Modern interpretation of FengShui in contemporary sustainable residential design

Abstract

The FengShui practice, through its core philosophy, has for centuries embraced sustainability in the design of traditional living environments and natural settlements in China. There are many encounters of sustainable FengShui manifestations in the ancient Chinese settlements, some of which have been studied in this research and interpreted from the theoretical, environmental, ecological, socio-cultural and economic perspectives. Based on the research findings and their contemporary interpretation, the link between the research and practice has been formed via undertaking the residential development design study on location in Shanghai. The results of the study thus far are reported in this paper in terms of their urban and design resolution, focusing on the pursuance of the balance between three main aspects - energy, environment and ecology. The unification between circulation of Qi and environmental elements is reflected in its modern context and represented in terms of master planning on the macro scale and consideration of shelter environmental qualities on the micro scale.