The instrumentality of the compass.

The compass is a useful tool that allows us to travel to the correct path by pin pointing the direction, but the historical usage of the compass differs from the modern purpose. The Chinese ancestors used the earliest form of the compass (details on previous post) to harmonize their environment and architecture within nature.

The “feng shui compass”, which heavily relies on astronomy and geomancy, was used to find the link between humans and the universe. The idea of feng shui further breaks down to different techniques that allowed the architect to look at different elements within the site before the building construction began. The elements involved: qi (the energy), yin and yang, and ba gua (the eight trigrams [covered in today’s lecture]). After the architect examines all of the elements with the feng shui compass, then the architect decides and coordinates the perfect spot depending on the program of the building. The tradition of feng shui compass evolved and it’s still being used to guide modern architects to plan their projects.

Although the technique relates less to the heaven and earth, the idea remains: to locate the main entrance, main hall, windows, walls, stairs and rooms. The notion of “the perfect spot” always derives the architect to find ideal locations for each of the individual elements within the architecture. When all of the elements of feng shui are in harmony, the function and experience of the space could change in a way that dwellers are naturally welcomed and adapted to the architecture.

jason yoo

photo by shutterstock http://photo-dict.faqs.org/phrase/3462/feng-shui-compass.html