Feng Shui, Architecture & the Lion City

[RafflesCity]

Originally posted by redstone

It is said that if a road 'runs directly into' your property ,it is unlucky ,so you have to change the wall or the intrerior or something.

Interesting The Concourse is also octagonal shaped.

[redstone]

Perhaps of the road thing ,The Concourse is rather empty ,both the shopping mall and the office tower.I don't know about the apartments ,though.

[RafflesCity]

The Furama Hotel is another fengshui design and resembles a palm of the hand with fingers.

[huaiwei]

Originally Posted by RafflesCity

The Furama Hotel is another fengshui design and resembles a palm of the hand with fingers.

Where you get this idea from? There seems to be more then 5 fingers!

[RafflesCity]

Originally Posted by huaiwei

Where you get this idea from? There seems to be more then 5 fingers!

Thats true....hmmm anyway I read it from a fun book of fengshui in Singapore

[redstone]

Looks like row of books!

[RafflesCity]

Has anyone noticed the gold-roofed Robinson Point located smack in between the 2 towers of SGX Centre?

I wonder if there is a significance to that

[RafflesCity]

Found this article

Feng Shui And Architecture

( Excerpt from "Make A Difference" published by Hunter Douglas & Windows Furnishings, Singapore. Issue 6, January 2001)

In the talk presented at the dinner on 3 November, in connection with the Singapore Institute of Architects -Hunter Douglas Design Competition 2000 Award Ceremony, Master Ong Thiam Peng from I-Ching Geomancy Centre, elaborated on the influence of geomancy on building design and construction.

It is relevant to point out that today western doctors and the Chinese 'Sinseh' are still trying to outdo one another in the medical field, the latter carrying on the traditions of thousands of years ago, when people were dependent on the spiritual healer who prayed to the sun and the moon.

In the same way, as technology is increasingly influencing the design and construction of buildings, there is an important role for the application of ancient truths which have been recorded and transmitted through academic publications. This is particularly significant as we are addressing a group of intellectuals and professionals.

Understanding Chinese Architecture

There are several key points to note when looking at traditional Chinese architecture.

Planning is based on the 'courtyard' concept that adopts Confucian precepts. Structural design and construction are based on the 'column-beam frame', guided by the Imperial system and controlled by the feudalistic system.

Landscaping design and skills are based on the ideology of Taoism and the principles of Landscaping design and skills are based on the ideology of Taoism and the principles of Feng Shui. The metaphysics is derived from the I-Ching and Feng Shui theories. The decorative motifs are based on Chinese legends and abstract auspicious values.

Characteristics of traditional Chinese architecture

Ancient Chinese philosophy, aesthetics, psychology, geology, hydrology, and landscaping, are used in Chinese architecture, for site location and environment studies, planning and construction.

The context and understanding of how human beings respond to the natural environment resulted in the development of Feng Shui, which has been used in the selection of sites for towns and villages, and in urban planning and architectural design.

Roof formation and decoration

Traditional Chinese architecture is quite consistent all over China, due to the control exerted by the Imperial and feudalistic systems. However, one distinctive feature, where there is differentiation, is the roof. In northern China which possesses a richer culture but a weaker economy, than the south, the architecture is characterised by straight roof ridges that are easier to build. In central China, the roofs are lifted slightly upwards at the end, and in southern China, which has the strongest economy, highly tilted roofs with curved ridges, which are costly to construct, define the architecture. Traditionally, roof tiles possess a natural grey colour, except for Imperial buildings which can afford glazed roof tiles.

The edges of roofs and ridges are usually terminated with the forms of auspicious animals. An odd number of these animal forms are usually positioned along the roof tip, so that it does not 'offend' neighbouring buildings.

Colour

Most of the ancient buildings have a natural tile colour. The columns, brackets and roof supports are all made of treated hardwood and painted dark brown for protection against the weather.

In later years, buildings, especially those belonging to the Imperial family or Chinese temples, incorporated varieties of colours. The colour schemes were based on the I-Ching theories of Yin and Yang and the five elements and their attributes.

For example, red represents the warmth of a 'fire'; green, the longevity of 'wood'; and yellow, the power of the 'earth'.

Walls & decorations

Walls did not provide structural support and serve essentially as room partitions. The thickness of and material used for the wall, depend on its function and on climatic.

Columns

Columns are the main elements that support Chinese buildings, and are usually made of hardwood or concrete. Even when wood columns are used, these rest on a concrete base which prevents the wood from coming into contact with the dampness of the ground.

Roof tiles

There are basically six types of roof tiles. From the metaphysical viewpoint, the most the butterfly and roof edge tiles. The butterfly tiles streamline the rainwater flowing down the roof, into pearl-like droplets, symbolising 'heavenly wealth' and thus ensuring great prosperity. Different parts of the building, on all four sides, have roof edge tiles that are decorated with specific auspicious animal forms, to guard against evil and bring peace and harmony, throughout all the seasons.

Doors and openings

Imperial and official doors are heavily brass studded. Only Imperial buildings have 9 x 9 rows of brass studs symbolising the 'ultimate supremacy' of the numerical values obtained from the studies of the I-Ching. Officials and Imperial courts have smaller numbers, usually an add number of rows such as 7 x 9, 5 x 9 etc, the number of rows reflecting the social status of the building and the owner.

According to the I-Ching numerical studies, odd numbers represent 'Yang' attributes and even numbers, the 'Yin' attributes. That is why one or three joss sticks are used as Taoist religious offerings. Number '9' is the ultimate 'Yang' element. Hence, it is the most popular number of door studs and animal forms used as Imperial roof edge

Floor tiles

The internal and external pavements are usually made from stone and brick. Gardens and landscaped areas are finished with concrete or granite slabs and stone pebbles designed with auspicious graphics or patterns.

Windows and openings

Windows and openings are not only for the purpose of ventilation. Many shapes and forms are incorporated within the same building, each revealing a breath-taking scene beyond.

Lions

Most of the main entrances of major buildings and even graves are decorated with a pair of granite lions. The Chinese regard lions as the sentries outside a garrison, deterring any kind of intrusion. Traditionally, a female lion sits an the right of the building, with its mouth closed and holding a cub, while a male lion sits on the left of the building, holding a ball, with its mouth open, reflecting the chauvinism of early Chinese society.

[RafflesCity]

Found this online
http://www.jadedragon.com/archives/f...fengshui2.html

Singapore is another city that has had phenomenal financial growth. Its good fortune has been attributed to the persistent practice of Feng Shui by Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew. When building the Mass Transit Railroad systems in the eighties, the construction caused a decline in the economy. During a Feng Shui consultation, Mr. Lee was told that Singapore's fortune could be improved by hanging up a Ba Gua, the eight-sided Feng Shui symbol. Since the government was not sold on the placement of such a Chinese symbol, Mr. Lee instead introduced a Ba Gua-shaped one dollar coin. When the economy still did not recover, he created road tax disks in the shape of the Ba Gua and the economy immediately improved. (And consequently, every car in Singapore began hanging this symbol in their windshield.)

Years later, Mr. Lee was told that a dragon placed looking over the mouth of Singapore River and the Merlion, Singapore's symbol, would ensure Singapore's good fortune. So on the top left-hand corner of the country's fifty dollar bill, Mr. Lee placed a scene of the Singapore River, harbor, and Merlion. In this way the dragon would be forever symbolically poised above the Merlion, thereby safeguarding its prosperity forever.

[RafflesCity]

Elemental forces

18 Aug 05

The practice of fengshui is alive and well in offices throughout Singapore. TAN SU YEN tracks the ways in which this ancient Chinese art is interpreted in the CBD and beyond

VIOLET Lim isn't fanatical about fengshui, far from it. But when she was looking for business premises last year, Ms Lim figured that playing it safe would not hurt.


Everything in its proper place: Singapore's 'fengshui queen' Lynn Yap says companies that contemplate the services of a fengshui master are typically concerned about the allocation of space such as where to put the managing director's room or the sales and marketing department.


Says Ms Lim, executive director of Lunch Actually, a lunch dating service catering to business executives and professionals: 'We liked our present premises in Clifford Centre because it was within walking distance from the Raffles Place MRT. It also has a partial sea view and in fengshui, water is equated with wealth.'

When it came to renovating her premises, Ms Lim went along with the fengshui advice of a Taoist monk her mother consulted. She recalls only half in jest: 'Our office faces a service pantry at one end of the corridor and a staircase at the other. So we carefully placed our main entrance between the pantry and the staircase so our good fortune wouldn't tumble down the stairs or go down the pantry sink.'

In the office that she shares with her staff, Ms Lim positioned her desk diagonally across from the door. 'My Mum reminded me that as a business owner, I should have an unblocked view of the office, so I have good control of the business.'

Call it serendipity or call it superstition but Lunch Actually seems to be doing swimmingly. Business volume has increased four-fold in the first year of operations.

Discreet enquiries reveal that Ms Lim is not alone. Fengshui for businesses is alive and well in Singapore. Just ask fengshui Master Lynn Yap, also known as Singapore's 'fengshui queen'.

Well-hidden

Master Yap, a Business Administration graduate from the National University of Singapore, has a client list that reads like a Who's Who of the Singapore business scene. There is the foreign bank on Shenton Way, the listed energy company, the computer MNC with its own industrial park building, the beer company with the clever ad, to name a few.

According to Master Yap, companies that contemplate the services of a fengshui master are typically concerned about the allocation of space such as where to put the managing director's room, the sales and marketing department or even the server.

Banks agonise over where to place the safe, which many regard as being the heart of the bank. Usually, both local and foreign banks end up placing the safe in a well-hidden spot on the eighth floor, 8 being an auspicious number for the Chinese.

From the perspective of the fengshui practitioner, offices are divided into two sectors representing wealth and power.

Says Master Yap: 'The rationale behind this thinking is that whatever is placed in the wealth area is set to grow or multiply. We usually allocate the wealth area to the sales and marketing department so that they will be very busy and generate a high volume of sales for the company.'

While the wealth sector thrives on a constant buzz, the power sector is often the preserve of just one person - the most powerful man or woman in the office.

Says Master Yap: 'By seating the MD in the power sector, facing his most favourable direction, we ensure that the MD is truly powerful and that the company emerges as an industry leader.'

And forget about doing away with office hierarchies. Master Yap says that the ancient Chinese art of fengshui decrees that for the business to prosper, the MD should have 'the biggest room of all rooms and the largest table of all tables'.

And just to be doubly sure of a good run, he may want to place a painting of fu, or the Chinese character for prosperity, on the wall facing his table.

A wider vocabulary of auspicious Chinese characters doesn't hurt either. The MD of a subsidiary of a listed energy company placed the Chinese character for wan or 'ten thousand' (as in 'ten thousand days of fabulous profits' perhaps) facing the side of his desk. And yes, business did apparently improve after that.

And speaking of the boss, banish all thoughts of sucking up to the boss by being constantly in his line of vision. Master Yap says that executives 'should never sit directly opposite their bosses' lest conflicts erupt. In open-plan offices then this means workstations for all staff should face the same way.

And what about the facade and structure of commercial buildings?

Master Yap says: 'A building with good fengshui should be tall, regular in shape and pointed at the top to represent power.'

Buildings with round or sloping tops are discouraged as 'they may look like a coffin and how can you prosper in a building like a coffin?'

Glass walls

A proper driveway is another positive feature in commercial buildings. One such example in Raffles Place is Republic Plaza 1. Master Yap explains: 'Cars carry qi or energy into the building, creating more activity and leading to the creation of wealth in the building.'

In contrast, buildings with sharp, angular edges pointing at your offices are fengshui no-nos. Buildings with glass walls on all four sides also meet with Master Yap's disapproval as 'qi can pass through glass so it doesn't stay in the building'.

But fengshui masters aren't all about business. Occasionally, they help clients out of tight spots. Take the company with limited window offices for its managers. To solve the problem without causing offence, Master Yap analysed the birth dates of its managers. Those assigned windowless rooms were informed that 'based on your birth date you should sit in a windowless room so the company can prosper'.

Master Yap happily reports that these once hapless managers 'actually clinched a big deal five months down the road'. But did they get their window offices eventually? She is not telling.


An example of a building with good fengshui is UOB Plaza

[PeterChen]

I have read your eassy...I am very aggre with your opinion. The natural must affect our life....I would rathen believe fengshui than go against it .