Based on organisational objectives and environmental trends, architectural consultancy firm ATELIER V develops and implements strategies for the learn/work environment. The ecosystem of Bricks, Bytes and Behaviour, should be managed in the same way a forester manages a forest. A flexible space that keeps us and the planet healthy.
Quest into uncharted territories
As ‘business architects’, we think innovative and creative about how to create an environment that supports the values, the systems, and the collaborative platforms that bring all of the organisation’s genius to the fore. We are committed to adding to a better world for all.
We asked ourselves a different question, instead of: “how to solve an operational problem?” we focus on “what is positive and meaningful added value and how can it be increased by the learn/work environment?”
In order to understand the pulsation of the whole living learn/work environment ecosystem instead of solely the symptoms of its compartmentalised parts. Focussing on all the different and isolated topics might be the main reason why so many problems with the learn/work environment are still not solved today or are even continuously increasing.
We apply a multi-disciplinary value business case and outcome-based design approach in our advice and implementation. Creating strategies for vibrant and sustainable learn/work environments where people, buildings and technology meet. A powerful connection between personal mastery and how we shift the systems in which we work and live to the next level.
Putting people and the planet before profits. Balancing social morals and stakeholders’ values with shareholder profits. One decision at a time, one after the other, day after day. But in the long run a successful and enduring change for the betterment of all. Go for the good of the whole in the long term because focusing on short term change alone comes at a price.
“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” (Leonardo da Vinci)
We are willing to think outside the box and go on a quest into uncharted territories of thought and scientific inquiry. At the heart of our exploration is the learn/work environment as an interconnected and interdependent ecosystem. An integrated learn/work environment should be approached as a grand design. Having influence in one small place can ripple, cascade or blaze out to affect the whole.
The whole is more than the sum of its relatively independent parts. Optimizing the feedback/feedforward loops between the inseparable “silos” of Real Estate, Facility Management, Information Technology and Human Resources. Addressing the larger framework in which the “silos” exist and interact with each other, re-establishing integrated wholeness. Doing so enhances our client’s ability to create value through the strategic management of their lear/work environment.
We prefer a shared exploration with our clients, and we want them to question everything with us so that we can come to shared conclusions that will help us all gain a better, and mutual, understanding of the nature of adding value with and through an integrated learn/work environment in their specific context with their shared values. Adding value is not just creating products; it’s finding a way to ensure that more people experience an increased quality of life.
Balancing polarities
A balance between inside and outside where objectivity is on good terms with emotion is required. Our passion is finding the balance of reason and emotion, mind and heart, material and immaterial, science and spirituality, always seen by the user of the learn/work environment, the individual in the tribe. The balance between the ratio axis effectiveness/efficiency and the emotion axis ‘community-team building’ / ‘image building’. Focus on why, as well as how buildings are built, and how user needs change over time.
The challenge is not to create little innovation enclaves of incubators and accelerators to protect them from the incremental bureaucratic thinking back in the core business. The challenge is to make individuals deeply empowered and feel like entrepreneurs. An important start is to create an organisational system to support this and upgrade the business skills of frontline employees so that they can think and act like entrepreneurs. It is not only about the list of competencies, but about who you really are, how you present yourself in life, and about individuality. Organisations and the people who work in them grow and flourish when there is a lively connection between soul and business.
The learn/work environment ecosystem facilitates this transformation process. It is about the delicate balance of usefulness, beauty, firmness and economics. To turn ideas and vision into lasting change and foster community spirit, by creating opportunities to get the job done.
Squaring the circle by connecting the dots
The ancient act of squaring a circle (drawing a square with an identical perimeter to the circle’s circumference) is a non-trivial exercise of trying to pair the infinite irrationality of the circle with the rationality of the square. It represents finding the perfect integration and balance between masculine and feminine aspects societally, operationally, and spiritually.
- Accommodation that animates people.
- Accommodation at lower costs for a more productive and sustainable business process in a socially responsible setting.
- Accommodation where the well-being and experience of people are central. In short, “Squaring the circle by connecting the dots”.
Follow your heart but be present with your head as well
Economic goals such as profit optimisation, innovation and sustainable growth are important aspects of business, but they are not the only ultimate goal. Human values such as sense of purpose, meaning and inspiration are just as important. We are mainly driven by these values rather than just economic goals. Listening to the heart while not losing sight of the mind gives us a solid basis for this. From Real Estate to the Real State of Human Beings.
“There is no more Business to Business (B2B) or Business to Consumer (B2C)
but Human to Human (H2H).” (Bryan Kramer)
It’s about working with soul and objectivity. Both poles must be there. Inner attention and external focus should be in harmony. Not only excelling in professionalism, but also in passion. It’s not just about the rationale, but also about emotion.
Laws of nature
As sovereign and autonomous human beings we are subject to the universal laws of nature. Mindfulness acting according to the laws of nature allows the subtle energy force (torsion waves) of nature to flow unimpeded. Based on our social responsibility, we contribute to a more sustainable world by stimulating awareness that the earth is our common ‘spaceship’ in which everyone has a responsibility for themselves as well as for the greater whole.
Imagine what is possible when we act in alignment with nature. A peaceful, healthy, safe, sustainable and ethical society in which equal rights apply to all living things. Committed to making a difference, even if it’s only a small one, to begin with. Not only bridging the gap between science and spirituality but making it whole again. In spite of the fact that mainstream modern science is bound by the limits of the quantitative measuring abilities of its devices.
“Only those who see the invisible can achieve the impossible.” (Unknown)
The materialist dogma is that matter is the only reality and that matter is unconscious, the whole universe is made of unconscious matter, our brains are made of matter, and, therefore, they ought to be unconscious like everything else. Rupert Sheldrake asks a thought-provoking question: “Is your mind really all inside your head?” He proposes that everything you’re seeing is in your mind, but not in your brain: a question that unlocks entire new fields and possibilities for research that could revolutionise science.
Interact with the underlying unifying field of nature (life force) and align our technology to it, so that we may live in harmony with our environment, the universe, and each other. Transforming our world. The paradigm shift from technology to the source of consciousness.
When ideas have sex
Sharing and spreading knowledge leads to new and bigger ideas. Leverage ideas to build on them and make something even greater. ATELIER V sees it as its task to actively contribute to developments in the discipline of environmental consultancy and to share its enthusiasm, knowledge and expertise. ATELIER V is constantly developing its own know-how and knowledge within the profession. To this end, we take on and support various initiatives. Be a seed of consciousness and create value from ideas.
“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances:
if there is any reaction, both are transformed.”
(Carl G. Jung)
We also use our role as a knowledge centre and stimulator to serve other organisations. ATELIER V’s approach and vision are striking in today’s real estate landscape. Due to its non-conformist approach, ATELIER V offers inspiration for innovation and knowledge development in learn/work environment issues. Each time focused on a sustainable and careful design of the living environment for the benefit of people. A living environment that inspires and generates energy instead of guzzling energy.
Hybrid for profit/non-profit
New questions due to changing society and economic tide require new answers and new approaches. The profit that pursues a social return in addition to financial return represents a higher form of capitalism. You could call it “contributionism” of talents and skills because both receiver and giver resonate together and benefit. It creates a positive cycle of prosperity for both business and society.
This integrated approach of Creating Shared Value (CSV) transcends Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). ATELIER V invests for profit, but always with a positive social impact in mind. Do not just give, but invest in innovative, social and sustainable projects. This creates opportunities and responsibility on the part of the recipients, which in time produces unity and a more sustainable result for all.
Environmental design
Architecture and urban planning evolved out of the ancient practice of geomancy (‘divining the earth’). The art of placing or arranging buildings or sites suspiciously by dowsing and interpreting geographic features.
Tuning architecture to nature’s heartbeat and making it a sacred power spot by harmonic resonance, resulting in a harmonic instrument. Turning those disciplines back to their roots, restoring some of the missing pieces of the original practices, particularly Geopathic Stress and the metaphysical, spiritually-based considerations for good design of the environment.
A building is an energetic structure, built from the energies of the location and the energies of all events that have happened in that place and space. Also, the materials used to build the building are important. They can carry the memories of past events.
As music is the vibration of sound, architecture is about visual geometrical and spatial vibrations, and much more. When we move through a building, it can shape our thoughts and feelings just as music does.
“Why does this space feel good?” is a similar question to “Why does this music move me to tears?” (Richard Feather Anderson)
The environment enables people to grow in their abilities. It is an eco-system consisting of 3 interconnected areas: The physical environment of real estate and facilities, the Digital environment of ‘smart’ buildings plus online learning hubs in a digital classroom and the Social environment of usage and behaviour agreements. The where, when, how, what and why of work – is no longer defined by a fixed time and a place to work. Realising simultaneously that work is what you do and not a place. Work on-site and distantly in third places or at home are equal.
The workplace is also a state of mind. The environment is a catalyst for human performance and therefore has a strategic impact on the core business of any organisation. But also, on the health, well-being and consciousness of people, on a body, mind, heart and spirit level (the Biofield). Consciousness is the state of being aware (or sensitive) of and responsive to one’s surroundings.
Architects, artists, and philosophers have known the Flower of Life as a perfect form, harmony, and proportion. Some of the most ancient civilizations considered it to be a form of sacred geometry that depicts the basic forms of time and space. Sacred geometry refers to the geometric patterns and laws that create everything in the universe and has physiological effects on the human body and psyche.
They believed the Flower of Life pattern to be a visual representation of the interconnectedness of life and all beings. New science (model of Unified Physics) has recently caught up with this belief.
The Flower of Life symbol represents the cycle of creation. Its pattern relates to the division of cells. It depicts how all life comes from one singular source – represented by the circle in the middle of the pattern. Within the Flower of Life symbol, a secret symbol is hidden which is said to hold the most significant and sacred patterns of the universe. A sort of blueprint for all life, with the fundamental patterns for everything from atoms to planets and everything in between.
A free interpretation of Dr Jude Currivan’s work is that sacred geometry patterns are underlaying what we call physical reality. They ‘in-form’ reality. Matter, what we call reality, is energy and energy is information. Reality is unified and real and separation or duality is an ‘illusion’. The appearance of separation or fragmentation is integral to reality because ultimately everything is part of the whole, connected and unified.
Harmonizing the environment
French scientist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck published fifty years before Darwin’s theory the first scientific theory of evolution. He predicted that evolution was based on an interactive dialogue between the organism and its environment. Lamarckian theory is driven by a process of adaptation to the environment. In contrast, Darwinian theory is driven by random (accidental) mutations followed by natural selection (Nature selects the fittest of the mutated organisms and eliminates the weakest). Lamarck’s theory emphasizes evolution based on cooperation, which is in direct contrast to the Darwinian emphasis on competition.
Dr Bruce Lipton states further: “The body does not directly respond to the environmental signals derived from the outer world. It is the environment within the body that epigenetically controls the genetics and behaviour of the body’s cells and organs. The body’s internal environment is controlled by the mind’s “interpretation” of that outer world environment. This awareness is in perfect agreement with the principles of the most valid of all the sciences, Quantum Physics. This science recognizes consciousness as the creator of our reality.”
The environment influences how you think and feel. The human mind and body, the inner environment, are not separate and distinct from their outer environment (physical, digital, social). People inside a building bring their own etheric field: an integration of mind, body, heart and spirit, a determiner of overall health. The inner and outer environment is a dynamic ecosystem of ‘in-formation’. The built environment can be used as a preventative ‘medicine’ to support human health & well-being. Creating a sound and healthy environment that aims to correct past mistakes.
The interaction and synergy between people and the physical, digital and social learn/work environment are intrinsically interconnected and form the cornerstone of Real Estate (RE), Facility Management (FM), Information Technology (IT) and Human Resources (HR). All these disciplines are complementary and (should) serve each other for the best experience and well-being of the users. It brings a huge responsibility to the people involved in it.
Creating harmony by addressing both sides of the equation, the outer and the inner environment. The inner and the outer environment are in a continuous dialogue. To play an active role in changing the environment, one must actively change oneself. Aligning, attuning and connecting to your inner environment.
Change from the outside in but also from the inside out. It is the inner environment that accounts, much more than the outer environment, for the health and well-being of a person. Mind, body, heart, spirit and built environment are in essence about Environmental energy balancing. BioGeometry encompasses the universal laws and natural dynamics affecting living energy systems, which have been largely ignored in our modern civilization at the expense of our health and well-being. It provides methods to balance any out-of-balance harmful conditions in the human energy field, to create beneficial energies in any space, and to transmute harmful energies into beneficial ones. In short, a solution to restore life force and harmony.
Applying the design language of BioGeometry (the science of energy balancing), which uses shapes, patterns, colour, motion, angle, proportion, number and sound, to balance all levels of energy by interacting with the forces of nature. It is based on the key principles of resonance and harmonics. It offers methods to directly detect, measure, create, and transmute specific qualities of energy, so that you really know the effects you are creating with your energy work.
“The key to truly understanding energy and its myriad manifestations is to approach it from a qualitative viewpoint, rather than the purely quantitative one as adopted in conventional science.” (Dr Ibrahim Karim)
Universal harmonic principles are working at different scales of nature to create the physical world. Nature self-organizes through resonant patterning – not only through natural selection and mutation. Space and time are inherently structured to resonate with living organisms and consciousness.
Contemporary Science has limitations
There is a general growing awareness and concern about the limitations of contemporary science to explain the many faces of the phenomena we observe in life. Our present way of thinking has produced a split in our worldview. We consider only what is objective, measurable, repeatable, and quantifiable as scientific.
Some call the non-objective Weird Science and Freaking Magic (WSFM). TODAY’S SCIENCE WAS YESTERDAY’S MAGIC Don’t trust the boundaries or the knowledge you have been given as the limit or the final truth. Many domains of science fiction have become science facts already.
The Arts, Humanities and Religion are all considered unscientific based on their qualitative subjective nature. This point of view is based on the fact that today’s traditional science does not deal with all levels of energy in nature. Only what can be quantitatively measured, categorized and labelled is considered scientific; not recognizing that what cannot be measured is a limitation of our measurement instruments.
“The world was round before we were able to scientifically verify it!” (Dr Ibrahim Karim)
Architect Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) pointed it already out how mankind is moving from the tangible world which can be evidenced by sight, sound, smell and touch, into the invisible world of energy, ions, electrical forces, etc., so much so that “99.9999% of what affects our reality will be undetectable by our senses.” We, humans, are metaphysical beings, meaning beyond the common physical realm. Acknowledging this will change the rules of the game. See also the post People are energy systems.