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A circle drive winds around crisp white picket fences and mansions with gold cupolas. Huge bulldozers smooth the earth, paving the way for an explosion of construction underway north of Fairfield. Brick by vibrant brick, buildings are going up rapidly for the development of Mandala Two, one of ten developments at the Maharishi Center for Perfect Health and World Peace. A promise of things to come, Mandala Two, to be finished at the end of this year, is a showcase for the health and vacation resort community, and will feature fountains, gardens, swimming, paddle boating, tennis, and a golf practice area.
Here, a mile and a half north of the Maharishi University of Management campus, condominiums, villas, office buildings, and a new hotel are under construction for Mandala Two. This new wave of building, generated by the success of the first hotel, The Mansion, includes plans for 40 condominiums, four luxurious villas, and a new hotel. The Grand Hotel, to be completed in 1998, will include a restaurant, suites, a Maharishi Medical Center, and conference facilities.
In addition to this construction, the momentum for building on the 1000-acre Maharishi Center is accelerating, including offices for the Natural Law Party, a new office building for USA Global Link, continued development of villas at The Raj, and the Vedic Observatory, scheduled to be completed this summer.
USA Global Link to Begin Work 84,000-square-foot Building
Why all this construction in Fairfield? The economic growth of companies here, such as telecommunications giants Telegroup and USA Global Link, and a desire to live and work in an ideal environment have inspired this increased construction. Developer Doug Greenfield recently built a 32,000-square-foot Sthapatya Vedic office building for Telegroup north of Fairfield off Highway 1. And groundbreaking for a new 84,000-square-foot Sthapatya Vedic office building for USA Global Link took place in May.
The executive offices for USA Global Link are already located on Mandala Two next to The Mansion. The new three-level building will allow the 200-plus other employees, now scattered in three separate office buildings around the square, to join them at Mandala Two. According Phil Lichtenfeld, Vice President and Director of Facilities, excavation is now underway for the building, which will comfortably accommodate up to 350 employees, and completion is expected by December.
Natural Law Party Building Planned for Mandala Nine
On Mandala Nine, which features The Raj and three villas, construction is starting for two more villas, says Sandy Willbanks, director of public relations at The Raj. The villas, for sale, lease, or rent, are individual dwellings of 1,500 or 2,500 square feet to be built by Badgett Construction, working in harmony with Maharishi Global Construction.
Groundbreaking was also held in May for the construction of new offices for the Natural Law Party, to be designed and built by Maharishi Global Construction, and completed by late fall.
The Chalets on the Lake, condominium rental units on Mandala Six, are fully occupied, with a waiting list for future openings.
The Vedic Observatory, on Mandala One, will be spectacular when it is completed this summer and open for tours. "We think it will be a big tourist attraction for Iowa," says developer Tim Fitz-Randolph. Construction on the first phase of Mandala One's hotel complex will begin this month. "We want to have a little village here, which will also be a tourist attraction, with a town square, shops, offices, theater, art galleries, and homes. It will be the first Sthapatya Vedic village--and the first mandala to use all electric cars."
Sthapatya Vedic Living at The Mansion
The Mansion, which opened in May 1996, is built according to Maharishi Sthapatya Veda design. This Vedic architecture features the life-supporting influence of a proper vastu--spatial orientation aligned to Natural Law--for greater success and happiness.
Vastu is a Sanskrit term that means "holistic structure of Natural Law." The ideal vastu is a square or rectangular site aligned to a north/south, east/west direction, marked by a compound wall and one auspicious entrance. Houses are positioned on this vastu facing east or north. The influence of Sthapatya Veda architecture on the individual is said to be greater success and well-being.
"When I was living and working at the Sthapatya Vedic Mansion," says magician Doug Henning, "ideas came spontaneously at exactly the right time, and my project just seemed to blossom naturally like the opening of a flower. Everything seemed effortless." Henning stayed at the hotel for three months while working with a team of artists on designs for the Maharishi Veda Land theme park.
USA Global Link Chairman Chris Hartnett cites similar reasons for giving his employees a Sthapatya Veda designed workplace. "Sthapatya Veda is for good luck and good fortune, and USA Global Link enjoys good luck and good fortune," he says. "The secret to success in business is good luck. And anything we can do to increase that is only practical to pursue."
A Showpiece of Maharishi Sthapatya Vedic Architecture
The development of The Mansion and of Mandala Two is moving ahead according to the vision Maharishi had for the project, says Jeanne Costello, director of sales at The Mansion. "Mandala Two is an example and a showpiece of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda architecture. Every road, every tree, every building is carefully positioned and oriented so that it's nourishing to everything else. It's an advanced level of architecture--not just for buildings, but for entire communities. For example, 20,000 cubic yards of soil near the entrance of The Mansion were removed so there would be no obstruction to the eastern view."
The Mansion is located on the west side of the Mandala Two circle, and developing The Mansion meant building roads, and electric, telephone, and television services to support 500 rooms. All of the structures, homes and offices alike, are built of white brick with golden roofs topped by kalashes and cupolas.
One 3,000 square-foot home at the entrance to Mandala Two was recently completed, and three new homes and a condominium will be finished in the next three or four months. The condominium features four 18,000-square-foot units with a shared central brahmasthan. In addition, according to Jeanne Costello, five or six private homes are scheduled be built, beginning this summer. "By the end of the year, Mandala Two will be pretty well done," she says.
Maharishi Global Construction
Leading this Sthapatya Veda building boom is Maharishi Global Construction (MGC), which offers architects, contractors, and builders the opportunity to build residential and office buildings in accord with Natural Law. "It's a challenge to accommodate everyone," says company spokesman Dean Draznin. "There is an incredible amount of interest in this architecture. Companies are vying to be ahead of each other for these projects."
The facade of a building designed with Maharishi Sthapatya Veda architecture imparts a distinctive look, Draznin explains. "Whether you're in Chicago, Los Angeles, or Des Moines, you will know these buildings by sight. The intention is for the facade to be regal and beautiful. This type of building is unmistakable."
Six prototypes for Maharishi Vedic Centers are now being designed by architect Jon Lipman for MGC. The different designs are being created to accommodate any size building. At the Second National Maharishi Vedic Center Organizers' Conference, to be held at Heavenly Mountain Resort in North Carolina beginning June 5, a new program will be inaugurated to train MGC reps to market their services all around the country.
Draznin estimates that 50 percent of existing buildings today are harmful to a person's health. "Sick-building syndrome is a very real problem when toxic materials are used, resulting in effects that are disorienting," he says.
Sthapatya Veda architecture uses natural, non-toxic building materials and energy-efficient construction. Circulation of fresh air within a building as well as cross-ventilation for cities and communities are also emphasized.
"Maharishi Sthapatya Veda designs are in accord with Natural Law, so people become healthier, more productive, less stressed, and less fatigued, and they really have the opportunity to evolve and not compromise any area of their lives," Draznin says.
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