Academic Journal of Feng Shui

Volume 2, Issue (1), Nov 2018 Mak & Hui 2018

WEST KOWLOON STATION IN HONG KONG: AN

EXEMPLAR CASE OF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND
SCIENTIFIC FENG SHUI APPLICATIONS FOR
HIGH-SPEED RAIL STATIONS

Michael Y. Mak
School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Newcastle, Australia

Yann Hui
Department of Architecture, Chosun University, South Korea

ABSTRACT
This paper focuses on the West Kowloon Station (WKS) located in Hong Kong, designed by
Andrew Bromberg (Aedas), explaining key design features within the context of sustainable
design and comparing these to Feng Shui principles and practices that are embedded deeply in
Hong Kong’s Chinese community. Feng Shui is the traditional wisdom of the Chinese art of
building design. Its central aim is to ensure that buildings are in harmony with their surrounding
environment.
The WKS was selected due to its significance as one of the world’s largest underground high-
speed rail (HSR) station. The building employs key design features as drivers for increased
efficiency, reduced energy consumption and betterment of the environment (physically and
socially). Analysis of the design features is imperative within the context of sustainable design
and scientific Feng Shui principles.
Firstly the WKS is introduced and the project background summarized. Secondly five main
sustainable design principles are defined and analysed, followed by the definition of five
fundamental scientific Feng Shui principles. Hence, key WKS sustainable design features are
identified and then analysed holistically within the realms of sustainable design and scientific
Feng Shui principles. The paper concludes that, most of the key WKS sustainable design
features satisfy the Feng Shui concepts.

KEY WORDS
West Kowloon Station; high-speed rail station; sustainable design; Feng Shui

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INTRODUCTION

With high-speed rail (HSR) set to be one of the most efficient modes of mass transport over
long distances, together with China’s One Belt One Road initiative, much emphasis has been
placed on the extension of the Mainland China HSR Main Line (currently linking Beijing to
Guangzhou) to Hong Kong through the Express Rail Link (ERL) to West Kowloon Station
(WKS) as the final southern-end station. The ERL (Hong Kong to Futian/Shenzhen section,
approximately 26 km rail line) forms a new gateway connection to major mainland cities and
will herald a new era for rail travel in China (refer to Figure 1).
WKS (operating since September 2018) is one of the world’s largest underground HSR station,
with a unique modern architectural design by Andrew Bromberg of Aedas. The station will be
a first for many architectural, engineering and structural design features and will set new
benchmarks for the future HSR building type, as well as serve as an exemplar case for HSR
station master-plan projects.
This research paper seeks to achieve two aims:
 To identify and select key sustainable design features within the WKS’s Station
Entrance Building (SEB) and associated landscaped and civic spaces, as a means of use
for benchmarking for future HSR station projects, situated within a dense urban city
context.
 To compare selected key sustainable design features with proven Feng Shui principles
and practices scientifically and to show the findings.

Based on the analysis and findings, we will conclude that the specified sustainable design
features (within the WKS’s SEB and associated spaces) can be directly linked to Feng Shui
principles scientifically. With such a strong basis (sustainable design and Feng Shui science)
and reasoning for these design features, it is hoped that these types of design features are
implemented in future large-scale HSR station-type buildings, situated within a dense urban
city context.

Figure 1. Map of Hong Kong Express Rail Link connection to Mainland China, Shenzhen –
Guangzhou HSR Line. Drawing by Yann Hui 2018.

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WKS PROJECT SUMMARY

West Kowloon Station WKS (Figure 2) is prominently located within the Yau Tsim Mong
District of Kowloon, situated in between West Kowloon and Yau Ma Tei precinct, within close
proximity to Victoria Harbour. The site (approx. 100,000 sq.m site area) is bounded by the
WKS Public Transport Interchange to the north, Austin Station to the east, West Kowloon
Cultural District to the south and Kowloon Station complex (comprising a retail mall, office
and residential buildings above the station) to the west.

Fig. 2. Location of West Kowloon Station (WKS) in relation to surrounding environment.

Drawing by Yann Hui 2018.

The WKS precinct consists of a top-side commercial development situated towards the north-
western end, an iconic Station Entrance Building (SEB) at the south-western end, with the
Civic Plaza (CP) at the southern end. By locating the commercial development adjacent to the
Kowloon Station complex this allows for the Civic Plaza and Landscaped Deck to form a
combined large-scale park space within the WKS precinct. 7 footbridges and 2 pedestrian
subways connect WKS to the adjacent Austin, Kowloon Station and Public Transport
Interchange (PTI).
The lower portion of the SEB roof rises from the north-end towards the south-end creating the
Eastern Arch [(EA) (Wui Man Road Entrance)] and the Southern Main Glazed Facade (SMGF)
and Southern Main Entrance (SME). The SEB form wraps around the Civic Plaza (CP). The

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SEB roof consists of the Green Roof & Landscaped Deck (GRLD), establishing pedestrian
links from the WKS top-side commercial development to the Civic Plaza. Despite the SEB
being a large-scale building, the WKS project integrates seamlessly into the site and its
surroundings naturally and elegantly (refer to Figure 3).

Fig. 3. 3D sketch view of WKS development.

Drawing by Yann Hui 2018.

The WKS comprises seven levels: B4 Platform Level (15 platforms); B3 Departure Level; B2
Arrivals Level; B1 Arrivals & Departure Hall; Level GF Station Entrance; Level 1 Retail Mall;
and Level 2 Office Lobbies.

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND FENG SHUI

Sustainable design, or green building, is one of most important yardsticks for new
development. According to McLennan (2004), sustainable design is the philosophy of
designing the built environment to comply with principles of economic, social and ecological
sustainability. This implies that sustainable design integrates with natural and man-made
environment and emphasizes a holistic approach to eliminate negative environmental impact
and make all the systems work harmoniously together. This integrative design process is
similar to the Chinese holistic view and the Feng Shui approach to the built environment
(Humphreys, 1976).
The concept of green buildings emphasizes “the increasing efficiency with which buildings and
their sites use water, energy and material; and reducing building impacts on human health and
the environment, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance and
removal throughout the complete life cycle” (Office of Federal Environmental Executive,
2003). According to the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED),
sustainability is defined as: “forms of progress that meet the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs” (Brundtland, 1987).

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Sustainable Design Concepts

Dong and Zuehl (2009) recognized that there is a set of five fundamental concepts for
sustainable developments. They are constructivism, circular design, energy efficiency, balance
between the natural and the built environment, and thinking global and buying local:

Cat. A1) Constructivism: Sustainable design incorporates studies from constructivism (an
approach to cognitive psychology and social psychology) to create spaces that build knowledge
and skills for the end-user. This concept is based on human interactions with the environment
to enhance the environment and make the space more enjoyable for the people using it (Dong
and Zuehl, 2009).

Cat. A2) Circular design: The circular design concept is based on the idea of “cradle to cradle”
(McDonough and Braungart, 2002). It is a new design paradigm of “reduce, reuse, recycle”
through the intelligence of natural systems (i.e. the effectiveness of nutrient cycling, the
abundance of the sun’s energy, etc.). McDonough and Braungart have explained how eco-
effectiveness can be put into practice to create products, systems, buildings, and even regional
planning that allow nature and commerce to co-exist fruitfully.

Cat. A3) Energy efficiency: Energy efficiency can be achieved by site planning and building
design in accordance with available sunlight and through the use of particular building
materials and technology. Buildings and environments adapt energy-efficient ideas, deriving
increasing environmental satisfaction from their end-users, and furthermore decrease the
consumption of natural resources.

Cat. A4) Balance between natural and the built environments: Studies done by the United
States Green Building Council (USGBC) (Widener, 2009) and other green design advocates
have shown that bringing natural elements (such as sunlight, plants, water features, etc.) into a
person’s environment will improve the behaviour of the user in the environment, creating a
more harmonious and enjoyable space.

Cat. A5) Thinking Global and Buying Local: Dong and Zuehl (2009) recognized that all the
concepts of green design can be bottled up into a single concept. It stems from the processes
of considering the global economy, environment and well-being as a whole, the result of which
should stimulate the design world to buy from local markets to reduce energy costs, cut down
on waste materials and increase the environment’s overall well-being.

Feng Shui and Ecological Sustainable Development

The concept of sustainable design in the Western world only dates back three decades ago in
dealing with the harmonious relationship between humans and nature. However, Feng Shui,
the ancient Chinese knowledge that aims at creating a harmony between heaven, earth and
humans has influenced most traditional built environmental design in China for thousands of
years. Nowadays, as many researchers seek to establish a deeper understanding of the
relationships between human and the natural environments, they begin to recognize Feng Shui
as a broad ecologically and architecturally connected paradigm.
In the 1960s, Kevin Lynch, a pioneer of environmental behaviour research, paid great attention
to Chinese geomancy. In his book, The Image of the City, he recognized that Feng Shui has

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Volume 2, Issue (1), Nov 2018 Mak & Hui 2018

two major features: firstly, it is an open-ended analysis of the environment where new
meanings and further developments are possible; secondly, it leads to the use and control of
outside forms and their influences where it emphasizes that man’s foresight and energy rule
the universe and can change it (Lynch, 1960). Anderson and Anderson (1973) considered that
Feng Shui is an aspect of Chinese cultural ecology. For instance, they interpreted village siting
of Feng Shui configurations with modern planning principles on site planning, land use and
natural resources, especially those of ecology. They concluded that Feng Shui is “basically a
very practical system whereby a village is situated such that it does not take up farmland or lay
itself open to floods and typhoons… based on sound pragmatism” (Anderson and Anderson,
1973, p.45–50). They called Feng Shui “the traditional Chinese science of site planning”,
containing “an organized body of knowledge, intensely practiced in application, and of specific
intent” (Anderson, 1973, pp.127-128).

Feng Shui Concepts

The principles and practices of Feng Shui are aimed at creating a harmonized built environment
for people to live in, and it represents a traditional Chinese architectural theory for selecting
favourable sites, as well as a theory for designing cities and buildings (Lee, 1986). There are
two main schools of thought and practice in Feng Shui: the Compass School and the Form
School. The Form School approach has been well recognized and widely accepted by Feng
Shui researchers as comprising the scientific bases in the analysis of built environment (He,
1990; Cheng and Kong, 1993). The Form School established a holistic approach that allows
integrated components and elements to be considered for the built environment (Mak and Ng,
2008). The five fundamental concepts of Feng Shui in terms of environmental design are
summarized below:

Cat. B1) Unity between Heaven and Human: This is the fundamental principle of Feng Shui,
and means the harmony between the universe, earth and human energy. Energy is valued in
both the physical and the invisible forms known as “Qi” (natural energy or breath of life) in
traditional Chinese Feng Shui culture. Feng Shui designs are aimed at a balanced and
harmonious environment that can produce an ample amount of good Qi and filter out the bad
Qi (Skinner, 1982).

Cat. B2) The Five Elements Cycles: Ancient Chinese believed that in the universe, including
heaven, earth and human beings, everything has an attribute that accords with the five
fundamental groups of substances. These five elements are fire, water, metal, wood and earth.
The characteristics of each of these five elements and their mutual relationships are based on
observed natural phenomena, and their relationships are identified as productive and
destructive cycles (Walters, 1989).

Cat. B3) Yin and Yang Harmony: The Ancient Chinese believed that in everything there are
two opposing parts: Yin and Yang. Yin represents the passive principles in nature exhibited as
darkness, cold and wetness. On a human level, Yin symbolizes femininity and the passive and
also represents the realm of the dead. Yang represents the active principles in nature exhibited
by light, heat and dryness. On the human level, Yang symbolizes masculinity and the active,
and it also represents the realm of the living. Yin and Yang are about balance and harmony
within a space designed to create balance in the users’ life when engaging in the space
(Feuchtwang, 1974).

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Cat. B4) The Form School Model: The Form School is primarily based on the verification of
the physical configuration of mountains and watercourses surrounding sites and buildings. The
factors comprising the basics of the Form School approach were known as the “Five
Geographical Secrets”, namely, dragon, sand, water, cave and direction (Lip, 1979). The
combination of these five Feng Shui geographical factors and the four emblems (the green
dragon, white tiger, black tortoise and red bird symbolizing the four cardinal directions)
produce a classic Feng Shui model. This model (Figure 4) has been interpreted in diagrams of
spatial organization of auspicious mountains and watercourses in most of the classic Feng Shui
literature (Shang, 1992; Cheng and Kong, 1993; Han, 1995; Yi et al., 1996; He, 1998).

Figure 4. The Classic Feng Shui Model.

Source: Yi et al, 1996.

Cat. B5) Balance between Interior and Exterior Spaces: In most of the classic Feng Shui
texts, such as Yang Zhai Shi Shu (Ten Books on Dwellings for the Living) categorized space
into “Outer Form” (exterior) and “Inner Form” (interior). According to Lee (1986), the Outer
Form can be identified as the location of the site, conditions that surrounding the site, the
topographical conditions of the site and its shape. The Inner Form can be identified as the
layout, the elevations, and elements of buildings. The concept of a Feng Shui model not only
applies to landscape and site selection, but it can also be applied to the internal layout of
buildings. Therefore, whether it is dealing with the physical or topographical aspects, or
housing structure, or the proportional relationships of the interior of a building, the same
principles and relationships of the Feng Shui model are still applied. Feng Shui scholars, Cheng
and Kong (1993), provided a further classification of space into four design modules: the
surrounding environment, external layout, internal layout and interior arrangement (Figure 5).

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Figure 5. Four Design Modules.

Source: Mak & So, 2015.

Comparison of Sustainable Design and Feng Shui

Many of the sustainable design concepts are quite similar to the traditional views that were
derived from the Eastern philosophy and Feng Shui principles and practice. Dong and Zuehl
(2009) recognized that the set of five fundamental concepts for sustainable design can be
compared with the five fundamental Feng Shui concepts in terms of environmental design.
Firstly, the concept of constructivism translates well into the principles of harmony between
universe, earth and humans in Feng Shui. The ideal environment for Feng Shui is also based
on these three aspects as they intersect and overlap. These three circles can be found in
sustainable design as social contexts, environmental and human as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6. Comparison of the Principles of Green Design with Feng Shui.

Source: Mak & So, 2015.

The second principle of Feng Shui is the productive and destructive cycles of five elements,
which is similar to the circular design or McDonough’s “Cradle to Cradle” concept. The third
Feng Shui concept is the balance and harmony between Yin and Yang, which also matches
with the concept of sustainable design of balancing between the natural environment and the
built environment.

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In sustainable design, the energy efficiency and buying local concepts are focused explicitly
on the sources and consumption of natural resources. However, in Feng Shui concepts, the
Form School model and balance between interior and exterior spaces are focused on the
physical form and spatial arrangement of the built environment. Table 1 & 2 summarizes the
comparison of sustainable design concepts and Feng Shui concepts.

Table 1: Comparison of Sustainable Design & Feng Shui concepts, in which a direct link is
identified. Source: Mak & So 2015.
Sustainable Design Concepts Feng Shui Concepts
Balance & Harmony
Cat. A1) Constructivism Cat. B1) Unity between heaven &
humans
Cat. A4) Balance between natural & Cat. B3) Yin & Yang Harmony
the built environment
Cycles Pattern
Cat. A2) Circular Design Cat. B2) Five Elements Cycles

Table 2: Comparison of Sustainable Design & Feng Shui concepts, in which a direct link
cannot be identified. Source: Mak & So 2015.
Sustainable Design Concepts Feng Shui Concepts
Sources & Consumption of Natural Physical Form & Spatial
Resources Arrangement
Cat. A3) Energy efficiency Cat. B4) Form School model
Cat. A5) Thinking global & buying Cat. B3) Balance between interior &
local exterior spaces

WKS SUSTAINABLE DESIGN FEATURES

The key sustainable design features for the WKS SEB are outlined as follows:

 Central Atrium (CA) and Internal Void Space (IVS).

 Roof Structural System (RSS).
 Green Roof and Landscaped Deck (GRLD).
 Civic Plaza (CP).

Central Atrium (CA) & Internal Void Space (IVS)

The main sustainable design feature is the Central Atrium (CA), allowing natural daylight to
filter into levels 1, GF, B1, B2 and B3, illuminating key Front of House (FOH) spaces and
allowing the Internal Void Space (IVS) to become an identifiable main internal architectural
feature within the station, improving way-finding (arrival and departure rail passenger
circulation flow revolves around the CA & IVS) as well as giving rail passengers a sense of
place (with views outside the Southern Main Glazed Facade), which is not often present within
large underground rail stations (see Figure 7).

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Figure 7. WKS Central Atrium & Internal Void Space, view towards Southern Main Glazed
Façade & B1 Departures Hall.
Photograph by Michael Mak 2018.

The volume of the CA is further enlarged in height by allowing the SEB roof structure to rise
up from the north-end to the south-end, reaching 45 m at the high-point (measured from Level
B3 finished floor level to the finished ceiling level).
Compared to a traditional “box-type” station (Hunghom railway station), WKS revolutionizes
this building type, by allowing natural light to infiltrate all levels (with the exception of the
Level B4, due to fire safety and security requirements, required in platform areas), allowing
for a greater sense of well-being and offering an improved arrival and departing experience for
rail passengers (see Figure 8). Energy-wise this allows for a lesser dependence on mechanical
means for lighting during daytime.

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Figure 8. Diagram showing circulation flow for rail passengers.

Drawing by Yann Hui 2018.

Roof Structural System (RSS)

The SEB roof structure (see Figure 9) is a free-form curved long-span curvilinear roof (180 m
long), highly complex in geometry, supporting a landscaped pedestrian-enabled Green Roof &
Landscaped Deck (GRLD) above. Natural daylight floods into the station below via glazed
strip-shaped skylights (double-glazed units), set in-between the steel fins, between the main
curvilinear free-form “V” space truss steel members.
Structurally the roof structure consists of 3 V-shaped mega space trusses, interconnected
horizontally by secondary trusses and complex stability systems, supported by nine groups of

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mega-columns, allowing for large spans of the Central Atrium to be column-free. A standard
structural grid system is used for the majority of the station area, facilitating other Front of
House (FOH) and Back of House (BOH) functions.
Utilizing parametric modelling (Rhino & Grasshopper software) during the design stages and
building information modelling (BIM) during the documentation stages through to
construction, has allowed for improved design and productivity as well as increased efficiency
via the standardization of building components (fabricated off-site). For example, during the
design stages, the SEB roof design comprised of 30,000 differently sized facade and roof panels
(50,000 sq.m), the design was rationalized via parametric modelling, resulting in 3000 types
(reduced by 10 times). Another key benefit of BIM, is the reduction of architectural, structural,
and mechanical and electrical clashes during the construction stages: construction coordination
is checked in the BIM prior to work packages commencing on-site, reducing construction
errors and ensuring a fast-track build.

Figure 9. WKS Station Entrance Building Roof Structural System

Photograph by Michael Mak 2018.

Green Roof and Landscaped Deck (GRLD)

In order to maximize green space at WKS, the roof space was designated as a Green Roof and
Landscaped Deck (GRLD) (see Figure 10), a “Park in the Sky”, to allow for improved
connections via enhanced pedestrian movement across key nodes of the site and to provide
increased coverage of the landscaped area between Austin Station and Kowloon Station.
Besides the stated benefits, the GRLD design takes into account the needs of the pedestrian
and their connectivity requirements, allowing for access to key nodes on the site via walking.
As the GRLD covers a large area of the site, pathways are designed as meandering ribbons,
intersecting break-out spaces and resting areas of varying sizes and scale, allowing for an
enhanced user experience. A key feature of the GRLD is the “Promontory Gardens”, a series
of green spaces, fanning out over the structural ribs of the roof, providing dramatic views across

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the Victoria Harbour and Central Business District. Cafes and restaurants located within the
top-side development will open up to the GRLD, creating synergy and increased pedestrian
movement.

Figure 10. View of Green Roof from Landscaped Deck, with Victoria Harbour in distance
view. Photograph by Michael Mak 2018.

Civic Plaza (CP)

The Civic Plaza (see Figure 11) is an integral part of the landscape design, consisting of a plaza
and a stepped amphitheatre. The form of the plaza is oval in shape, creating a central hard
landscaped area. The curvature of the plaza mimics the curved form of the SEB, dissolving the
boundary between ground and roof plane, employing a landscape design as a means to
seamlessly blend architectural form and landscaped elements. A large water feature
(symmetrically aligned to the SEB roof plane), located on the eastern portion of the plaza, will
serve as a reflecting pool, with fountain jets providing a sense of motion.

Figure 11. View towards WKS Civic Plaza with Elements in the background.
Photograph by Michael Mak 2018.

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COMPARISON OF WKS SUSTAINABLE DESIGN FEATURES AND FENG SHUI

There are some essential elements of the WKS project that satisfied both sustainable design
and Feng Shui concepts. The most dominant design features are the Central Atrium (CA) &
Internal Void Space (IVS), the Green Roof & Landscaped Deck (GRLD), the Civic Plaza (CP),
and Southern Main Glazed Facade (SMGF). These dominant design features in respect to the
sustainable design and Feng Shui concepts are summarized in Tables 3 & 4.

Table 3: Comparison of WKS Sustainable Design Features & Feng Shui concepts, in which a
direct link can be identified.
Sustainable Design West Kowloon Station Feng Shui Concepts
Concepts (WKS)
Balance & Harmony
Cat. A1) CA & IVS: Balance & Cat. B1)
Constructivism harmonious environment Unity between Heaven
between external & & Humans
internal environment
Cat. A4) GRLD & CP: Balance Cat. B3)
Balance between between natural and the Yin & Yang Harmony
natural & the built built environment
environment
Cycles Pattern
Cat. A2) CA & IVS: Internal Cat. B2)
Circular Design circulation space Five Elements Cycles
GRLD & CP: External
circulation space

Table 4: Comparison of WKS Sustainable Design Features & Feng Shui concepts, in which a
direct link cannot be identified.
Sustainable Design Concepts Feng Shui Concepts
Sources & Consumption of Physical Form &
Natural Resources Spatial Arrangement
Cat. A3) Cat. B4)
Energy Efficiency Form School Model
SMGF: Double-glazing panels SMGF: South facing with distance
(building & roof) facade view
CP: Open space courtyard
Cat. A5) Cat. B5)
Thinking Global & Buying Local Balance between Interior &
Parametric Modeling & BIM Exterior Space
CA & IVS and SMGF: Connections
between interior to exterior space

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The sustainable design features have been employed, contributing to the WKS building’s
success as a landmark high-speed rail (HSR) station project and advancement by
revolutionizing the HSR building type. It also shows a direct correlation between sustainable
design principles and scientific Feng Shui concepts (Table 3):
 Balance & Harmony: Cat. A1 & A4 and B1 & B3, citing the Central Atrium and
Internal Void Space (CA & IVS), Green Roof and Landscaped Deck (GRLD), and
Civic Plaza (CP) design features.
 Cycles Pattern: Cat. A2 and B2, citing the circulation flow revolving the Central
Atrium and Internal Void Space (CA & IVS), Green Roof and Landscaped Deck
(GRLD) and water features in the Civic Plaza (CP).

However there are differences in that certain sustainable design categories do not translate
directly to certain scientific Feng Shui categories (Table 4):
 Sustainable Design: Cat. A3, citing the SMGF with double-glazing panels provides
energy efficiency measure. Cat A5, citing parametric modeling and BIM system to
minimize waste in thinking global and buying local concept.
 Scientific Feng Shui: Cat. B4, citing SMGF with South facing glazing panels provides
distance view to Victoria Harbour and Central Business District in Hong Kong island
that satisfy the Form School model of Feng Shui concept. Cat. B5, citing the Central
Atrium and Internal Void Space (CA & IVS) provides connections and balances
between interior and exterior space.

In summary, the sustainable design concepts of constructivism (Cat. A1) that aimed at the
creation of enjoyable space for human interactions and balance between the natural and the
built environment (Cat. A4), are very similar to the Feng Shui concepts of unity of heaven and
humanity (Cat. B1), and the Yin and Yang harmony (Cat. B3). In the WKS project, the
provision of the Central Atrium is a prime feature to satisfy these criteria from both sustainable
design and Feng Shui considerations. Also, circulation flows are created around the Central
Atrium, Landscaped Deck and Civic Plaza that satisfy both Circular design (Cat. A2) in
sustainable design and the Five Elements Cycles (Cat. B2) in scientific Feng Shui concepts.
For the sustainable design considerations, the energy efficiency (Cat. A3) and local buying
concepts (Cat. A5) that focus on the sources and consumption of natural resources are
translated into measurement of physical attributes, that focus on how the man-made
environment affects people and their performances. In contrast, the Feng Shui concepts of the
Form School model (Cat. B4) and balance between interior and exterior spaces (Cat. B5) are
focused on the balance of physical forms and spatial arrangement, which emphasizing the
balance, harmony and experience of the environment, however, these aspects are difficult to
measure and quantify. The design feature of Southern Main Glazed Façade (SMGF) serves
different purposes in respects of sustainable design and Feng Shui concept.
As shown in the above analysis, the provision of the Central Atrium is a prime feature of the
WKS project, satisfying all five scientific Feng Shui concepts. The Central Atrium design is
similar to traditional Chinese courtyard houses in Beijing, which, under the Feng Shui
principles, provided the balance between the natural and the built environment, Yin and Yang
harmony and the sense of unity between heaven and humans (Xu, 1998).

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CONCLUSION

This paper has identified and examined the key sustainable design features of the WKS
building project, which are the Central Atrium & Internal Void Space (CA & IVS), Roof
Structural System (RSS), Green Roof & Landscaped Deck (GRLD), and the Civic Plaza (CP).
These dominant design features set a new benchmark for future HSR station projects situated
within a dense urban city setting.
When comparing sustainable design principles to scientific Feng Shui concepts, there are
similarities and differences. Most of the similarities (Balance & Harmony and Cycles Pattern)
can be explained by architectural and sustainable design features present within the WKS
building design (CA & IVS, GRLD, and CP), while the differences (Sources & Consumption
of Natural Resources, and Physical Form & Spatial Arrangement) can be interpreted from
different perspectives (SMGF and RSS). This investigation has validated that scientific Feng
Shui concepts as a means for usage as a design tool as well as a methodology for the analysis
of the favourability of a particular building design. It is the hope that, as the building industry
evolves, continuous sustainable design principles combined with scientific Feng Shui concepts
can be deployed to further advance the realm of architecture and the built environment.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This paper acknowledges the Andrew Bromberg (Aedas) Architectural Design Studio and its
team members that were involved with the design and coordination of the West Kowloon
Station (WKS) project:
Ada Yuen, Billy Chan, Bonnie Liu, Danny Tang, Darren Chan, David Prado, Diogo Neto,
Emily Lau, Eric Lee, Eugene Kiang, Francesco Lietti, Francisca Teixeira, Frederico Ramos,
Helena Lee, Henry Chan, Jaenes Bong, Jason Chong, Jason Tang, Jason Yue, Jennifer Chik,
Jose Macedo Goncalves, Kam Kwan, Kevin Kasparek, Leo Lau, Maciej Setniewski, Marcin
Klocek, Pauline Gidoin, Pong Chan, Sam Cheng, Sam Cho, Samantha Hu, Tiffany Leung,
Tobias Ott, Tony Sin, Vicky Pang, Willie Kua & Yann Hui

REFERENCES

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Corresponding Author:

Yann Hui
Assistant Professor of Architecture, RIBA (UK)
Department of Architecture, Chosun University, South Korea
Email: yannhui@chosun.ac.kr
Website: www.chosun.ac.kr

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