Helena van Vliet: Architect For Your Senses

By Margaret Gilmour

Green architecture is a design philosophy that minimizes harmful effects on human health and the environment by using eco-friendly building materials and construction practices.

I talked with architect and land planner Helena van Vliet, whose work incorporates green building philosophies that embrace wellness. Her designs are built to nurture your body and soul, just as any retreat should, logically, yet, so many homes are designed with only style and function in mind.

Van Vliet, by contrast, plays up calming elements found in nature’s habitat, like the soothing sounds of water droplets or earthy materials meant to impress your senses.

Q: I understand that you offer your clients a variety of services including green architecture, interior design and healing. Can you explain how green architecture promotes healing?

There’s much more to creating a healing environment than just using non-toxic finishes, that’s a given.

To create a lasting healing environment, the building should begin to help establish or reestablish greater sensory awareness.

You can do this through well-planned architectural details where a building becomes the very vehicle for the building occupant to become an active participant in seasonal changes, weather patterns and the rhythm of night and day.

For example, if you’re actively interacting with the building and understand its working mechanisms, when weather patterns change, you will be more in touch with the seasons and aware of your place within nature.

So in a healthy building you are not simply pressing a button for air conditioning when you are hot, you are opening windows and skylights or closing shades. You become an active participant not a passive consumer.

 

In addition, since we know that natural light is a modulator for cognitive brain function and profoundly effects the circadian rhythm, which in turn effects such things as our hormonal system, body temperature etc., it is crucial for physical and mental health to integrate natural light into the everyday experience of our buildings.

This topic alone could take hours to discuss. But that’s just a simple explanation of how energy-efficient homes are eco-friendly, yes, but they should also be healing spaces that promote mental and physical wellness.

Q. I understand that you studied Bau-Biologie, which, when literally translated from German, means “building biology.” Can you explain the Bau-Biologie philosophy?

Bau-Biologie is the study of the impact that the building environment has upon the health of people.

It looks at a building as a living organism. In doing so it draws, besides its technical and economic content, on ecology, medicine, biology, psychology, geology, botany and other disciplines.

Basically, Bau-Biologists look at buildings as they are directly connected to our natural environment and see our homes, our selves and our earth as all interconnected…the building itself becomes the very vehicle of connection as I mentioned above.   

I began studying Bau-Biologie in 1995. I believe that good architecture is about establishing,  or reestablishing, connections of the building to its site, to the land, or to other buildings surrounding it….as well creating beautiful interior spaces which can indeed be rejuvenating and peaceful.

Q. If a client chooses materials that could potentially be harmful to their health, how do you encourage them to make alternative selections?

I provide my clients with all the information I have to help them make good choices. Of course we make compromises according to the budget and project.

They digest the information and make choices based on the information I give them. Sort of like getting a doctor’s advice. In the end, you need to make the decision that works best for you.

Q. What is your initial approach to a project such as a remodel of a home or design of an addition?

I spend a lot of time getting to know a new client. I listen to them and I watch them too, and I go back to the house or site at different times of the day to see how light changes.

I also hand out a detailed questionnaire that asks questions like:

How do you feel in certain rooms?

And

What kind of artwork or furnishings will you bring with you?

All of this information helps me understand my client and their surroundings.

Q. You also mention creating patterns in your design. In your own home you use soft curves and cylindrical details. What other patterns do you incorporate into your designs and why do they become important in your creations? Check out An Enchanted Home »

Each project has its own set of patterns just as unique as each client.

And, really, shape is a secondary, decorative element.

When I talk about patterns I mean those elements which define the intangible aspects of a  building’s character…the way it feels, the way you yourself feel when inside or near it.

One of my favorite patterns is “Building’s edge is alive.”

By this I mean, that the building’s edge or wall is not a mere thin line, but rather a zone if you will, a place where life happens…it has thickness, volume, density…perhaps in the form of seats, balconies, steps, ledges. The edge is crenellated somehow to invite people to stop and sit, perhaps overlook something, soak up the sun or have a conversation. Again fostering connectedness…

I also like the pattern of “Daylight on two sides of every room.”

Light on only one side of a room creates imbalance and glare, but when daylight is allowed to enter from several sides simultaneously, its overall quality will be softer, the shadows less harsh, the room more comfortable to be in.

Q. What is the best advice you can give homeowners to consider before they undertake a renovation project?

1. Do nothing at first.

2. Write your goals down before you start ripping things up.

3. Take your time and move slowly.

4. Take a comprehensive approach instead of a going piecemeal. Having a master plan will save you money and headaches.

Q. Is now a good time to think about renovating since construction prices are low?

Yes, as prices are competitive.

And renovating a building is inherently green as you are breathing life into an old building instead of tearing it down or starting new.

Q. If a homeowner is working with a limited budget but wants to update their rooms or a single room, where would you suggest they begin, or what should be a priority?

If the goal is to be more energy efficient, you can begin by hiring someone to do an energy audit.

Or you can start by adding insulation in the roof if that’s an issue, then look into solving water or mold issues.

If your goal is to upgrade aesthetics for resale, I’d say put money into your kitchen or bathroom.

But if you’re staying in your home, start by increasing tranquility in the bedroom or kitchen. A low-budget option is to play with wall colors that can make rooms seem larger, or can create peaceful spaces with soothing hues.