TOTAL WELLNESS VILLAGE PROJECT CONCEPT PAPER

A One Stop Alternative, Holistic and Complementary Therapy Center for Total Wellbeing for Body , Mind, Emotion and Spirit, that has facilities for Wellness Tourism, Retirement Village, Budget Hotel and Orphanage.


Project Concept


By Dr. Thomas Kwan
Msc.D. (U.S.A.), D.M.H. (U.K.) Corporate & Life Coach, Trainer & Speaker on Metaphysics Science.


Table of Contents Page
Introduction 3
Construction Design Models 4
Therapy Center 5
Retirement Village 7
Budget Hotel 8
Organic, Herbal & Flower Essence Farming 8
Orphanage 8
Cultural Center 9
Souvenir Fair 9
Funding 9
Management Team 10
Marketing & Sales 10
Skills Training 10
Summary 11
Appendixes List 12

Introduction
It started in the year two thousand when I had a vision in my meditation of a center to cater to the growing needs of people looking for alternative, holistic and complementary therapy under one roof.
A facility such as this would be an advantage to the consumer because they do not need to look for and travel far for all their wellness needs.
As a practitioner, the main advantage is being in a place that naturally draws the consumer crowd thus reducing advertising and market development cost.

Such a facility would also provide jobs and career opportunities for many through direct or supporting services and industries especially when the wellness village is located in a province with suitable infrastructure.

Some of the economic benefits that the wellness village would bring to the province will be secondary. These would be in the form of increased tax dollars and use of local businesses for operational needs such as food, tours, utilities, long term work force of local employees or service providers etc.

Other benefits will be in the form of tourism dollars through eco-tourism, wellness tourism and alternative health related businesses that will be the major component of the wellness village, which is marketed to become a destination for groups and individuals.

Another long term benefit would be the creation of facilities designed to fulfill the needs of clientele which will be able to afford to invest their time and money into health related workshops and related activities for all four levels of body, mind, emotion and spirit. The wellness village will also be built with eco friendly systems.

The wellness village will incorporate a retirement community that becomes an all season local resident and visitor base with the intention to create a more reliable and diverse economic base over the long term for the province, ultimately benefiting the entire region by bringing in a steadier flow of revenue.

This concept is not new as there are smaller complexes existing that are run by specific religious organizations. There are existing religious organizations that build and run their own orphanages, retirement homes and even health care clinics and hospitals.
However the key to this proposed concept is to have such a complex that is void of any religious influence that are open to all religious faith and in this way will be able to tap upon the vast wellness tourism industry and retirement village for many.

Construction Design Models Depending on the land and funding resources, there are two models put up to ignite creative ideas for the wellness village.

Single Multi-story Building: The first is shown in Appendix # 1 where the therapies are housed in a multi-story building surrounded by other facilities such as orphanage and retirement housing etc. This design requires more capital to construct besides the land cost. The design is only an outline of the purpose filled layout for each floor but the actual plans are dependent on the funding and business concept that determines the total floor area.

Multiple Building Therapy Complex: The second model as indicated in Appendix # 2 shows the wellness village spread out in a wider area. This is a much cheaper way to implement as there is no need for high cost construction.

It is a growing trend in North America, Europe and Australia to use recycled ten year old shipping containers to build housing. The shipping containers have strong framework that are designed to withstand heavy multidirectional loads. The container walls, ceiling and floor can be replaced with other suitable materials for climate and sound insulation, waterproofing etc. Several containers can be combined together to make up bigger floor spaces and even stacked for more floors. Appendix # 4 shows various designs of spaces created from recycled shipping containers.
Construction cost is estimated to be half of traditional way of construction thus making it more feasible and an added advantage of recycling used shipping containers. Before the recent world economic crisis, a 10 year old 20 foot shipping container cost US$1,800. But because of the economic crisis many container yards around the world are filled with old shipping containers and are offered free of charge to any takers.

This second model also makes the implementation much more flexible and cost effective because potential tenants and owners could choose from an array of designs and then build to order on site.

There is also a world wide effort to promote the use of bamboo for low cost housing, resorts and luxury housing as indicated in Appendix # 5.
Another alternative low cost way of building includes the use of “paper-create” where recycled paper are incorporated into the cement mix. There are also other alternative ways of construction where local natural available materials are used.

Location: Regardless of either construction models, the ideal location should be out of city limit to provide the natural healing benefits of nature through a tranquil environment and also blending with earth’s harmonics.

Infrastructure: The location should have available infrastructure for water, electricity, sewerage, waste disposal, service roads, street lighting, security and fire fighting facilities.

Therapy Center The center could attract practitioners and consumers of the following therapies;
Acupressure, Acupuncture, Aquatic-Therapy, Alexander Technique, Anthroposophical Medicine, Aromatherapy, Art Therapy, Auricular Acupuncture, Autogenic Therapy, Ayurveda, Bach Flower Therapy, Bates Method, Bio-energy Healing, Biofeedback, Biomechanical Re-alignment Therapy, Body-centered Psychotherapy, Breath-Therapy, Chirokinetic Therapy, Chiropractic, Cognitive-Therapy, Colon-Hydrotherapy, Color Resonance Therapy, Counseling, Craniosacral-Therapy, Crystal and Gem Therapy, Dance/Movement Therapy Detoxification, Dream Therapy, Ear Candling, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Energy Medicine, Enzyme Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR), Feldenkrais, Gerson Therapy, Herbalism, Homeopathy, Hoxsey Cancer Therapy, Hydrotherapy, Hypnotherapy, Indian Champissage, Iridology, Kinesiology, Kundalini Yoga, Laughter Therapy, Life Coaching, Light Therapy, Lymph Drainage Therapy, Magnet Therapy, Massage Therapy, Meditation, Metabolic Typing, Mindfulness, Music Therapy, Myotherapy, Natural Hormone Replacement for Men, Natural Hormone Replacement for Women, Naturopathy, Neural Therapy, Nutritional Therapy, Ortho-Bionomy Osteopathy, Oxygen Therapy, Physical Therapy Pilates, Pranic Healing, Psychotherapy, Q2 Water Energy System, Qigong, Quantum Training, Raindrop Therapy, Rapid Eye Technology, Rebirthing, Reflexology, Regression Therapy, Reiki, Relaxation Therapy, Rife/Bare Therapy, Rolfing, Rosen Method, Sedona Method, Shamanic Healing, Shiatsu Massage, Sound Therapy, Spiritual Healing (Prayer), Su Jok Therapy, Tai Chi, Thai Massage Therapy, Therapeutic/Healing Touch, Thought Field Therapy (TFT), Traditional Chinese Medicine, Trager Work, Tree-Gong, Trigger Point Therapy, Urine Therapy, Vision Therapy, Water Therapy , Watsu, Yoga, Zero Balancing, etc.

Retirement Village
Rising Market Needs: As can be seen, the world’s largest population group is the baby boomers and they are starting to be in their retirement ages. A new industry has sprung up to cater to this group for their retirement needs and many are looking into options for a place where they can be looked after in a caring and affordable manner.

There are several well managed retirement complexes in Australia and England that cater to the upper middle class. But the worldwide bigger market to cater to the middle class has yet to be tapped upon.

Housing for the Effluent Retirees: The retirement village consists of three housing categories as illustrated in Appendix # 3 showing various designs of British garden design concepts of cottage-like units. ;
The first housing category being “In place housing” describes where the elderly choose to live in their own homes.

The second category is “Congregate housing” where meals are served in common dining room, and housekeeping and nursing services are provided, even though individuals live in their own quarters.
Depending on the consumer requirements and management policies, some congregate housing can be of the “continuing care” type, which is a more intensive community geared to providing health care and maintenance services until death.

The third known as “Shared housing” describes the type in which at least two unrelated persons live together in a dwelling unit, each one having one’s own private space and sharing other common areas such as a kitchen, dinning room, and / or living room.

Independence and control seem to be the most important aspects of elderly housing regardless of housing type (Berkowitz 1988). People who live closer to the ground tend to have healthier lives as they are close to the healing harmonics of Mother Nature.

Life Purpose: Children living in the orphanage within the complex will be able to gain from the experiences of the retirees. This could provide a sense of life purpose for the retirees rather than just waiting aimlessly for the last day of their lives.

Medical Facilities: Apart from the availability of the holistic therapies, there should be a twenty four hour clinic that can provide modern medical services in case of emergencies.

Budget Hotel: Within the wellness village, there should be a budget hotel for tourist and visiting seminar speakers, trainers, therapy specialist etc. Sample designs can be seen in the pictures showing the use of recycled shipping containers.

Organic Vegetables, Herbal & Flower Essence Farming: Many alternative, holistic and complementary therapy use organically grown vegetables and herbs as part of the therapy regime. Batch flower remedies use flower essence for their tincture etc. It is therefore appropriate to have organic, herbal and flower farming within the wellness village. This also serves as farming therapy for some seeking wellness.
As it may not be possible to be fully organic certified due to the soil conditions at the location, a combination of other technologies such as hydroponic and aeroponic may be used to meet the food and remedy requirements. New vertical hydroponic and aeroponic technologies also require less land space for the same yield as compared to traditional farming methods. Organic plant nutrition is now readily available for hydroponic and aeroponic farming.

Orphanage: Facilities to provide lodging, education, skill development and any other needs for qualified orphans could be within the wellness village.
Most charity projects have an annual problem of raising funds for the following year and this can be retified by the following concept; Ten percent of the rental of space and sales of goods and services could go to the financing of the orphanage.
For both the consumer and practitioners, knowing that ten percent of their spending goes to a good cause could serve as an intangible benefit.

Cultural Center: As the complex caters to wellness tourism, there should also be a facility for cultural shows to entertain and familiarize foreigners of the local culture thus making their stay enjoyable. This aspect of the complex feature could also be catered by the local community and perhaps when appropriate by the orphans.

Souvenir Fair: There should also be a place where souvenirs can be bought. Small spaces from as little as two square meters could be suitable for small business owners. Owners who want larger spaces could also use re-modified shipping containers to suit their needs.

Funding: The project could be funded by philanthropist who may have the land and financial resources to build the infrastructure and buildings.
The rental of spaces should take care of monthly expenses for the management and maintenance of the complex.

Management Team: A professional management team will oversee the profitability of the entire wellness village.
The management team should consist of division vice presidents each responsible for the following departments;
1) Marketing & Sales (Local & International)
2) Therapy Center Management
3) Retirement Village Management
4) Budget Hotel Management
5) Orphanage Management
6) Building Facility & Utility Management
7) Administration & Security
8) Payroll and Financial Control

Marketing & Sales: This is the most crucial division that is responsible for promoting the wellness village to the following;
a) As a preferred destination for wellness tourism needs.
b) As a retirement village with the right facilities and topped up with unparalleled professional standard of care givers.
c) Health care providers be it products or services.
The wellness tourism industry is spending huge sums of money on developing new attractions, improving products and for building the infrastructure. The way in which the risk level can be minimized is only through the adoption of a marketing strategy which provides products and services related to the needs of consumers.

Skills Training: The work force has to be trained in new skills in order to maintain a high level of proficiency for the profitability of the center. This is also vital for maintaining a high standard to differentiate from copy cat players who may also see the significant impact on the economy.
Inadequate quality of service and facilities are major obstacles in the wellness industry.
Wellness tourism provides a wide variety of job opportunities at various levels.
a) Entry level employment for relatively unskilled and semiskilled workers.
b) Employment for higher skilled craft persons.
c) Professional level opportunities for well-educated decision makers.
One approach is to entice professional institutions and associations of alternative, holistic and complementary therapies to conduct regular certification courses to train, upgrade and maintain the level of proficiency of care givers. This will ensure the level of professionalism and standard of the center for long term reputation and benefits.

Summary: Tourism is one of the most successful and fast growing business activities in the world and of late, wellness tourism has shown a steady increase over the years. This is because of the growing aging world population and the need to find alternative, holistic and complementary health care.

A total wellness village as presented in this project concept paper has shown the potential for answering the needs of this growing market. It has also shown the extent of creating vast amounts of jobs directly or indirectly that is required to meet the growing consumer needs.
The task now is to find a person or a group of people who share the same vision and have the resources to materialize this vision for the highest good for all.

A project of this scale will definitely leave a legacy behind for many generations to come as it will touch the lives of those who are part of it be it as a giver or receiver of the total wellness village.


Appendixes List: Please refer to attached documents for the relevant appendixes.
Appendix # 1 Page 1 of 6 (Single Building Concept Therapy Center Front View).
Appendix # 1 Page 2 of 6 (Single Building Concept Therapy Center 1st Floor).
Appendix # 1 Page 3 of 6 (Single Building Concept Therapy Center 2nd Floor).
Appendix # 1 Page 4 of 6 (Single Building Concept Therapy Center 3rd Floor).
Appendix # 1 Page 5 of 6 (Single Building Concept Therapy Center 4th Floor).
Appendix # 1 Page 6 of 6 (Single Building Concept Therapy Center Plan View).
Appendix # 2 (Multiple Building Therapy Center Concept Overview).
Appendix # 3 Page 1 of 2 (British Garden Design Retirement Cottages).
Appendix # 3 Page 2 of 2 (British Garden Design Retirement Cottages Interior).
Appendix # 4 Page 1 of 5 (Recycled 10 Year Old Shipping Container Structures).
Appendix # 4 Page 2 of 5 (Recycled 10 Year Old Shipping Container Structures).
Appendix # 4 Page 3 of 5 (Recycled 10 Year Old Shipping Container Structures).
Appendix # 4 Page 4 of 5 (Recycled 10 Year Old Shipping Container Structures).
Appendix # 4 Page 5 of 5 (Recycled 10 Year Old Shipping Container Structures).
Appendix # 5 (Eco-Friendly Bamboo Housing Examples).
Appendix # 6 Pages 1 to 7 (Samples of Dome Housing Etc)

Any person or party that is interested to know more or want to discuss how to materialize such a proposed project can contact Thomas Kwan.