Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
from pool to pool, from space to space, again, always two steps at a time.
Each room is elevated in hierarchical progression in space and volume and
time.
Human beings live between the ceilings and the floors of our homes and
our offices, between the walls, between the outside and the inside. We live
always in the space in between.The best architecture is that which is carved
from living space. What goes on a wall is never as important as what goes
on between the walls.
The Wimberley House of Healing is owned by a clinical psychologist
and energy therapist who uses music to open the chakras of her clients.
Those in need of healing, adjustment, opening, containment, and enlight-
enment find themselves pried open by the vibrations of the music and the
power of the energy of the place. Often, they find themselves between what
appears to be and what really is; this, the real reason they are here, allows
the self to heal itself.
A room of repose lies on the same level as the Transformation Room
looking out under a covered patio directly in line with the waterfall. This
suite functions as a decompression space encouraging connection to the
landscape. Gravel paths lead from the porch to the water's edge. Limestone
steps continue the cascading.
The Wimberley House of Healing uses natural and holistic building
materials to augment the spirit of health and well-being. Two-foot-thick
straw bale walls, with an
R
value around 50, allow the windows to be set
deep, creating window seats and ledges. The walls are finished with a lime
based natural stucco that allows them to breathe. This keeps the straw dry
and encourages passive air exchanges, critical in maintaining healthy living
spaces. The walls are also virtually sound proof and contribute to the feel-
ing of retreat.
Stained concrete floors seem to be calm pools of water and do not out-
gas.The floors also function as thermal flywheels, storing kinetic energy to
help keep the home at an always comfortable temperature.
Cedar beams, door and window trim, and stair rails are cut from trees
that were removed from the site. The aromatic wood purifies the air and
brings the outside inside. Again, the interplay of one plus one being three
is manifest.
Rainfall is captured off the “Galvalume” metal roof and delivered under-
ground from gutters and downspouts, integral to the architectural expres-
sion, to two 30,000-gallon cisterns. From these, the home receives the
