Architectural Feng Shui: Traditional Building Orientation

Traditional Building Orientation

In ancient times, the determination of building orientation was a very important thing. It not only takes into account the climate sunshine and environment, but also involves political and cultural aspects.

China is located in the northern hemisphere in the mid-latitude and low latitude region, determined by this natural geographic environment, the house facing south can be the wind in the winter to invoke the sun, the summer wind cool, so China's houses are basically south-oriented. Not only that, the Chinese culture produced in this geographic environment is also characterized by "south orientation". The "south face" has become a factor in the overall culture of China.

In a sense, it can even be said that Chinese culture, with its sense of direction and space, is a "south-facing culture". Such as in ancient Chinese astronomy, the stars in the sky is divided into the Green Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Xuanwu east, west, south, north, north and south of the four palaces and the Palace, the astronomical coordinates of the star map is to face the "astronomical" and painted; in ancient China's geography, the earth is divided into the nine states, the early maps were drawn, generally follow the upper and lower south and north, left, right, and west, and the map of today! Coordinates of the azimuth is exactly the same board, it is also the face of the south "overlooking the geography" and get. What's more, the emperor's ruling technique is called "the art of the south", "I Ching - said Gua Chuan": "the saint south and listen to the world, to the Ming and rule. In the Book of Rites, "The Son of Heaven stands with his face to the south". "Confucius said:" Yong, can make the south face. " ("Analects - Yong also") means that his student Ran Yong can be a big official. It can be seen that the south face means the symbol and dignity of the throne official title and power. Therefore, the ancient son of God, the Lords, Ministers and state officials, such as ascending to hear the government are sitting north to south, therefore, China's successive capital cities, palaces and halls, state and county officials Yamen are south, the result of the building orientation also embraced the cultural connotations.

The needs of human production and life are always the driving force behind the development of technology. Formulation of the calendar, the observation of heaven and earth, the construction of water conservancy, access to the thoroughfare, the construction of civil engineering, etc. need to determine the direction of the technology. Since the pre-Qin Dynasty, many kinds of direction-measuring technology have been invented and utilized, as mentioned above. Archaeological excavations have confirmed that the pre-Qin and later the palace and the city, etc., are the south as the main direction of the direction. Throughout the ages, large mausoleums have also been oriented mainly to the south. The main axis of the building group is often the north-south axis. Zhou Li: "But the king built the country, identify the square position, the body of the country through the field, set up the official position, in order to the people pole. "Building orientation has always been the rulers concerned about the major events, important building orientation of the bias or not, seen as a big deal to help secure the country. Only the orientation is correct, before and after the order can be set down, in order to "chess column hundred divisions, according to the work for Xu" ("building law style"), "set up an officer to divide the job", the country can have order, to achieve the rule of etiquette, the people live and work in peace and harmony, the world's peace of purpose.

The geomanticists of all ages have attached great importance to the orientation of the building, and it is not difficult to find this from the use of the compass. In fact, feng shui masters to see the feng shui road first to do is two things, one is the "phase of the soil taste of water" to choose a place; the second is to "identify the square position" orientation. Guan's geography refers to the Meng: "Buzhao by the beginning of the yellow bell, camping room is the square of yin and yang, in order to split the weight of the right ......, the living southward, the dead north head. "Also said:" Divination camp room two things, a discussion of the mountain, the first key for geomancy. "However, feng shui orientation in addition to the factors involved in the real profit and landscape, feng shui masters also believe that the orientation of the building should be coordinated with the cosmic yin and yang and the fate of the owner of the house echo, these make feng shui choose to a layer of superstition, resulting in the emergence of the conceptualization of the building orientation of the super-utilitarian and complexity.

How to determine the direction of the building

Modern science and technology by leaps and bounds, orientation with a variety of astronomical instruments, magnetic compass, latitude and longitude, leveling instrument, etc., than those in ancient times, what the meter pole method, lookout method, the Luo Jing is accurate I do not know how many times, it is really not what it used to be. Here will focus on the choice of building orientation should consider what factors.

The choice of building orientation, involving local climatic conditions, geographic environment, building land, etc., must be considered comprehensively. The general principle of choice is: under the premise of saving land, to meet the winter can strive for more sunshine, summer to avoid excessive sunshine, and is conducive to the requirements of natural ventilation. From the long-term practical experience, the south direction is more suitable for all regions of the country building orientation. But in the building design, building orientation by the constraints of various conditions, it is not possible to use all the south. This should be combined with a variety of design conditions, according to local conditions to determine the scope of reasonable building orientation to meet the requirements of production and life.

Select building orientation, generally from the following aspects to consider.

Various building orientation wall and indoor sunshine time and sunshine area may be obtained. The sunshine time and sunshine area on the wall of the building. The time of sunlight on the wall of a building determines how much heat the wall receives from solar radiation. In winter, because the azimuth of the sun changes in a small range, in each direction on the wall of the sunshine time varies greatly. To the Beijing area for the case, in the case of buildings without shade, the south wall of the longest sunshine time, from sunrise to sunset, can get sunshine. The north wall of the whole day does not get sunshine. In the south east (west) 300 facing the range, the winter solstice can have 9 hours of sunshine, while the east and west facing only 4.5 hours of sunshine.

In summer, due to the wide range of solar azimuth changes, the walls of each orientation, can get a certain amount of sunshine time. To the southeast and southwest orientation to get more sunshine time, less northward. Summer solstice south east and west 600 facing range, sunshine time are more than 8 hours.

The sunshine situation inside the building, and the sunshine situation on the wall is generally similar. In Beijing (window width 2.10 meters, height 1.5), for example, in the absence of shade, winter in the south-east (west) 450 direction range, indoor sunshine time are more, the winter solstice in this direction, are more than 6.5 hours of sunshine time.

At the same time, due to the lower angle of the sun's altitude in winter, the depth of illumination to the interior is greater, so in the south of the east (west) 450 facing range, the indoor insolation area are smaller. In the north east (west) 450 facing range, the winter solstice indoor sunshine.

Summer in the south east (west) 300 orientation range, not much sunshine, and the sunshine area is very small, the summer solstice indoor sunshine between 4 ~ 5.5 hours, the sunshine area is only the winter solstice of 4 ~ 7.3%. On the east and west orientation, there are more indoor sunshine hours in summer, and the sunshine area is very large, with 6 hours of indoor sunshine on the summer solstice, and the sunshine area is 2.7 times as large as that on the winter solstice. In the range of north-east (west) 450 orientation, there are 3-5 hours of indoor sunshine on the summer solstice, and the area of sunshine is also less than the east and west orientation. From the analysis of sunshine hours and sunshine area, the best building orientation in Beijing is in the range of south east (west) 300 orientation.

Various orientations of the wall may receive solar heat. The heat of direct solar radiation received on the wall, in addition to the angle of exposure and the sunshine time, but also with the sunshine time of the solar radiation intensity of the C. According to the measured values of the Beijing area for many years, calculated the coldest month (January) and the hottest month (July) the total daily amount of direct solar radiation heat received on the wall in each direction, and make the total daily amount of solar radiation heat changes (Figure 4-34), from the figure, it can be seen that in winter, each direction of the direct solar radiation heat received on the wall, the south direction of the highest for the 16,529 kilojoules / square meter - day. And in the north east (west) 300 facing range, the winter to receive no direct solar radiation heat.

In summer, each direction of the wall to receive direct solar radiation heat, to the east, west to the most, respectively, 7176 kJ / m2 - day and 8830 kJ / m2 - day, followed by the south for 4985 kJ / m2 - day, north to the least for 3031 kJ / m2 - day. As the intensity of direct solar radiation is generally low in the morning, high in the afternoon, so whether it is winter or summer, the solar radiation heat received on the wall, are west of the direction than the corresponding east of the direction is slightly higher.

The highest outdoor temperature in summer, is between 13-17 hours, when the sun's position is in the western half of the day on the azimuth. It can be seen that the building is oriented in the south west 45-900 (west) orientation range, the western sun is more intense.

The amount of ultraviolet light that may be available to the interior of various orientations, the ultraviolet light in the solar spectrum, has the effect of sterilizing and improving indoor sanitary conditions. In a day the sun's ultraviolet component, with the increase in the sun's altitude angle and increase, so a day before and after noon the most ultraviolet, after sunrise and the sun did not before the least.

According to many years of practice has proved that in the winter of each direction of the indoor acceptance of ultraviolet radiation, the south, southeast and southwest direction more, east and west direction less, about only one-half of the south. Northeast, northwest and north of the living room, receiving less ultraviolet light, too about only about one-third of the south and southeast. This is due to little or no sunshine, only to receive the sky in the scattered radiation in the trace of ultraviolet radiation. Therefore, from the acceptance of ultraviolet radiation to consider how much, 45 ° east of south to west 45 ° direction range for the better building orientation.

The relationship between the prevailing wind direction and building orientation. The dominant wind direction has a great impact on the degree of indoor heat loss in winter and indoor natural ventilation in summer, so the choice of building orientation, should be considered in the sun at the same time pay attention to the dominant wind direction.

In the northern cold regions, winter in order to building cold, most of the main living room arrangement, should avoid the dominant wind direction in winter, so as to avoid excessive heat loss, affecting the indoor temperature. Such as the Beijing area, the dominant wind direction in winter is the north and northwest wind, from the north by south east 60 ° to south west 60 ° toward the range, in the leeward side, is the appropriate direction of the building in winter to prevent cold. The following chart:

In the hot southern region, for good natural ventilation is one of the main factors in the choice of building orientation. The building should be oriented as far as possible in the direction of the incident angle of less than 45 ° with the dominant summer wind direction, so that the room gets more through the wind.

However, when the general layout is row-type way, the building should be avoided to face the dominant summer wind (i.e., the angle of incidence of the wind direction is equal to zero winter), in order to avoid the two buildings, resulting in the vortex area is too large for the rear row of the building's natural ventilation is not favorable. In this case, the building orientation should be taken with the summer dominant wind incident angle between 30 ° - 60 ° on the orientation, in order to facilitate indoor natural ventilation.

In a variety of sandy areas, the building orientation to avoid facing the sandy season and the dominant wind direction. It is desirable to make the longitudinal axis of the building parallel to the dominant wind direction of the sandy season, so as to maintain indoor sanitary conditions and reduce the large area of the wall from the sand attack. In addition, attention should be paid to the wind direction in the microclimate. The wind rose map of the country, listing the annual wind frequency and dominant wind direction throughout the year and summer, the design can find reference.

Building sitting and measurement

To accurately judge the merits of the feng shui of the house, it is necessary to know the house's back sitting and front facing azimuth on the ground plane, referred to as the sitting direction.

What does it mean for a building to be situated in the right direction? The building's sitting direction is derived from the front and back orientation of the person sitting. When a person sits, the spine is located in the direction of the sitting, the front of the body is located in the direction of the orientation. In other words, in front of the direction, behind the sitting. The "sit" of a house is the azimuth of the back end of the longitudinal axis of the building on the ground plane, and the azimuth of the front end of this axis is the azimuth. Feng Shui using twenty-four mountains to indicate the house sitting to the azimuth. The sitting direction of a building is determined by the vertical axis of the building, generally speaking, the direction where the vertical line of the back wall of the house is located is the sitting direction, and the direction where the other end of this vertical line is located is the direction. The direction of the house includes the direction of the house and the door of the direction of the two aspects. Doors have the same orientation as the house, and there are also different ones. For doors that are different from the house orientation, they should be measured separately.

First, the sitting direction of the whole building: in principle, the vertical axis of the building is the sitting direction of the building. The modern city mansion shape is complex, set to sit to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. The building is measured accurately or not to analyze the feng shui pattern of yangzhuang house has a great impact on the auspicious and inauspicious, must be measured carefully. Not allowed to sit, building feng shui good or bad will have no evidence, the proposed adjustment program is very likely to be wrong.

Second, the door of the sitting direction:

1, the gatehouse: there are courtyard houses, the courtyard's main door is called the gatehouse in ancient times, because in ancient times, the courtyard door is the door of the cover tile, a separate unit of the complex. Now it can be called the total gate of the courtyard or the total gate of the garden. The sitting direction of the main gate is either the same as that of the main building or different from that of the house. Therefore, the method of using the gate as the direction is imprecise. The main gate is the main air port of the courtyard, and the position of the gate in the courtyard and the direction in which it sits has an important influence on the feng shui of all the houses in the courtyard. Ancient saying: "a thousand pounds of gatehouse and four two halls" means that the main gate is very important, whether the location of the main gate is reasonable and the direction of the gate is right or not, it determines the feng shui of the total courtyard. Feng Shui emphasizes that the gate must be set in the prosperous position, the direction should be accurate, in order to accept the outside of the hall of the prosperous gas.

2, the total unit door: urban high-rise buildings, a building is divided into a number of units, each unit in and out of the main door is the total unit door, in general, the total unit door is located in the direction of the building is consistent with the direction of the sitting. The feng shui pattern of the main door of the unit has an impact on the feng shui of all units in and out of the door.

3, the unit door: that is, the total door of each independent unit of housing, the unit door is located in the direction of the whole building is located in the direction of some of the same, some different.

4, the room door: that is, the door of the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, study inside the unit residence. Room door is generally regardless of the sitting direction, but in the geometric center of the interior, respectively, to measure the door of each functional area in the middle position, to find out where each functional area in the unit is located in the orientation.

5, balcony door: that is, the door to the balcony.

To analyze the feng shui of a unit of housing is good or bad, the door to each floor related to this unit should be measured separately.

Third, the polygonal group of houses is not a unified sitting direction, to separate different units, respectively, to determine the sitting direction.

How to measure the orientation of the house? After clarifying the meaning of house orientation, the next question is how to measure the orientation.

The main tool for measuring the direction is the feng shui compass. The knowledge of the compass will be discussed later, here is the main introduction to how to use the compass to determine the basic method of house orientation:

1, round or polygonal house: the vertical line of the main door is the house orientation. Draw a line from the geometric center to the middle point of the door, and use the compass to determine the sitting direction.

2, rectangular house: in the back wall to determine the house's sitting direction, the house's sitting direction is perpendicular to the back wall of the house. This side of the back wall is sitting, the front wall is to the side. The back wall is not straight, you should draw a line parallel to the entire back wall, and then measure with a compass.

3, complex combination of buildings, units should be grouped to find the same group of sitting direction, measured separately.

Fourth, a few precautions to measure the sitting direction:

1, be sure to calibrate the compass before measurement, the bottom of the sea cross positioning line of the north should coincide with the north of the inner disk. When the two do not coincide, you should turn the seabed to the two completely coincide.

2, measurement, to avoid the location of rebar, iron, wire, away from the TV, radio, speakers and other magnetic objects more than 1.5 meters, to avoid the impact of magnetic objects and measurement errors. Measurement in the outdoors can not be opened under the high-voltage power lines, should leave the high-voltage power lines three to five meters.

3, in the back wall directly measuring the sitting direction, pay attention to whether the back wall is straight, the wall is what building materials, if it is a reinforced concrete back wall or reinforced concrete columns, you can not use the compass attached to the back wall to measure directly, you should draw a line measurement. Compass and reinforced concrete slab should be more than one meter apart, from the beams and columns should be more than 1.5 meters apart. Measurement of modern construction of the compass, the bottom of the sea on the compass, the thicker the better, the finer the compass, the worse the performance of anti-magnetic material interference.

4, the measurement should pay attention to avoid the peak of sunspot activity, because at this time the Earth's magnetic field is in an unstable state. Before the measurement, the compass is placed flat on the table, the magnetic needle is stationary down, observe a period of time to see whether the magnetic needle will shake, if the magnetic needle is not regularly shaken, indicating that this time the geomagnetic field is in an unstable state, at this time can not be measured. Should wait until the magnetic needle is stabilized and then measured.

5, the compass must be flat, keep the compass and the disk in a parallel state. If the compass is high on one side and low on the other, it will produce measurement errors and affect the accuracy of the measurement.

6, if the compass of the compass in the case of end flat, the magnetic needle is always high on one side and low on the other, can not maintain balance. Causes and treatment of this situation:

The thimble is tilted, the seabed should be replaced. Compass is a plastic cover, easy to generate static electricity and produce the magnetic needle on one side of the sticky bottom, should eliminate static electricity before measurement. One of the ends of the magnetic needle is rusty, the magnetic needle should be replaced. There is magnetite under the ground, and this kind of place is not suitable for building a yin and yang house.

7, the magnetic needle has north and south poles, the end with an arrow is the south end of the compass. Measurement of the south end of the compass must point to the south of the seabed positioning line, the magnetic needle and the seabed of the north-south line coincide, so that the measured orientation is correct. The south end of the compass must be aligned with the south end of the seafloor positioning line when measuring.