Properties from a feng shui perspective: Part 121
By David Koh and Joe Choo | Dec 25, 2009
Damansara Heights
DAMANSARA Heights began over 20 years ago as a housing scheme for government servants. The houses were quite small and access was via Jalan Damansara, a narrow winding road that hugged the northen boundary of Universiti Malaya. This road served as an alternative passage between the then-newer parts of Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur. On a normal day, traffic would be a slow crawl during peak hours. On rainy days, it would be unbearable! It has evolved over the years to become an elite enclave.
This area is adjacent to Sri Hartamas and Federal Hill. Yet Sri Hartamas is a late bloomer with hardly the same status as Damansara Heights and Federal Hill is not quite as successful as both, as we observed in a previous article. What is it about this section of the hills that make it so attractive to people? Is it the extensive network of roads – Sprint Highway, Jalan Damansara, Jalan Maarof, Jalan Semantan and Jalan Duta — that makes it accessible?
One of the landmarks in Damansara Heights is the Damansara Town Centre or Pusat Bandar Damansara. It comprises three rows of office buildings arranged in a wavy fashion. There used to be a number of government offices based here, most notably the Immigration Department and Inland Revenue Board. Many of them have since moved to Putrajaya.
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Wave Form: The Damansara Town Centre or Pusat Bandar Damansara has rows of distinctive office buildings.
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Rotational Flow
It is probably a good thing for retail outlets here that Menara Millennium was completed before the big move. Otherwise, it could have quickly become a ghost town. Of course, the HELP University College and the few offices here could mitigate this, but the collective spending power of students certainly cannot match that of working professionals.
The town centre is ringed by part of the Sprint Highway, Jalan Johar and Jalan Beringin. Traffic is forced to flow around the area, moving through undulating terrain. The main complex is situated on a cliff that overlooks a large bowl-like valley ringed by the highway.
The original idea was to develop this island into a series of commercial projects but things do not appear to go according to plan. For many years, the government offices stood alone while the valley was used first as the site of a seafood restaurant, and subsequently as an open-air car park.
Subsequently, some development took place, culminating in the completion of Menara Millennium. The HELP University College’s Curie Science Laboratory and Learning Resource Centre make up the two other new additions to Pusat Bandar Damansara’s landscape.
The rotational flow of traffic encircling the town centre serves to concentrate the pool of earth and human energies, similar to what we see at the Mid Valley Megamall. Therefore, it should do well. However, despite the upmarket image of Damansara Heights, this part has a run-down look and feel, and is not a very “happening” place.
The original buildings here — the government offices — were the mainstay for a number of years before Menara Millennium was constructed. There are three rows of shop-offices, each comprising three blocks. The eastern-most blocks have their back to the Sprint Highway and Federal Hill. They open into Jalan Damansutera. This row is actually quite well positioned as it has a high back and low front. Earth energy flows from high land to low. It is unwise to put buildings — houses, shops and offices — to face uphill as this puts the occupants directly in the path of oncoming energy, which is not conducive for success. Buildings that face downhill, on the other hand, are shielded with their backs to the hill. As energy moves around it, it slows and swirls in eddies. At the same time, when energy reaches water, or the bottom of a valley — in theory, there is always a “river” here since rainwater will ultimately gather here — the earth’s energy will be deflected. The rebounding energy is slower, gentler and homogenous. This is safe and very conducive for success. Thus, buildings that face the valley will tap into this energy and benefit the occupants.
The reflection and deflection of energy is affected by the curve of rivers and roads. An embracing bend will concentrate the gentle homogenous energy while an elbow will disperse the energy and provide no benefit.
The eastern-most blocks, though good, will be impacted by this. Sections located in the embrace of Jalan Damansutera will do better than the rest, while those sitting at the elbow are likely to fare poorly. The middle row of buildings, we reckon, will fare the poorest. They open to face uphill, and some parts are even located at the elbow of Jalan Damansutera.
The western-most row opens into Jalan Damanlela. In-between this and the middle block, there is a boulevard designed to provide more shopping options for office-workers and nearby residents. Many of them are shuttered, except for a few scattered food outlets. Those facing west — the valley — are doing somewhat good business while their opposite neighbours are not as vibrant. This is quite a contrast, as on the other side of these “sleepy” buildings, business is going quite well. The western-most block faces west and the valley. It is not surprising to find food and retail outlets and even banks doing quite well here. However, the wavy road also exerts an influence — shops in the embrace of the road do better than those on the outer elbow.
The pit
What about the three buildings located within the valley or “pit”? The pit is actually quite a good location as all the gentle, homogenous energy is collected here! There was once a seafood restaurant here and it did roaring business and moved on to other pastures.
HELP also sits in the valley, at the southern tip of the office blocks. It opens directly into the car park located there. From this vantage, it is practically lapping up all the beneficial energy. Since its inception in 1986, it has grown in size and stature, attaining university college status in 2004.
It has also expanded to include two new buildings (also in the pit), called the Curie Science Laboratories and Learning Resource Centre. As long as the buildings are oriented toward lower ground and the valley, they are likely to continue doing well.
“Downhill-facing” is the obvious caveat here. Although Menara Millennium sits in the pit, it actually faces east and uphill. That means it still has a high front and low back, and experiences bombardment from fastmoving earth energy. Since it is a relatively new building, we may not see any immediate impact to confirm our Environology hypothesis. It would be interesting to see if our hypothesis is proven right in the next few years. Perhaps, those working or operating businesses here can verify this, as it may take several years to show signs.
You can e-mail any questions on Feng Shui and properties to Prof David Koh via johnni@thestar.com.my.
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