How to Incorporate Feng Shui into a Residence Hall Renovation
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A “renovation” refers to alterations as extensive as creating a new layout or as basic as redecorating the existing layout. In any case, modern feng shui offers ways to improve existing buildings to encourage productive study, sound sleep and comfortable living.

What You Need to Know Before Renovating

Your sources of information include:

1. Basic feng shui analysis of residence hall.
2. Student feedback about the existing environment.
3. A consultation with a feng shui consultant, who will provide specific recommendations for your particular building, student population, and renovation goals.

Basic Feng Shui Recommendations

For basic fengshui recommendations, see the articles at http://www.collegeinitiative.org.

Student feedback about the existing environment

You can survey and interview the existing (or former) students yourself, or have a feng shui consultant interview the students. The feng shui consultant’s advantage is expert knowledge of what to ask and appropriate follow-up questions. Still, there are important steps you can take.

Housing professionals can begin by getting students to talk about the problems in their current living space and to describe the best possible living space. Start thinking out of the box and into possibility.

One student I spoke to suggested separate study areas and sleep areas. One huge problem is when a roommate stays up late studying, and the other wants to sleep. So housing professionals can discuss some of the social issues that come up and how a different kind of space might solve the problem. The most important thing is to ask the students, “Does your space meet your needs? If not, what kind of space would?” A lot of intuitive feng shui might begin in this way.

With this valuable information, a feng shui consultant can provide more specific guidelines for this space that students say would meet their needs.

One way to get students on board is to give a RoomChi™ presentation to get them thinking about their space in new ways. Then we hear their suggestions for change. Some of the best ideas I have learned about residence hall redesign have come from students.

The remainder of the information requires a feng shui analysis by a qualified consultant.
Commonly Asked Questions in a Feng Shui Analysis for a Renovation

About the Floor Plan

For renovation for a new layout, a floor plan analysis shows how design features in the existing structure affect student behavior, and recommendations are made for layout that better supports the students.

For redesigning an existing layout, a floor plan analysis can reveal design elements that can receive feng shui correction in the new layout.

1. Does the doorway to a living space possess the five components that bring a positive life to the occupants? Is the doorway placed so that all occupants can arrange their furniture in supportive positions?
2. Do the entryways into students’ rooms and apartments expand or suffocate their minds or give them headaches? Do the entryways into their buildings welcome students or make them feel blocked?
3. How will a corridor affect students who walk it several times a day? Will it encourage expansive thinking or narrow the range of possibilities students draw upon to solve interpersonal problem with peers and professors? How wide and how long should the hallway be, so that students’ thinking is not limited?
4. Certain room shapes that I have found in many residence halls create unnecessary stress for students. Suggestions are made for peaceful room shapes that allow for optimal furniture placement.

1. Are doors aligned to cause conflict among the occupants? To create confusion? Suggestions are made for door alignment that supports clear communication.
2. Does the length of the window cause vertigo and a feeling of insecurity? Does a window door alignment cause fatigue? Recommendations are made for supportive window size and placement.
3. Will the proposed bathroom placement adversely affect student’s health and well-being? Are the bathroom doorways in the best location? Recommendations are made for optimal bathroom placement.

Interior Design

1. The biggest complaint I hear from students is the lack of color on the walls of their residence halls. The walls are most frequently painted white, which creates a feeling of monotony and anxiety. When deciding to use color, which ones have a calming effect? Which ones create vitality? Which colors encourage interaction?
2. The second biggest complaint among college students concerns lighting. What alternatives to the single ceiling light create a feeling of vitality in the room and the students? What is the best location for the lighting?
3. How can carpet color coordinate with wall and ceiling color to create a three color sequence that creates a feeling of balance? Which carpet is most friendly to the environment?
4. Furniture – The shape and size of furniture greatly affects student stress levels. What furniture is most harmonious to the space it will occupy? What is the optimal size and shape? Are desks designed to face into the room instead of towards the wall? What are the implications of furniture modules that contain both sleep and workspace?

Review of the Process Undertaken by a Feng Shui Consultant

1. Visits to residence halls
2. Floor plan analysis
3. Interviews with students/housing professionals
4. Review research on student behavior
5. Meeting with architects/ designers
6. Recommendations for feng shui renovation

All consultations are confidential.

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