The Landscape
We are in Skåne, in the middle of the region where different types of landscape meet. To the west and south lies the relatively open farming land , to the north and east stretches the more hilly landscape with vast forests. We are in a place where there is quiet without traffic noise.
In this meeting point we can create a self-sustaining village with 49 building sites. It lies at the edge of the forest, 10 sites just outside the forest edge, the remaining are in the woods. There are approx. 45 houses built in a different and separate section. There is also an area of common land consisting of forest, fields and meadow with a stream running through, in total there are 45 hectares of scenic area. (The surrounding common land within the red frame is much larger than it appears on map)
The land is sloping slightly to the east and especially north. Surprisingly, this is ideal for the ancient Veda architecture, which has its origins in India: The east-facing slope is favorable because it intensifies the effect of the rising sun. In the morning the sun's rays are more life-giving, creative, while at noon they is more burning and damaging. If the site opens to the east, the house is charged every morning with a good energy.
The vegetation
The growth is young beech forest. We want to preserve the forest, but in order to build the houses and let the light into the woods, some trees must be cut down. It can also be good to eventually plant a portion of oak trees, as this gives a brighter undergrowth so that for example rhododendrons and other bushes and flowers can bloom over the spring and summer. Our thoughts are a blossoming undergrowth, where light can enter all year round. The overall idea of the village is to preserve the feeling of being surrounded by nature. The present character of the forest floor invites to maintaining it, and in spots where it is favorable, to cultivate smaller spots of land. The soil is good, with clay, hilly and with some stones - in some places the rock is visible.
The lake
The common ground north of the village offers a nice view through the trees and leads down to a meadow, through which a beautiful stream meander that is 1 ½ -2 m wide. It may be possible to lay out one or more small streams down between the buildings with a natural flow of rainwater, also from the rooftops - possibly supplemented with a pump that recirculates water from the meadow.
We want to restore the meadow as a wetland or a lake which is assumed to have been there back in time. It can be done by damming the stream. This is a very exciting opportunity because, according to Vedic village design it is favorable to have a lake to the north. Also it provides an additional attraction to the area, as most people like to have views over the water. The wetland can cover an area of 2-4 hectares. We have had initial meetings with the Regional Authorities (Lensstyrelsen) and Lund University on the feasibility of achieving this. Lensstyrelsen has already helped with consulting services, where it appeared that a wetland of this size has a significant impact on wildlife. A brief report describing the lake, includes this image of how it could look like:
The University's Environmental Institute has expressed interest in the students working on the project as a practical part of their studies.
