"The building maketh the man" is an old saying still valid today. Many of our society's problems stem historically from poor or overcrowded housing and badly designed public buildings and places of work. The built environment has never been planned in an integrated way and we are also increasingly seeing the disastrous results of development which is unsustainable. The best architects and planners aim to improve living conditions, yet even the most expensive modern buildings and the most carefully planned towns and villages have consistently fallen short of this goal.

This situation has arisen because modern architecture and planning fail to take into account subtle yet powerful factors that influence how we think and feel, and affect even our health, vitality, and success.

There is a need, therefore, for a comprehensive, thorough and scientific approach to architecture, design, and construction - one that will promote our whole built environment to be in tune with the Laws of Nature and in harmony with our natural environment. The Natural Law Party has found that the system known as Maharishi Sthapatya Veda satisfies these requirements.

Maharishi Sthapatya Veda is the ancient Vedic science of architecture in accord with Natural Law. It recognises these cosmic and solar influences and uses them in a precise way to create buildings which promote the evolutionary power of Natural Law for the well-being of the occupants.

Architecture in accord with Natural Law

Just as modern science takes advantage of specific Laws of Nature to split atoms and launch space shuttles,Maharishi Sthapatya Veda design takes advantage of the most fundamental Laws of Nature that promote health and prosperity. It uses mathematical formulae, equations and proportions to design ideal living conditions. Through this technology buildings become established in the fundamental values of beauty and peace. Other essential elements, such as parks, fountains, waterways and lakes, are used to create a harmonious whole.

The Natural Law Party will promote the use of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda and all approaches to architecture and planning that can create a living environment that is fully in accord with Natural Law. At the same time, we will promote the use of the best available modern knowledge of sustainable development. In this way, we will transform the built environment into one which is nourishing to all and a pleasure to live in. Now, for the first time, there is an opportunity to create an environment that will have a totally positive influence on the way people think and feel - homes and offices that by their intrinsic design create good health, clear thinking, happiness, harmony and prosperity for the family or business.

Healthy homes

The underlying reason for our housing problems is that our homes have not been designed to do their job. Our home is our base where we need to feel secure and nourished; being at home should give us more energy and less fatigue, allow us to think clearly and creatively and above all to experience less stress and more peace of mind. Perhaps we should all ask ourselves "To what extent does my present home do this?"

Local authorities and individual home-owners constantly try to improve their homes but fail to achieve the increased satisfaction that they seek, because the design is not according to Natural Law.

The importance of correct orientation

The Natural Law Party will encourage the use of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda in the construction of new homes and the rectification of existing ones. This is not a style of architecture, rather a set of universal principles that can be applied to any architectural style. It starts from the premise that a home provides the connection between its owner and the wider environment. If a home is designed correctly, in accordance with fundamental principles, it will nourish every aspect of the owner's life and his or her influence on the surroundings. Highly specific and detailed principles are used, for example, to establish the correct orientation and position of a house on a plot, the right dimensions and proportions of the building, and the proper placement of the rooms according to their uses.

If for example the dining room is placed where the office should be, then one may feel hungry while trying to work in the office, or one may have too much intellectual discussion in the dining room! In the one case, work is unproductive; in the other case, digestion is impaired. Similarly, there is a correct place for a main entrance to a house: this should not be on the south side, or the result could be loss of wealth, deteriorating health, or other problems. The Natural Law Party will implement policies to make these principles widely available for architects, builders and developers. These will include incentive schemes to encourage volume house builders to adopt environmentally friendly materials and sustainable technologies in construction of new houses.

Recent reports from different parts of the world from people who have been living and working in buildings designed according to Maharishi Sthapatya Veda have been extremely encouraging. One house owner commented: "It's hard to describe in words but there's such a feeling of peace and harmony in the house. It goes way beyond the nice architecture or the absence of 'new house smell' as a result of using non-toxic building materials. Everyone says they feel at home here. My wife and I have experienced more harmony and smoother relations. Our five-year-old daughter is better behaved. All of us sleep better."

Healthy workplaces

The concept of the "sick building syndrome" is now widely accepted, to the extent that many modern commercial and institutional buildings are now being demolished for lack of a remedy. However there are countless other workplaces where people experience more subtle discomfort and health problems as a result of the design and materials used. These problems go largely unrecognised, but still represent an unquantifiable human and economic loss to the nation.

An office can be designed not only to promote the creativity and health of workers but also to enhance the good fortune of the business or organisation using it. The science of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda incorporates over one hundred tests for the proper selection of a site and numerous remedies for incorrectly designed buildings, thereby providing the parameters necessary for any business to enjoy the benefits of support of Nature - good fortune, good health and success for management and work force.

Again, owners themselves testify to the benefits of this system of architecture in accordance with Natural Law, mentioning increased profits, comfort and creativity experienced in their business.

Influence of buildings on the physiology

The Natural Law Party will support research to identify precisely the nature of the harmonious influences on the human physiology produced by correct orientation and design of buildings. Independent scientific studies have already shown that a key part of the brain known as the thalamus behaves in a different way according to the orientation of the head to different points of the compass. Studies on factors such as breathing-wall technology and thick-walled construction, another aspect of architecture in accord with Natural Law, indicate that these types of construction generate levels of humidity within buildings that are ideal for respiration.

The advantages of having one's place of work close to where one lives is an additional factor dealt with in the Energy and Environment section of the manifesto.