Gimme Shelter
At the very beginning of each episode of ‘Naked and Afraid’, just after the contestants decide where they’re going to set up camp, they quickly get to work on building some kind of shelter. I would probably find something to wear, but I guess that’s not how the show works.
Alongside food and clothing, shelter is one of the three basic human needs, providing protection and privacy. It’s a physiological need that fuels a psychological attraction that is seated deep in our DNA.
We not only need shelter, we’re drawn to it.
From caves to skyscrapers, basic to elaborate, shelters transform a landscape. What was once just an open space, is now a place to meet, socialize, relax, eat, play, or work, as we subconsciously experience a sense of calm and comfort.
A well-designed and well-built structure will protect us from rain and sun as it withstands those elements and more over time. While that’s all well and good with our limbic system, the part of our brain that’s concerned with such things, what really engages us is its aesthetics. Our Neo Cortex wants to know what this thing looks like. Is it cool?
While this seems trivial, it’s very important.
An aesthetically appealing shelter can feel more welcoming and pleasant, boosting our mood, reducing stress, and even improving our cognitive abilities, while a visually unappealing space can have the opposite effect.
Aesthetics add emotional and psychological depth to experiences, making them more meaningful and pleasurable. Yeah, so it’s kind of a big deal that your bamboo lean-to, in the middle of nowhere, has well defined lines, even though there are no neighbors to gossip about its curb appeal.
An ICON shelter is the perfect blend of aesthetic form and durable function backed by high-quality materials, expert engineering, and artful craftsmanship.
If we’re talking shelters, pavilions, gazebos, amphitheaters, arbors, clock towers (you heard me), and even large-scale custom structural art, make it iconic and go with ICON.
I hear Sir Mick Jagger in the background, “… gimme, gimme shelter …” “it’s just an ICON away …”; I’m paraphrasing.
Stay cool and dry, my friends.