Feng shui: a Chinese approach to integrated design

Abstract

Feng Shui is a body of ancient Chinese knowledge that aims at creating a harmony between environment, buildings and people. It has influenced most traditional building design in China for thousands of years. With a desire to improve the relationship between human and the environment, there is an increasing interest for architects and other building professionals to apply the concepts of Feng Shui in building design and the built environment. However, the development of Feng Shui principles and practices are complicated and there is little research into the application of Feng Shui knowledge to the built environment and architectural design. It is suggested that interpreting Feng Shui knowledge would enable the development of a design tool from this Chinese architectural discipline. In particular, the Form School of the Feng Shui knowledge provided a holistic approach that allows integrated components and elements to be considered for the built environment. This paper investigates the principles and practice of Feng Shui and its knowledge structure to provide a broad understanding of the Feng Shui knowledge. A hierarchical structure of Feng Shui knowledge is presented which would form a useful basis for integrated design.