Lawmaker wants buildings done in Feng Shui-style

SAN FRANCISCO – A California lawmaker thinks buildings in the state should be more light and airy to allow for positive energy flow — and maybe have more mirrors.

San Francisco Democrat Leland Yee, assistant speaker pro tempore of the State Assembly, said that he has introduced a resolution urging the state architect and California cities to adopt design standards that allow for the use of Feng Shui principles. Feng Shui, which translates as ‘Wind’ and ‘Water’, is the Chinese art of geomancy and dates back at least 4 000 years.The goal is to encourage the flow of “chi”, or positive energy, and create living spaces that are in harmony with the environment and promote happiness, health and prosperity.Many Feng Shui guidelines are based on common sense, such as placing beds and desks facing doorways, using wall colours to stimulate certain moods and eliminating clutter.Others include using mirrors to create a sense of light and space in rooms and installing fountains to charge the air with more negative ions and help reduce pollutants like dust, pollen and smoke.”The concept of Feng Shui is a simple one: to improve your life by improving your relationship to the environment around you,” said Yee, who is also a child psychologist.Yee said he also introduced the resolution after hearing about builders whose Feng Shui designs were rejected due to restrictive local ordinances.Recently, some San Francisco real estate agents turned to Feng Shui as a marketing tool to help sell million-dollar-plus homes that moved more slowly after the dot-com bust.”It’s not about superstition or religion,” Yee said.”It’s not esoteric”.The resolution, which is non-binding, must pass a committee before it can be considered by the full Assembly.- Nampa-APFeng Shui, which translates as ‘Wind’ and ‘Water’, is the Chinese art of geomancy and dates back at least 4 000 years. The goal is to encourage the flow of “chi”, or positive energy, and create living spaces that are in harmony with the environment and promote happiness, health and prosperity. Many Feng Shui guidelines are based on common sense, such as placing beds and desks facing doorways, using wall colours to stimulate certain moods and eliminating clutter. Others include using mirrors to create a sense of light and space in rooms and installing fountains to charge the air with more negative ions and help reduce pollutants like dust, pollen and smoke. “The concept of Feng Shui is a simple one: to improve your life by improving your relationship to the environment around you,” said Yee, who is also a child psychologist. Yee said he also introduced the resolution after hearing about builders whose Feng Shui designs were rejected due to restrictive local ordinances. Recently, some San Francisco real estate agents turned to Feng Shui as a marketing tool to help sell million-dollar-plus homes that moved more slowly after the dot-com bust. “It’s not about superstition or religion,” Yee said. “It’s not esoteric”. The resolution, which is non-binding, must pass a committee before it can be considered by the full Assembly. – Nampa-AP