The Paradigm

The Main Objective is that we all advance and grow together as a species. We cannot grow or access our creative, problem solving minds when we are stuck in Fight, Flight or Freeze.

The fight-flight-freeze response is a natural survival instinct that helps individuals react to perceived threats. It triggers a series of physiological changes that prepare the body to respond swiftly to protect itself:

Fight: Involves an aggressive response to a threat by taking action to eliminate the danger
Flight: Urges the individual to run away from danger
Freeze: Causes an inability to move or act against a threat, resulting in paralysis or immobility
Some also include a fourth element in the fight-flight-freeze response, known as “fawn” or “appease,” where individuals try to please the threatening person to avoid conflict. Another potential reaction is “tonic immobility” or “flop,” leading to complete unresponsiveness.

This response is initiated by hormonal and physiological changes, including:

Increased heart rate to boost oxygen flow to muscles
Elevated breathing rate to enhance blood and oxygen circulation to muscles
Reduced perception of pain
Heightened sense of hearing

Additionally, the response shuts off the thinking part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, and enhances the reactive and instinctive back part of the brain. While beneficial in perilous situations, it can be counterproductive if the perceived danger is not real, like in public speaking, initiating a hard conversation at work or a construction project going over budget.

The nervous system, specifically the sympathetic nervous system or SNS, encounters daily challenges throughout our lifespan and without realizing it, many of us are in a constant state of over activation. When the sympathetic nervous system activates, is releases stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol to prepare us for perceived threats. While crucial in perilous situations, frequent or prolonged activation can lead to adverse health outcomes such as anxiety, depression, heart issues, and compromised immune function. Moreover, this activation can distort our perception of threats, influencing our worldview and interactions with others, ultimately altering our thoughts and mindset negatively, perpetuating a state of fear and distorting our perspective of the world around us. Despite its significance, many individuals lack the knowledge required to regulate or deactivate this essential system once triggered. Striving for homeostasis within our nervous system is pivotal for maintaining clarity of thought, gaining a proper perspective, and making informed decisions.

Understanding and managing our nervous system is integral to overall well-being. By actively tending to this vital system, we can enhance our mental and physical health, improve our stress management capabilities, and lead more fulfilling lives.

In recognizing the pivotal role a healthy nervous system plays, Andrasta Design + Consulting (AD + C) acknowledges that any construction project is likely to trigger the sympathetic nervous system due to various perceived threats, such as exceeding budgets, errors by contractors or designers, extended project timelines, confusion among clients, and more.

In recognizing the pivotal role a healthy nervous system plays, Andrasta Design + Consulting (AD + C) acknowledges that any construction project is likely to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system due to various perceived threats, such as exceeding budgets, errors by contractors or designers, extended project timelines, confusion among clients, and more.

How does this relate to design and construction, and where does AD + C stand on this matter?

AD + C addresses perceived threats by adopting an interdisciplinary approach that fuses community, business, architecture, and design. By blending natural, applied, and human sciences with building science and STEM, we aim to provide a holistic experience for end-users. While the industry often emphasizes STEM fields, human sciences like psychology, philosophy, social justice, neurology, and biology are frequently overlooked. Nonetheless, at AD + C, we understand that construction projects, whether new builds or renovations, are emotionally charged processes that significantly impact self-perception and community relations. These projects can evoke negative behaviors stemming from stress, financial constraints, timelines, communication breakdowns, and trust issues, affecting personal peace and agency. Emotions play a vital role in shaping our actions, expectations, and team dynamics; neglecting emotions in construction fosters avoidance, resulting in confusion and miscommunication during projects. This results in broad stroke distrust for industry denizens and clients alike, which ultimately hurts us all.

At AD + C, we emphasize that addressing emotional and psychological aspects is as crucial as managing the technical elements of construction. Our holistic and humanistic approach ensures that emotional well-being is prioritized for all stakeholders, fostering a cooperative and satisfying project experience.

By integrating human sciences into our methodology, we emphasize empathy and active listening, understanding clients’ concerns, and providing transparent communication to alleviate stress. Our team is trained to identify stress indicators and implement strategies that promote calmness and focus to maintain a balanced parasympathetic nervous system.

Our dedication to a comprehensive approach extends to project management, using psychological techniques to enhance teamwork and resolve conflicts efficiently. Guided by social justice principles, we ensure all voices are heard and respected, while philosophical insights help navigate ethical dilemmas, maintaining integrity throughout the process.

Moreover, acknowledging the physical impact of stress, we promote practices that enhance physical well-being, such as mindfulness exercises and ergonomic designs to reduce physical strain. Workshops and resources on stress management and effective communication are offered to both our team and clients.

We foster open discussions on mistakes, recognizing that errors are inevitable in every project. Mistakes made by the design and construction team, as well as by clients, are part of the process. Embracing a culture that values vulnerability and learning over perfection and blame allows us to collectively grow and improve. By openly addressing mistakes, we can adapt our strategies, learn from them, and build stronger, more resilient projects. This approach encourages transparency, mutual respect, and a focus on solutions rather than assigning blame, fostering team morale, collaboration, and innovation.

Our aim is to create an inclusive work environment where imperfections are embraced, leading to collective growth and enhanced project outcomes. By combining technical expertise with emotional intelligence, AD + C not only delivers successful construction projects but also enriches the experience for all involved. We endeavor to build trust, understanding, and community resilience, ensuring that the construction process is as rewarding as the final result.

Multidiscipliary & Interdisciplinary Design – A Visual

“Usually art is for expression, science is for exploration, engineering is for invention and design is for communication. Why can’t we take these four squares and make a circle out of them? A Clock-where you are constantly moving or shifting from one domain to another and the input of one domain becomes the output for another. If you think of science, science converts information to knowledge. Engineering turns knowledge into utility. And design converts utility into cultural behavior in context. Art is taking that cultural behavior and questions our perception of the world. And if you believe in the Cinderella moment, in the 12 o’clock – in that place, in the midnight hour, you know that’s when Picasso meets Einstein, Art meets science, changes in our perception effect the way we capture data and it can only happen if you believe in magic.”

-Nari Oxman: Abstract; The Art of Design