“Through mindfulness and meditation, architects can become the advocates of a more balanced, sustainable world, where both Earth and its inhabitants live in harmony.”
Urban expansion and individual construction projects have changed our natural environment to our detriment. Vo Trong Nghia opened his keynote with a look at buildings that use their architecture to achieve the opposite. By incorporating nature to provide natural ventilation and light, taking into account cultural characteristics and using local materials, this ‘green architecture’ becomes ‘healing architecture’. In his lecture, the pioneer of this form of architecture emphasised the responsibility of architects to minimise negative environmental impacts and energy consumption, and to contribute to the healing of people and the environment. Vo Trong Nghia is convinced that ‘if we want to heal the earth, we have to start with ourselves’. For him, the real crisis lies in the human psyche, in stress, anxiety and depression. He therefore dedicated the second part of his talk to the healing power of meditation. Through a practical exercise, he encouraged festival-goers to find a deeper connection to their inner selves through meditation. Only then will it be possible to develop a regenerative force for our unique planet.
A detailed summary of the lecture can be found in the IBA Forum Newsroom.
Photo with a picture of VTN offices in the background: © IBA
