can change our behavior?. 79 Architectural spaces will correlate with the Pratyahara limb and create spaces for mindfulness and the present. Materiality is critical for occupant experience and environmental impact. Relating to Yama and Asana, using renewable resources that are aesthetically pleasing and comfortable will be the standard for materiality. Journey relates to the limbs of Dhyana and Pratyahara through designing spatial qualities that support occupant?s diverse journeys. Thresholds and interstitial 79 John P. Eberhard, Brain Landscape: The Coexistance of Neuroscience and Architecture (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009). 32 spaces should be as delicately designed as main spaces. Balance relates to Niyama, by ensuring quality of peaceful spaces provided for reflection, relaxation, and contemplation. Connectivity from the indoors to outdoors should be a strong design concept because of health-related benefits proven by Dr. Zarrs studies stated previously in chapter four. The limb of Samadhi expresses the importance of the relationship between an individual and nature. Equity speaks to an architecture that embodies universal design and relates to everyone?s individual journeys as explained in the limb of Dhyana. The final principle, Scale will relate to the limb Dharana through acknowledging how humans experience built space through their senses. Through these ten principles a framework is established for creating an architecture that promotes health in the most holistic way, through body and mind. 33 Chapter 6: Research Methodology: Precedent Study Typological Precedents Garden Dialogues The Garden Dialogues is a series of featured home owned gardens set for display to the public. Designed by Jay Graham and Landscape Architect Ron Ammon, the Aberdeen Creek Garden embodied two different garden approaches in a cohesive way. A still Japanese styled Figure 12: Moving Garden garden meets seamlessly with a dynamic forested garden (source: Sheryl Bernardo) while displaying a strong juxtaposition between the two. Other concepts to be retrieved through this garden include indoor/outdoor continuation, balance, journey, and reflection. This precedent embodies design principles of Daylight, Balance, and Journey. Figure 13: Transition (source: Luis Bernardo) Figure 14: Japanese Garden (source: Sheryl Bernardo) 34 Arrowwood Arrowwood is a multi-family high rise project with a leading example of a fitness community center at its core. It is currently in progress and designed by Design Collective. The space collides fitness with meditative and community spaces. The interstitial spaces that connect the different purposes areas work together to create a comfortable environment for all occupants. Specifically, spaces display concepts of reflection, indoor and outdoor continuation, sensory or textural and wellness. This precedent embodies design principles of Materiality, Connectivity, Mind and Sustainability. Figure 15: Fitness Center (source: design collective inc) Therme Vals The Peter Zumthors spa Therme Vals is a classic example of a highly sensory spa that utilizes textures and concepts of stone, water and light to form the basis of its design. The space is partially embedded into the earth from being located on a 35 hillside. It plays with light and dark spaces to form different experiences for its users, while paying special attention to temperature and acoustics. Multiple areas of the spa contain views that frame the landscape. Therme Vals embodies design principles of Comfort and Mind,. Light and Materiality. Figure 16: Therme Vals / Peter Zumthor, (source: Mariano Mantel) Thorncrown Chapel Designed by E. Fay Jones, Thorncrown Chapel is in the woods of Arkansas. The materiality of the church is striking with its steel structure reinforcing the essence of the woods beyond it. Other concepts to be retrieved from this chapel induce its spiritual qualities, light, reflection, connectivity, and ceremony. Balance, Connectivity and Journey among the ten design principles displayed in this chapel. 36 Figure 17: Front View from Thorn Crown Chapel Eureka Springs Arkansas, (source: amanderson2) Programmatic Precedents The Mashouf Wellness Center The Mashouf Wellness Center, by WRNS Studio provided extensive information regarding programming. The sizes of the aquatic center, fitness center, and multi-purpose room was informative to create a program tabulation for the Shavasana. Among its program sizes, the wellness center displays exemplary designs 37 of connecting the indoors to the landscape. Utilizing textures and playing with light to house a comfortable space. Materiality and Light are utilized in this wellness Center. Figure 18: Mashouf Wellness Center Program Tabulation, (source:author) The Student Wellness and Recreation Center at GSCU The Student Wellness and Recreation Center at Georgia State and College University by CannonDesign is a state-of-the-art facility that incorporates counseling and fitness services under one roof. Its double height spaces and utilization of daylight make for an energized space. Comfort, Mind and Light are prioritized in this precedent. Figure 19: GCSU Wellness & Recreation Center (source: CannonDesign) 38 Duke Student Wellness Center Duke Student Wellness Center by Duda | Paine Architects is another example or a space that includes fitness and counseling under one roof. Its program included exemplary sized spaces to draw information from to build upon the Shavasana program. Other concepts to be drawn from are its indoor/outdoor connection, texture and social aspects including outdoor community spaces. Materiality, Mind, Connectivity, and Balance are all embodied in this design. Figure 20: Duke Student Wellness Center Program Tabulation, (source: author) 39 Chapter 7: Introduction to Case Study Site Selection Early on two different types of sites were considered, a college town or an urban site. Both made appealing cases to be considered due to having young populations in high stress environments. Whether it be the stress of academics or the stress of a strenuous urban physical environment, it is apparent these groups would benefit from a wellness center. Arriving at the decision to explore urban sites stemmed from the acknowledgement of the lack of green space in cities, as well as the need to push for enrichening city living for the sake of our environment. This case study will reinforce the urban fabric that has a rich source of amenities. With that, the site selection led in the direction of exploring Baltimore, Maryland. The sites considered in Baltimore, Maryland include two sites in Federal Hill, two sites in Fells Point, one site in Mount Vernon and one site in Canton. The site constraints that helped narrow down the options included urban environment and urban dwellers, proximity to water and landscape, light and air, no displacement of 40 green fields, walkability, proximity to amenities, clean site, and square footage. Figure 21: Site Matrix (source: author) The final two sites at the top of the list were a waterfront site in Federal Hill, and a waterfront site in Canton. Both are currently under-utilized parking lots, making great candidates to develop on. The Canton site had elements that scored higher on the rating system. It had more space, allowing for extensive outdoor spaces being incorporated in the case study, as well as being next door to a public park. It is important to the Shavasana Health and Wellness Center, that views to the outdoor landscape could be made available. This was a major take away from the successful precedents and could not be achieved to its highest standard at any of the other sites other than the Canton waterfront. 41 Site Selected: Canton, Baltimore Figure 22: Site Selected, (source: author) Figure 23: Parcels, (source :author) 42 Opportunities and Constraints Figure 24: Rails to Trails Bike Path, (source: author) Figure 25: Bus Stops, (source: author) 43 Figure 26: Street Network, (source: author) Figure 27: Corridor Edge, (source: author) 44 Figure 28: Existing Fabric, (source: author) Figure 29: Viewpoints, (source: author) 45 Program The Shavasana Health and Wellness center has two main program pieces, that being the spaces associated with physical health and the spaces associated with mental health. Because these two spaces are not typically housed under the same roof, two precedents were analyzed through reverse engineering to come up with program tabulations as shown in Chapter 6. Figure 30: The Shavasana Program Tabulation (source: author) 46 Chapter 8: Design Proposal The criteria developed through analysis lead to a revision of the initial ten principles as previously mentioned. The guiding principles of design shiftted once considering built form being more architectural rather than conceptual. Thus, the ten principles were translated from Sustainability, Light, Comfort, Mind, Materiality, Journey, Balance, Connectivity, Equity and Scale into more tangible principles. These are as follows: Sustainable Design, Daylight, Balance Space, Multi-sensory design, natural materiality, promenade, universal design, human scale, and indoor-outdoor continuity, and designing in harmony with Nature. Through the guiding design principles, a framework was established to begin the design process. Figure 31: Ten Principles (source: author) 47 Two different schemes were tested on the site to explore if the Health and Wellness Center case study should take form as an object building in the landscape or engage in a more fluid design with the landscape. After pushing for a more traditional building, the guiding principles lead the design in a different direction. Thus, the pavilion sequence that embodied an experiential promenade was able to relate seamlessly with nature, and therefore follow the guiding design principles. Once The pavilion scheme was established, the design needed a framework to relentlessly consider the exterior spaces being created. Because of the heavy influence of indoor-outdoor continuity, the design must consider the outdoor spaces at the same rate the indoor spaces are being designed in order to create a proper dialogue between the two. Figure 32: Indoor-outdoor Continuity (source: author) As previously stated, the program focused on three main parts: community, fitness and meditative program. Looking at pavilion placement on such a large site came along with many possibilities. Relating to the corner of the site where most pedestrians and car traffic are collected from, it made sense to place the social hub on the corner welcoming people in. This is where the lobby and cafe take place with a large public garden. The next cluster of pavilions is the fitness center which is 48 strategically placed near the street to provide a sense of connectedness to the city. Because of the loud music and equipment that takes place in a fitness program, these clusters were positioned closer to the sites street edge and created a buffer from the rest of the building towards the noise of the street. Lastly the meditative part of the program was placed closer to the landscape opening to the views of nature to reinforce the healing that comes from biophilic design. Figure 33: Program (source: author) 49 Figure 34: Social Program (source: author) Figure 35: Fitness Program (source: author) 50 Figure 36: Meditative Program (source: author) The indoor and outdoor spaces of The Shavasana program seamlessly fit together with the public park extension as a site strategy which gives back public green space to the urban community. The park space is an extension off the existing Cantor Waterfront Park. The Wellness Center has spaces designed to feed into the public park. These spaces include the Canton Corner, the Cherry Blossom Courtyard, and the weaving sidewalks that connect around the building. Garden foundation walls help set the barrier between the private outdoor workout spaces and the more public park spaces. This helps establish a sense of connectivity to the outdoors without cutting off any views for privacy reasons. 51 Figure 37: Places Plan (source: author) 52 Figure 38: Indoor-outdoor Rooms (source: author) 53 Once the framework and shell for the pavilions was established, a shift in scale was necessary to dive deeper into the promenade experience. The link that connects the pavilions together provides an experiential promenade by making a series of thresholds that support a shedding journey when entering space. This too relates to the human scale by designing for the five senses. Figure 39: Promenade (source: author) 54 Sustainable design was discovered to be present and interconnected with the other principles. This makes sense because of the thesis mission to create an architecture that supports planetary, physical and mental health. Multi-sensory design, daylighting and designing in harmony with nature can all be connected to the sustainable principle seen through the pieces of architecture that make up the Shavasana. Sustainable water features were considered to not only add to a sense of tranquility but also to create a healthy architecture. Natural ventilation, vertical louvers, roof overhangs, and rain gardens that collect water and feed it back into the landscapes native plants are a few of the sustainable strategies the design embodies. Figure 40: Daylight Strategies (source: author) 55 Figure 41: Sustainable Strategies (source: author) Figure 42: Louver System (source: author) 56 Through the ten guiding principles of design, a foundation was made to revisit every time a decision was required in the design of the health and wellness center. The Shavasana represents a design that proves architecture has the capability to make an impact on the health of our planet, our physical health, and our Mental Health. 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