The basis of element feng shui is the productive and exhaustive relationship between the five elements of fire, wood, earth, water and metal. These relationships are cyclical and depending on the nature of the relationship in any given space and at any given time, they generate positive or negative effects on the luck of living and working environments.

So the introduction of any of the five elements plays a significant role in creating serenity and imbuing surroundings with an emotional atmosphere. This is felt as the ambience of space.

Too much or too little of any element can have an adverse effect on any space and how it is perceived. So the challenge is finding the right balance in the integration of the five elements into living and working spaces, and in doing this while also maintaining its aesthetics.

The Rising Energy of Fire

Elements can be introduced through different mediums. Through color, the five elements are represented as a band of visual markers. The color red evokes the expression of heat and vibrancy thus the emotional response to yang energy or fire. The physical attribute of Fire is represented through lights and physical heat such as a fireplace or kitchen. As a shape, Fire takes a triangular form–this A form creates an abstract vision of a building shooting upwards towards the skies, similar to the physical form of burning Fire; the energy created moves upwards. Shown to the right is the famous fire shaped Bank of America Tower in downtown San Francisco. Its energy shoots upwards bringing fabulous yang energy to the residents within.

The Fluidity of Water

Water is always known as the element that moulds to any shape or form. An excellent example of a water building categorized according to its form is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. This unique building wraps itself in a fluid motion suggesting a water-like shape. Set within a body of water, the use of the physical form of water helps further enhance the element of the building itself. By understanding how the cycle of elements work, water is produced through metal energy. As such, the exterior skin of the building, clad in metal sheeting, introduces the metallic energy needed to feed the water shape building.

The balance of yin and yang is also a term used for a balance between the active and the passive. In architectural design, it is important to always maintain a balance between active and passive spaces. This can be represented through private and public realms in space planning or through visual interpretation such as the serene body of water with the vibrant form of the Guggenheim museum below.

Integrating Two Elements Together

Metal represents an element that bends into a curvilinear shape, typically within a single direction. In its abstract form, it assumes a circular shape that creates a dynamic motion to instill the anticipation of something beyond the form. In color, a pristine white or grey colour palette categorizes metal. In the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the circular form highlights an architectural feature that demands your attention and evokes a mysterious entity that is almost too inviting to explore.

In the productive cycle of elements, earth becomes the source of enhancing any metallic form. Constructed in reinforced concrete, the mixture of these two elements invites the innovative use of a rigid building block to create an organic form. To further strengthen the concept of earth energy, rectilinear square accents are carefully designed to break any monotony thereby allowing the yin and yang of forms to interplay with each other.

The yin aspect is represented by the feminine circular form sitting on the square platform of the building, which takes on the yang aspect. So by playing with two basic shapes - the square and circle, this architectural masterpiece demonstrates how shapes and elements work together, bringing a spectacular yet harmonious balance to the whole building.