Designing for the User Robert Johnstone, FRSA Chair Access Matters Charity no

Why do we need a new approach to designing hospitals? University College Hospital, London

UCLH 2,000 rooms, 12 operating theatres, 1,200 wash basins £26 million spent on new equipment Young people's floor offers a home-from-home for teenagers 1/3 of the beds are in single rooms, so many of our patients have extra privacy Houses the largest single critical care unit in the NHS 16 floors above ground, two below Spectacular views across central London

Why do we need a new approach to designing hospitals? Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital

Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital The Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital, the leading centre for complementary medicine in the NHS, joined UCLH in April The merger enables closer collaboration between complementary therapies and conventional medicine to provide better care for NHS patients. The merger co-incides with the government's commitment to integrate complementary and conventional care within the NHS, where there is evidence of the effectiveness of complementary therapies.

Vedic architecture or Sthapatya Veda (Vastu) Knowledge (Veda) of establishing form (Sthapatya) Manasara and Maya Mata –ancient Sanskrit texts Designing to promote prosperity, happiness, health and enlightenment Improper building design promotes anger, fear and chronic disease Designing for the User

Every humanly designed, man-made structure should conform to the structure produced by Natural Law if that structure is to be in harmony with the structure of the universe – the expression of Cosmic Intelligence.

According to the latest research in neuroscience, BRAIN CELLS FIRE ACCORDING TO ORIENTATION. The firing patterns of neurons in the thalamus of the brain are altered by the direction one is facing, thus influencing the entire brain functioning and the whole physiology. EAST WEST BRAIN CELLS FIRING

Vastu is the design and structure of a building in harmony with Natural Law, which takes into consideration the proper orientation of the house with its entrance facing due East.

Considerations that determine auspicious and inauspicious influences Orientation of buildings Placement of rooms Proportions and Vedic measurements Slope and shape of the land Unobstructed rising sun Influence of the environment

MSV takes into account the orientation of buildings and the quality of light from all directions W E N S Architectural Concept 1 – orientation

kitchen dining living study utility entrance MSV puts particular emphasis on the position of rooms and their functions in a house Architectural Concept 2 – room placement

The study should be located where the intellect will be most lively. The dining room should be located where digestion will be most healthy. The living room should be located where social life will enjoy greatest support.

Gribbens House

The Waterford House 5 bed detached 1880 ft2 bungalow Rendered blockwork / timber frame

The Mercers House 5 bed 1.5 stories 1920 ft2 Brickwork / blockwork

The Warrens House 6 bed 2.5 storey 3020 ft2 Natural stone / timber frame

Vedic Architecture infers that: Brain cells are sensitive to magnetic field orientation in particular to the rising sun Healthiest to sleep with head pointing east; most unhealthy to sleep with head to the north “… individuals sleeping with their head pointing north had significantly lower scores on the Mental Health Inventory compared to patients who slept in other directions …” Morning sunshine is most beneficial “Patients whose rooms were on the east side of the corridor were released from treatment on average four days earlier than the patients in rooms that received only western light.”

The Raj – Fairfield, Iowa

. Maharishi Sthapatya Veda is the most ancient and complete system of architecture and planning according to the solar, lunar, and planetary influences on the earth with reference to north and south poles and the equator– connecting individual life with cosmic life, individual intelligence with cosmic intelligence.

CONCLUSION Therapeutic buildings using eternal architectural principles

John Renwick Partnership for Natural Building Design Advice on Maharishi Sthapatya Veda