The purpose of Environology (formerly known as Feng Shui) is to find or construct a property that benefits the occupants. In residential properties, the priority is to create an environment that is harmonious and peaceful. The focus for commercial and industrial properties is generating wealth.

We are often dumbfounded by people who prioritise wealth over harmony for their home. A wise man once said: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” What is the use of becoming very rich and yet have a broken marriage or rebellious children?

In a commercial environment, harmony can take second place. Conflicts will always happen, and people come and go. The business goes on, and one can still be successful at it.

To pick a suitable property, we use the Four-Step Method developed by my mentor Professor Emeritus Master David Koh. Before his retirement, he lectured on Environology at Jiaotong and Tongji universities in China. He also founded the Malaysian Institute of Geomancy Sciences and championed the systematic training and application of Environology as a science.

The first step is Identification. We can choose either the business owner or the industry as the subject for identification. If we choose the industry, we will look for an entrance that supports that line of business. 

The classification of industries is based on the Five Elementsprinciples in Chinese metaphysics: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Each of these elements have unique characteristics.

Water industryBanking and financeCafés and coffee shopsGym and fitness, spaInsuranceLaundryMarine and fisheries, seafoodNightlife entertainment, pubs and barsSea freightTradingEarth industryAgricultureCivil engineeringConstructionLand mattersProperty developmentWood industryAccountancyAdvertising and broadcastingAntiques, pottery and ceramicsBeauty salon, make-upChildcare, midwifery, toys, child-related productsCreative arts – Performing arts, music, handicraft, fashion, interior design, photographyFood manufacturing, confectionery, health foods, pastryGardening, horticultureJournalism and publishingReligious institutionsSurveyorTextileVeterinary services and husbandryMetal industryAerospace, aviation industryAirmail, air freightAutomotive industryCivil serviceDefence, law enforcement, securityLegal professionMachineryMining, petroleum, natural gasSports goodsTourism, transportationFire industryArms, munitionsManufacturing, computers, electrical appliances, telecommunicationsMedicine, medical servicesOptical industryPaint, petrochemical industryRestaurant, cateringIf we choose the proprietor, the door must suit him or her, regardless of the industry involved.

I opt for the proprietor over the industry. If the door suits the proprietor but not the industry, he or she will still do well. He may find success to be a struggle and he may have to depend on others who have a stronger affinity to the industry’s element. He may even change his line of business and excel even further!

If we choose a property that matches the business but not the proprietor, the enterprise will do well. However, the proprietor might not have a pleasant journey. He may encounter a lot of annoyances and irritation. The business may do well, but his health may be poor.

Interestingly, we often find both proprietor and industry to be compatible, which makes our job easier. It is hardly surprising because every person naturally gravitates to a profession that suits the requirements of his or her element.

However, there are some cases where the proprietor is not in a compatible industry. Some people are forced by circumstances – or very insistent parents – to pick a profession they do not like and by sticking to it through grit and determination, end up in a place where they own a business they are not innately compatible with.

Once we identified the requirement, we look for premises with the main entrance that suits the requirement.

North doors –  Water industries

South doors – Fire industries

West and northwest –  Metal industries

East and southeast –  Wood industries

Southwest and northeast – Earth industries.

The interior can be further optimised, but it is also very important to consider other external factors such as the orientation of the building, the surrounding terrain and even the road configuration.

Earth forces are continually moving and flow from high land to lower ground. Their characteristics mirror that of the terrain. They move rapidly down steep slopes. They are blocked by bodies of water like rivers, lakes, oceans and even monsoon drains.

When these forces are blocked, they are reflected and deflected. Just like ripples of water reaching a shore and bouncing back in the shape of the shoreline, earth forces can be concentrated into a pool if the shore is shaped like the inside of a parabolic dish (we call this a concave). The collected energy is homogenous and gentle – the ideal form.

Properties that face this pool tend to benefit from the positive energy. Therefore, in any commercial plot near a river, the best location is one that faces the embrace of the river. They tend to attract more customers than those facing the opposite direction.

One common feature among commercial lots is the use of one-way streets. Perhaps it allows developers to build narrower roads while still enabling parking on both sides. Perhaps it makes traffic flow more smoothly. This creates an entry and exit points for every row of shop-offices.

If you care to study commercial properties, you may notice that units are the entry points tend to thrive better than those at the exit point. From an Environology perspective, vehicles and people entering the road induce fresh energy to premises at the entry point. By the time, they exit the energy is spent or “tired”.

One may argue that it is because visitors tend to park in the first lot that they find and therefore patronise the shops closest to where they alighted, or shops at the entry point tend to catch their eyes first and therefore leave a more positive impression. 

However, these arguments only hold water if all the shops are offering the same goods and services. If they are not, it does not make sense for an electrical appliance shopper to drop by a clothing store just because it is located near the entry point.