Publisher Description

Haute Couture Architecture: The Art of Living Without Walls by Anneke van Waesberghe is so much more than a book about tented green building architecture.The book is part design manifesto, part personal diary, and part manual for future sustainable living. One in which rampant consumerism has been replaced by a more thoughtful design from the excesses of modern times to a new state of being for living sustainably and in harmony with the rhythms of the planet. It is the tale of one woman's odyssey living alone in the jungle finding true meaning in life and manifesting its beauty into a way of sustainable living that may set a blueprint for our future existence on Earth. The author leads readers to encounter a new paradigm by showing the luxury of simplicity and the beauty of small things.With our consumer way of living and doing things and how the world is evolving, the pace we follow as consumers rather than humans has become outdated and is not the way to go forward. We cannot solve new problems that follow our destructive actions; we have to shift our thinking from Me to We. Haute Couture architecture respects artisans, hand-made goods, self-sufficiency, and caring for nature. Being close to nature is a lifestyle of forward-thinking outside the box and is a natural means to discovering ourselves.Ultimately Haute Couture Architecture: The Art of Living Without Walls bridges the gap between nature and architecture.

Back Cover

Haute Couture Architecture: The Art of Living Without Walls by Anneke van Waesberghe is so much more than a book about sustainable design in tented architecture or green hotel design. It is a memoir and the story of a very personal journey from the excesses of modern times to a new state of being, one in which rampant consumerism has been replaced by a more thoughtful design for living sustainably and in harmony with the rhythms of the planet. She leads readers to encounter a new paradigm by showing the luxury of simplicity and the beauty of small things. Applying her design for the environment principles, van Waesberghe chronicles this transition in a highly individual account of her journey from a successful social entrepreneur to an enlightened designer. The book overflows with specially made full color photographs, delicate watercolors, and compelling illustrations. It is part design manifesto, part personal diary, and part manual for future sustainable living.

Flap

Dutch-born Anneke van Waesberghe is an author, designer, and environmentalist. By the age of 32, she had created and sold an international publishing company based out of Brussels. With these proceeds, she established a nonprofit organisation that brought together sustainable design culture from Japan and the West. In the early nineties her nonprofit, East Meets West, developed Design For the Environment (DFE) guidelines, sponsored by AT&T, JP Morgan, 3M, the Dutch Agency for Energy and Environment (NOVEM) and the National Endowment for the Arts. The DFE guidelines were adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to whom she, together with her foundation and the Dutch Government, presented draft proposals for corporate environmental reporting and green tax initiatives. The DFE guidelines were endorsed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the Council of European Communities, the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design, NOVEM and the Environmental Defence Fund. She guest lectured design for the environment at design schools worldwide, and consulted for multinationals around the US, Europe, and Asia. In 1997 she moved from New York to Ho Chi Minh City, and finally Bali, where she established Escape Nomade, a producer of sustainable luxury tented accommodations. She continues to live in Bali, extending her philosophy of sustainability and 'Living Without Walls' by creating Haute Couture Architecture resorts and private residences for clients worldwide.

Author Biography

Dutch-born Anneke van Waesberghe is an author, designer, and environmentalist. By the age of 32, she had created and sold an international publishing company based out of Brussels. With these proceeds, she established a nonprofit organisation that brought together sustainable design culture from Japan and the West. In the early nineties her nonprofit, East Meets West, developed Design For the Environment (DFE) guidelines, sponsored by AT&T, JP Morgan, 3M, the Dutch Agency for Energy and Environment (NOVEM) and the National Endowment for the Arts. The DFE guidelines were adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to whom she, together with her foundation and the Dutch Government, presented draft proposals for corporate environmental reporting and green tax initiatives. The DFE guidelines were endorsed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the Council of European Communities, the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design, NOVEM and the Environmental Defense Fund. She guest-lectured design for the environment at design schools worldwide, and consulted for multinationals around the U.S., Europe, and Asia. In 1997 she moved from New York to Ho Chi Minh City, and finally Bali, where she established Escape Nomade, a producer of sustainable luxury tented accommodations.Susan Cohn Rockefeller (born 1959) is an entrepreneur, conservationist, and filmmaker. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Musings. She also designs jewellery with themes that fit in with her work.Robert Thurman is an American Buddhist author and academic who has written, edited, and translated several books on Tibetan Buddhism. He was the Je Tsongkhapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, before retiring in June 2019.William Andrews McDonough is an American architect, designer, and author. McDonough is founding principal of William McDonough + Partners, co-founder of McDonough MBDC, as well as co-author of Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things and The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability—Designing for Abundance. McDonough's career is focused on creating a beneficial footprint. He espouses a message that we can design materials, systems, companies, products, buildings, and communities that continuously improve over time.

Review

"Thinking
about your nomadic lifestyle, it will be more and more necessary as the world
is forced to de-industrialize, so might as well be done with excellence and
elegance, whenever possible." - Robert Thurman, USA

"Have you ever thought about living in a tent
all year round? Would you stay in a tent at a boutique hotel on your next
holiday?
The Art of Living Without Walls: Haute Couture
Architecture was written by Anneke Van Waesberghe, a well-traveled individual
who established Escape Nomade, a company that designs and installs luxury,
eco-friendly tents. This book discusses Anneke's passion for living
harmoniously with nature, the importance of ecotourism, and the evolution of
society into a new paradigm as humans shift into living new lifestyles of
simplicity. Descriptions and photos of her extraordinary creations in Cambodia,
Indonesia, Tokyo, Bali, Thailand, and Sri-Lanka are also featured. Eastern
culture and various concepts of design are reflected throughout the book too.
The Art of Living Without Walls: Haute Couture Architecture is not only
Anneke's design and lifestyle journal, but it is also a guidebook for simple
living, and partly a travel publication.
Pictures speak a thousand words. Beautiful
photographs and watercolor illustrations brought this book to life. My eyes
thirstily drank in scenes of rivers, lush rice terraces, tents nestled within
nature, mouthwatering foods, exotic fashions, and models lounging in natural
settings. This is what I enjoyed the most. I felt as if I were transported to
the places that were portrayed. I was astonished to see tented residences
featuring removable panels, decks, pools, lights, and spas. I got a taste of
what the author was trying to evoke as all of her creations were installed in a
natural setting. These pictures roused within me a longing for eco-friendly
travel. I really want to experience living in one of these tents.
I admired Anneke's lifestyle in Bali. She
lives without unnecessary material things. She described how she and her staff
created many useful secondary products from coconuts. I was amazed at this. She
also embraced tea-drinking as a healthy ritual, and, the Balinese custom of
blessing her tools. Her short anecdotes about these things provided rare
insights into her unique way of living in synchrony with nature and culture.
Anneke's environmental concerns and her laser
focus on sustainability are inspirational. I can relate to her explanations
about the evolution of travelers from the year 2000 to 2020. She stated that
more people in recent times have naturally felt drawn to visiting places that
can connect them to history, nature, and local communities. This can be seen on
social media. I have only now realized that the places I have chosen to
leisurely visit in the past few years also reflect this innate need for natural
connections. It'll be a wise choice for those in the travel industry to place
ecotourism at the heart of their businesses. I liked that this book was able to
present this new travel trend to its readers because it can spark a big change
in the tourism sector.
Designers, hoteliers, environmental
conservationists, travelers, and eco-tourists will enjoy reading this book.
However, some traditional architects may not agree with the concepts portrayed." - Online Book Club


A true global-nomad's ode to the survival of living
simplistic on planet Earth, and while certainly not on a native-nomad's diet of
ground barley with mutton and butter-salt tea, Anneke van Waesberghe takes us
by the hand, generously sharing her remarkable experiences of milking, shearing
and butchering on her own ecological-friendly and elegant journey. Without any doubt, her personal story has interest far wider
than the audience of architects, scholars or students. The book is a concerted
accomplishment to record the many unique aspects in words, quotes and poetry,
and striking images and graphics. I was with her when the blessings for her Bali Sanctuary and
the well-being of all staff were performed by the priest of the neighbouring
temple. The Balinese people are spiritual deeply connected to the land. They
understand their interconnectedness and hence sacred ceremonies calling for
Shakti - the creative energy of the earth - must be held, holding the integrity
of all that will come of the grounds. Anneke was early aware we are all contributing to the forests
vanishing at an alarming rate, and sincerely evolved to become a forerunner of
the necessary movement for being in service of the land and living in harmony
with nature comfortably ... even luxuriously. Her story is a fascinating account;
simultaneously a warning for conservation of the environment, the need for
change of fatal consumerism and economics. Her book is uniquely
inspirational. To end with her love for quotes of wisdom: "Yesterday I was
clever so I wanted to change the world - today I am wise so I am changing
myself." --Elisa Everarda, Author and associate of
the Ancient Yoga Academy, India & Singapore.
"Anneke is one of the most
creative people I have ever met...The Art Of Living Without Walls reflects
years of travel and paring down the essence of how you can live in relation to
nature. Anneke imbues spirit into all of the objects that we love. Her practice
is 'design as prayer', and it is transformative and illuminating for those who
have had the privilege of experiencing it. Now The Art Of Living Without Walls
lets us all enter her world and dream with her in l'Esprit de Nomade."- Susan Rockefeller, USA

"The central theme is the author's discovery of the freedom offered by life beneath canvas in her tented sanctuary in Bali over the past 12 years. With the knowledge she learned through global travels and life-experience, van Waesberghe established a luxury tented design company in Bali and extend its holistic fundamentals to all aspects of her life. Her appreciation for a life lived within nature extends to the use and production of sustainable materials, a deep respect for local culture, simple yet elegant interior design, and the creation of experiences imbued with rituals and intentions.
"I was mentally ready to dive into a life of simplicity," she writes, "to live by satisfying only my basic needs, and let go of everything. This longing for simplicity, over time, led to a series of painless moments of growth that made me want to challenge others to follow my example towards simplicity and happiness."
Ultimately The Art Of Living Without Walls: Haute Couture Architecture is the tale of one woman's odyssey to find true meaning in life and manifest its beauty into a way of living that sets a blueprint for our future existence on earth." --Nigel Simmonds

"We are in a hurry and do
not always respect the immediate impact of designs or their future effects on nature
and humanity. However, Anneke's creation of elegant temporary structures is
symbolic of moving toward a timeless mindfulness in which we think deeply about
the things we make and the things we do". William McDonough, USA

An enriching read! The concept of living without walls was so new to me. I had
never heard of it before. It intrigued me so much that when I came across the
book, I knew I definitely had to read it. This is a beautiful piece of art dedicated to living in
harmony with nature. It explains the writer's journey about leaving behind the
cons of the modern world and returning back to nature. The pictures in the book are so soothing and calming with
lovely pastel colours and always in sync with the concept the writer is trying
to convey. The way she has explained her day's routine is most relaxing
and makes us question our own hectic mundane lifestyle. She has essentially
focused on assimilating the traditional values of Bali in each aspect of her
everyday life. I am now sure to plan to trip to Bali! I read this book as my self-meditation read, with soothing
pages after pages. I also truly acknowledge her strength to go ahead and fulfil
her dream of living in tents. She has the courage to do it without caring what
people think of her. And now she is in such harmony with nature, something that
we can never imagine for us. The writer has truly described this book as "a
proclamation for a return to pre-Fall innocence." --N.P. - India

Long Description

Haute Couture Architecture: The Art of Living Without Walls by Anneke van Waesberghe is so much more than a book about tented green building architecture. The book is part design manifesto, part personal diary, and part manual for future sustainable living. One in which rampant consumerism has been replaced by a more thoughtful design from the excesses of modern times to a new state of being for living sustainably and in harmony with the rhythms of the planet. It is the tale of one woman's odyssey living alone in the jungle finding true meaning in life and manifesting its beauty into a way of sustainable living that may set a blueprint for our future existence on Earth. The author leads readers to encounter a new paradigm by showing the luxury of simplicity and the beauty of small things. With our consumer way of living and doing things and how the world is evolving, the pace we follow as consumers rather than humans has become outdated and is not the way to go forward. We cannot solve new problems that follow our destructive actions; we have to shift our thinking from Me to We. Haute Couture architecture respects artisans, hand-made goods, self-sufficiency, and caring for nature. Being close to nature is a lifestyle of forward-thinking outside the box and is a natural means to discovering ourselves. Ultimately Haute Couture Architecture: The Art of Living Without Walls bridges the gap between nature and architecture.

Review Quote

"We are in a hurry and donot always respect the immediate impact of designs or their future effects on natureand humanity. However, Anneke's creation of elegant temporary structures issymbolic of moving toward a timeless mindfulness in which we think deeply aboutthe things we make and the things we do". William McDonough , USA

Details