Feng Shui as a Design Option for Students

Feng Shui is an alluring and inspirational design concept

Feng Shui is an alluring and inspirational design concept that many aspiring design students want to learn. The benefits of immersing into its world are many, and not just from the standpoint of design. The idea by itself is endearing, with its root set in traditions, and revolving around the energies of nature in itself.

If you are an architecture or interior design student, you might have stumbled upon Feng Shui at least once. It is an area worth exploring for all designers, and the first step is to understand the core of the concept beyond the stereotypes.

An excellent place to start would be to consider the practical information here on what Feng Shui is and what its applications are. Keep reading and you should be able to get a basic outline of the same that would help you regard how to approach it as a design option.

 

Feng Shui Explained

Understanding Feng Shui

In simplest terms, Feng Shui is a system of specific design concepts that govern the spatial orientation and arrangement of space around the desired flow of energy known as Qi. The effects can be positive (attracting money) or negative (banishing negativity) and are literally built into the layout of a room, a building, or any standing space.

The Chinese words Feng Shui translates to Wind and Water. All living things require both to sustain, and the idea has been employed in China for centuries. In modern times, the design thought has gained global attention and has branched out to adapt the modern spaces. The philosophy encourages us to incorporate the energy of nature into the living spaces, to become more in tune with the flow of Qi.

Connecting Us to Nature

With the fundamentals in nature, let us take a look at how Feng Shui aims to connect a nonliving space to nature. The objective is to nurture mindfulness of the environment you are in, whatever space it is.  In other words, it encourages us to take a break, look around and absorb the beauty of the space, and the details we often tend to overlook.

For instance, imagine yourself by the window during winter. You can see the snow falling through the window when the greys of the roofs and the roads get buried under the snowflakes. There is the smell of hot cocoa and the warmth of the blanket, while you are getting comfortable to watch your favorite movie.

On another day, it is the summer sun shining through your windows. The world is suddenly colorful and the pleasant weather is beckoning you to get out. The air is fresh, with the smell of blooms and the prospect of happiness.

Now, each of these weather conditions, even imagining them, invokes a sense in you. Every space and season affects us physically, emotionally and energetically. It tries to bring in these elements we find so close in nature into our living spaces. 

Feng Shui revolves around two main concepts; the five elements of nature; wood, fire, earth, metal and water, and the Bagua map. One can employ either of these to achieve the result. As students, you will learn more about the technical and design aspects of it in detail in academics.

The Five Elements of Nature - Earth, Fire, Wood, Water, Metal

 Benefits of Feng Shui

Feng Shui design is said to have a number of benefits from the purely aesthetic to the metaphysical. It uses simple concepts like direction, dimension, and shape to bring specific “energies” to a given space. There are those who believe the practice can be used to attract as well as banish specific energies from a physical space. Some popular applications include:

• Accumulation of Wealth
• Attracting Love
• Career Advancement
• Business Success
• Improved Health
• Fortifying Relationships
• Improved Fertility
• Accident Prevention
• Increasing Motivation
• Problem-Solving
• Mood Management
• Improving Academic Performance
• Promoting Good Emotional and Mental Health

This is why businesses and organizations from medical practices to restaurants to upscale resorts and spas underly on this concept when creating various spaces for themselves or their clients/customers.

Each of the five elements can tackle one problem area. Water elements such as fountains or even glass can improve the communication within the space, metal elements can bring you financial success, earth elements and tones can bring balance and strengthen relationships. Fire elements bring in the bold color to increase productivity whereas wood elements can encourage creativity and passion. With carefully placing each of these elements in different spaces, architects seek to stress the intent of the room while not losing its association to nature.

Why Learn Feng Shui?

Even if you don't subscribe to the perceived metaphysical benefits of Feng Shui, it is difficult to ignore the sense of order and flow that this kind of plan brings to a room or even an entire building. For architecture and interior design students, it presents an opportunity to not only learn some key popular elements but also develop their own style.

The prospect of learning another design theory might seem a bit daunting for students. The course is already challenging enough, demanding all your physical, creative and emotional energy to go into each project. Architecture is also the kind of course that requires the students to focus more on practicalities than the theory papers. This also means students get less time to focus on delivering academic papers and submissions on time.

If you find yourself in such a situation, pro essay writers from this company can help you craft papers in no time. While it is necessary to understand the theory to apply it practically, having a helping hand to complete the written works, you will surely have more time in your hands to truly learn and master the architectural design concepts.

For a topic as  interesting as Feng Shui, here are a few more reasons that might help you make the decision to start a little bit easier:

Feng Shui Is a Lucrative Career Path

Let's get the most obvious reason out of the way first. There is money in this and plenty of it. Designers who demonstrate a particular flair for even just one avenue of Feng Shui design can land very lucrative contracts and a positive result could lead to more and bigger contracts in the future. You don't have to agree with it philosophically; you just need to understand it conceptually and base designs on that understanding.

Feng Shui Is a Disciplined Design Concept

Feng Shui Is a Disciplined Design Concept

While there is a degree of stylistic license involved in it from the standpoint of things like accents and aesthetics, Feng Shui follows a very specific set of rules for each type of design concept. Certain elements that are present in spaces designed for academic enrichment may or may not be present in a design geared to promote social interaction.

Understanding how to engage all the various elements without overstepping or neglecting the key rules and concepts related to a specific project is very important. Taking the time to learn and master designing spaces in this way helps train the mind to think in specific terms about how space should be optimally designed. As it could bring in both positive and negative impacts, it is necessary to understand why something works in order to achieve the desired result.

 Feng Shui Draws on Core Architecture Concepts

Feng Shui is vital for producing good designs within a specific niche

Structural and proportional considerations play a key role in Feng Shui design. Most formal graduate programs on the topic require a demonstrated knowledge of key architectural design concepts of the overall design including the site, building typology, geographical considerations such as position and facing direction, etc.

These things are part of all smart architectural designs and knowing how all of them (and many others) relate to Feng Shui is vital for producing good designs within a specific niche. Even if you choose not to specialize in Feng Shui, there is much to be earned from how it governs various decisions in how a building or room is situated and outfitted.

While Feng Shui might have an overlying mystical quality to it, its concepts are very precise, practical, and smart. It isn't all about the metaphysical effects. Certain theories within Feng Shui are simply the most practical and useful in a given setting or situation. Learning more about it as an undergrad can make it easier to matriculate into an advanced design program later on.

There is one more reason that can increase the appeal of Feng Shui to design students. In the current setting, our lifestyles are seeming more stressful than ever. At workplaces and homes, people do seem to have many factors that contribute to stress. Whether we owe it to the changing lifestyle or lack of discipline is a topic for another time. But, while we moved from large and open flowing spaces to vertical living, there are very few of those who can afford the luxury of a bit of nature in their homes.

Conclusion

The thoughts of Feng Shui might seem more required than ever now. Amidst the chaos of our daily lives, Feng Shui brings the hope of positivity into its mundanity. It is a field that deserves more committed professionals, who have deep knowledge and understanding to pass along the ideas in the right way and make changes in lives.

Much like you are designing a space, as an architect, you also help to shape the lives of those using these spaces in many ways.

We hope that you will take the time to look into Feng Shui as a means of broadening your knowledge of architecture and interior design. We further hope that, in your pursuit of knowledge in this area, you also find a level of inspiration that can be parlayed into a profitable career in architectural design.