Before There Was ​Biophilic Design, There Was Leonardo Da Vinci

So, who is Leonardo Da Vinci? He is probably one of the most influential people of all time, leaving his footprint during the High Renaissance era. His major accomplishments included advances within the fine arts, architecture, the engineering of flying machines, military equipment, science, anatomy, botany, geology, and physics, as to name a few categories. 

For this particular article, let’s examine Leonardo’s inspiration behind the, “Ideal City.” Between 1484 and 1485, 50,000 people died in Milan of plague, killing off nearly a third of the city’s population. Due to this, Leonardo developed a keen interest in urban renewal and a desire to liberate people from the old fashioned, over-crowded medieval city where people were crammed together “like a herd of goats”. 

Leonardo proposed new solutions for cities, based on the concepts of natural geometric design, cleanliness, convenience, and the circulation of air and exposure to natural sunlight. The concept of Leonardo’s “ideal city” was derived from the Florentine architect/engineer Antonio Filarete, but Leonardo’s vision was more radical.

His “ideal city” would have two levels. The top level was for foot traffic, designed with wider streets. He also proposed a paddlewheel system to maintain cleaner streets. The second level was for carts, animals, and underground waterways for commerce traffic and to help remove garbage from the city.

Leonardo also wanted to limit the height of buildings as to allow the air and sunshine to circulate more freely throughout the city streets. To help with this concept, he proposed arched doorways and walkway designs around the buildings.

Leonardo was not very concerned with integrating natural landscape into his urban renewal and that is where Biophilic Design complements his vision for the ‘ideal city.’

Biophilic Design provides a strong focus on integrating Natural Landscapes, Ecosystems, natural colors, and Images of Nature into exterior and interior designs schemes. The more you learn about Leonardo’s “ideal city” and ​Biophilic Design Principles, the more you’ll see how they parallel each other in fascinating ways.

Did Leonardo’s evolutionary ideas ever come to fruition? No.

Yet, today, they are with a modern twist.

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How To Feng Shui Your College Dorm Room

Can you believe it?! Summer is pretty much over. And that means,….BACK TO SCHOOL! Do we have any college students reading this post? If so, and you happen to be living on campus, I invite you to take a look at several Feng Shui Tips on how to enhance the energy of your dorm room for the upcoming college year. 

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1. I remember the first year I lived on campus, I shared a dorm room with 3 other people, which was not ideal. Yet, one of the key habits that kept the peace between all of us, was being aware and mindful of each others personal space, which in tern provided visual and energetic boundaries. Meaning, we kept our own clutter under control as often as possible.  

2. College is a world wind of new life experiences, student activities, and loads of class work. With that said, it’s strongly recommended to select visuals and objects that support your conscious and subconscious mind during your next phase of development in life. Think about your hobbies, focus of studies, interests beyond college, supportive people in your life (family/ boyfriend/girlfriend/ friends/ family pet) and do your best to symbolically or literally represent those psychological cues of support, inspiration, and motivation.  

3. Plants are a great addition to any space and have been scientifically proven to help reduce stress and clean the air. Energetically speaking, they promote inner and outer growth, while adding a pop of personality to the space. How many plants? You could start with 2 - 3 of them. When selecting your plants, be sure the leaves are rounded or curved. Avoid prickly plants with sharp cactus needles or shaped leaves. 

4. It’s hard to escape the overwhelming radio waves of EMF’s (electromagnetic frequencies). The biggest culprits include computers, TV, and cell phones. An easy way in help to reduce EMF’s inside your dorm room is by turning off your computer and cell phone at night. The next suggestion is to keep them at least 4 feet away from your entire body when sleeping, if possible. One of the best things to do in general, is take breaks from being attached to your electronics 24/7. 

5. Keep your desk organized. If during the day you have a method to your madness when working and studying, so be it. Before bed, adopt the habit of making sure your paperwork is not spilling over into the rest of the room. Even pay mind to how you maintain storage space inside the desk drawers and your closet. It all counts!

6. Most of us have laptops these days, which is great for mobility and space saving. Yet, they can do immense damage to people’s posture because our necks are positioned in a constant downward angle. See about getting a computer monitor for your laptop. The monitor helps to raise your line of sight, which aligns your spine in a more erect position to promote better posture, health, and focus.

7. Another way to promote good posture when working at your desk, is by investing into a quality ergonomic chair (if able to). The purposes of the chair is to provide excellent lumbar support while sitting at your desk.

8. Be mindful with the type of lighting within your dorm room. Natural light is always the best, by opening your blinds and windows to let in fresh air, when able to. At night, pay mind to the type of artificial lighting inside your dorm room. Night time promotes yin (calmer) energy. To replicate this energy in the physical world, the use of down lighting is an easy way to establish this feeling. The light source could be placed by your desk, which is helpful when working. When deciding on how to light the rest of the space for more relaxed and fun times, feel free to get CREATIVE! 

9. Be sure the bed and bedding is promoting a platform for quality sleep. Lack of sleep means lack of energy, decrease in overall health, focus, and possible slipping of your GPA. When it comes to the type of bed colleges provide you with, from what I remember, they typically have bunkbeds. In terms of bedding, you have way more say. From a Feng Shui perspective, its recommended to select certain colors for your pillow covers, sheets, and comforter to help promote better sleep. Terra cotta, copper, coral, cream, peach, tan, and cocoa colors create a cozy, welcoming atmosphere for your bed. Soft natural colors like light blues, greens and lavenders lend the bedding a quiet, tranquil vibe, and invite healing energy.

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Are there more tips? Of course! Yet, from here on, its best to experience a personalized consultation to refine specific suggestions that align with your goals for positive change. So, for now, start with these 9 Feng Shui Dorm Room suggestions. 

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