AQUILA RETREAT

The environment has been a key driving force in the planning and construction of the house by its owners Horst and Ophelia Rechlin and not a detail has been spared. The result is a showpiece, both architecturally and as a model of living in full harmony with the environment.
The name Aquila is derived from the Latin for "Eagle" and is also a constellation on the Milky Way which is visible from both hemispheres.
The site for the house, on the southern slopes of Buderim Mountain overlooking the coast, was identified by leading international geobiologist, engineer and architectural consultant Dr Prabhat Poddar.
Using geomancy, an ancient form of divination, Dr Poddar determined the geographic position of the house, paying close regard to the topography of the local landscape, to locate a site where the earth and cosmic energies are brought into balance.
"Geomancers are spiritual ecologists, locating and shaping spaces in harmony with both the physical and the spiritual environment to empower the harmonious interaction between person and place," Ophelia says. "By building within the earth's grid pegged out by the geomancer you create a space that allows cosmic energy to flow evenly through the house, promoting health and wellbeing."
The central grid point identified by Dr Poddar has become the focal point of the house, which then spirals up two stories to peak at a high central dome skylight. All rooms radiate from that central point. The roof itself slopes to 23.5 degrees the tilt of the earth's axis.
The building has been constructed in harmony with the cardinal points and the seasons. It is aligned to the magnetic east with the entrance at the west, and doors and windows are aligned to the equinox and solstice. Daily activity becomes a pilgrimage, a journey along the luminous path of the sun and moon.
Bedrooms catch the morning sun so that guests wake up with the sun and then follow its orbit around the long, wide balconies throughout the day. Alignment with the equinox and solstice also means the house captures the winter warmth and the summer cool.
"The house has a soul. It has been built to capture the sun which empowers the house and its people," Ophelia says. "It is all aligned to the Golden Mean which supports the energy of the people within."
Coincidentally, the site so carefully selected also happened to be over a sandstone bed, which neutralises energies and is considered a very positive building base. And the positioning was just the beginning. Horst and Ophelia have concentrated on the healthy house in every aspect, using colour and form to enrich the body and soul.
The building has been designed in harmony with the planet and integrates with the local eco- system. By using materials from the local environment, it blends with that environment.
Aquila Retreat has been built entirely of plantation and selected untreated hardwood so that there is not a splinter of Asian rainforest or treated wood to be found inside. Neither is there a particle of chipboard, which has been ruled out because of its formaldehyde content. The blackbutt floors are oiled and non-toxic paints have been used throughout.
The energy efficient building has a passive solar design. Climate is controlled naturally by a light coloured roof reflecting the worst of the summer sun, and high ceilings and cross-floor ventilation to draw the heat out. Walls and ceilings are insulated with natural insulation materials.
"This is a non-toxic environment and at the same time, the whole building has been carefully designed to minimise stress on the environment," Ophelia says.
Local basalt rocks, sculptured to window height against exterior walls, preserve winter warmth and summer cool while giving a sense of permanency as well as an alpine architectural flavour.
Rooms have been positioned so that the activities taking place in the different areas face a quality of sunlight that best supports that activity. The dining room for example, is oriented to be conducive to digestion.
Colours schemes have also been chosen for well-being Ophelia, coming from a career background in clothing manufacture and fabric design, has taken great care in working with complimentary and therapeutic colours.
The bedrooms are in various warm shades of blue for peace and rest while the dining area is in shades of pumpkin to aid digestion. The main common room has five, all very carefully chosen upper rainbow colours to give a lively feeling. Colours and textures of natural materials create a therapeutic atmosphere.
"It's a dynamic room with the walls in socialising colours," Ophelia says. "Every person responds to a different colour so we have decorated with every colour in the furnishings to give a balance."
A wind generator powers lighting, and water is solar heated. When guests turn off their last power switch, all electricity connections to the bed heads automatically shut down so that no one sleeps with electro-magnetic frequency. Similarly, cables don't cross in rooms to avoid emission from cords.
Similar attention has been paid to landscaping the four hectares of private sub-tropical gardens surrounding the house. Walkways wind through the forests and gullies, bamboo groves and orchards, dams, and past a spring fed pond littered with water lilies where rainbow fish control the mosquito larvae.
The Rechlins bought their Buderim acreage in 1993 and have since set about realising their vision, always working with the natural contours of the land. They were not ready to build their house until the planting and landscaping was complete.
"The land told us what to do. We had to grow with the land and it became a passion," Ophelia says. "We came to know the seasons and planted in tune with the elements."
There is bush tucker in the forest, a permaculture rainforest orchard of 100 fruit trees, exotics scattered among the natives and a biodynamic vegetable garden using potentised biodynamic preparations to balance the earth and the cosmos. "Our aim is to create a sustainable eco-system." Ophelia explains.
The retreat has seven ensuite guestrooms radiating from the centre and there is not a basic square or rectangle among them.
A Winter Room, which captures the sun's warmth on winter days, opens to the winter gardens on one side and the huge central common room on the other. On June 21, the winter solstice, the sun is in line with the front door of the winter room. Its movement from there is visible evidence that the seasons are changing.
Hospitality is also a key part of the experience. From her own experiences travelling annually to Europe with her manufacturing business, Ophelia knows what it is like for guests to be a stranger among others in modern accommodation.
The environment of the Aquila Retreat encourages conversation and friendships among fellow travellers and holiday makers. A long bench table and lounges provide social opportunities to join a group, while those who prefer privacy with just a few companions can adjourn to smaller tables.
Huge windows and sliding doors in the common room open to long, wide decks, which bask in magnificent coastal views and where scattered tables and chairs, within sight, sound and scent of the gardens, provide a serene venue for a coffee or breakfast.
As Aquila, by design, is not just another retreat but an experience and a destination within a destination, guests are welcome to laze around all day and simply soak up the healthy environment.
"The colour and form enriches the spirit and soul," Ophelia says. "It stimulates an environment that contributes to the health and well-being of the occupants. It's a home with a healthy indoor climate that allows the house to breathe, and the mind and spirit to flourish in an environment as free as possible of chemicals, carefully designed on Prabhat's inspiration."

FURTHER INFORMATION: Ophelia Rechlin, phone 5445 3681 or 0417 614 507.

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