Inventor, designer and philanthropist Sir James Dyson ought to be congratulated for his new campaign to clean up hospitals following a 4 million donation to a West Country neonatal ward.
Staff, patients and most importantly premature babies are now thriving after a 6.1m revamp at the Royal United Hospital. In the words of one concerned parent of a child born 12 weeks prematurely and contracted a potentially life-threatening infection. * "It was touch and go for a couple of days, but I remember it was the way the nurse's hands were folded and something about the lights, the mood, the space, it all helped us to cope."
That "something" is undoubtedly feng shui now defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "a system of laws considered to govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to the flow of energy (chi), and whose favourable or unfavourable effects are taken into account when siting and designing buildings."
In basic terms it deals with the flow and storage of energy throughout a building or space and how different materials support or interrupt this distribution. All materials, shapes, positions and even colours within the area are analysed and the path is determined by air flow. It may help to think of this in terms of heat and light, where ideally warmth should be preserved and natural light needs to flow for maximum comfort and efficiency. When applied to those who are vulnerable this aids wellbeing and speeds recovery.
The good news is that feng shui principles can improve any existing space even without the need of costly refurbishments. However, the finer the ingredients the better the result, and when feng shui is applied to new builds or major refurbishments the results can be outstanding.
As well as working with design and project teams we have also trained many Architects to use feng shui and collectively we are all working to provide nurturing environments for those in need. Sir James Dyson is now a making a 4 million donation to a cancer ward in the same hospital.
We are keen to lend a hand and feng shui advice to help other hospitals improve their environments and subsequent service whilst reducing stress.
As our future depends on the lives of our children we would also like to work with schools to provide a nurturing and less intensive place for their pupils. If you are involved in these sectors and would like some feng shui advice please send us your enquiries.
* = quote taken from this article clean up hospitals