Properties from a feng shui perspective: Part 129
By David Koh and Joe Choo | Feb 26, 2010
The Solaris
Anyone driving along the new Duta-Ulu Klang Expressway (DUKE) toward Desa Sri Hartamas would not miss the massive and imposing looking Solaris Mont’ Kiara development perched on a cliff overlooking a series of crisscrossing highways. (For Google map reference, please log on to http://maps.google.co.uk/ and search for “Kuala Lumpur”.)
This is one of the newest shopping and entertainment hub in Sri Hartamas, and if it was not for its rather remote location, it may pose a big threat to Desa Sri Hartamas. Then again, its location may be just right to cater to the upmarket crowd in the vicinity. Mont’ Kiara is targeted at the middle to upper class market which has a certain snooty appeal. Even the names – Le Grande Kiara, Kiara Ville and Mont’ Kiara Meridin – evoke an air of exclusivity!
Condominiums create a higher density population, and often cause a shortage of parking space. Cars double-park along the roads outside in the evenings and on weekends. It gets to the stage where the selling point of a condo is the provision of two parking spots instead of one! What about families who own more than two cars? After all, given the inefficient public transportation system we currently have, more people are likely to buy cars.
Condo living also requires a more accommodating attitude among its residents. They have to be more willing to compromise, more active in the residents’ association to ensure that the management company they have will look after the complex well, and have a strict policy for dealing with residents who default on their maintenance payments. All these are part and parcel of high-rise living.
Off Cangkat Duta Kiara, there are also a few semi-detached houses, which offer a more exclusive proposition, we suppose, since it is landed property. These houses are built along a slope of a hilly range that runs to Plaza Damas further south.
EMBRACING HIGHWAYS
From a landform perspective, the highlands are obviously on the south and west. The Solaris Kiara complex is embraced by the crisscrossing highway but sits on a plateau that drops sharply to the highway.
The ideal orientation for buildings is one that has high land on the back and sides, with a valley or low land in front, preferably with an embracing river, to boot. This orientation shields the building from oncoming earth energy travelling from high land to low. The energy then continues downhill until it reaches a river where it will be deflected and reflected off the riverbank.
This rebounding energy is considered very conducive for life and success. Even nature is drawn to it, which can be seen by an abundance of flora and fauna in such places. Buildings that can tap into this pool of homogenous, gentle energy will benefit tremendously. A primary objective of environology or feng shui is to identify such locations and orientate buildings toward them.
Then, the practitioner will decide on the internal layout – such as the location of the main entrance, master bedroom and kitchen – to suit the individual inhabitants. The goal is to attain harmony with nature, which leads to better harmony in relationships, better health and a better mindset to achieve wealth.
Often, people purchase a property they like and then try to make it conform to environology. This is like placing the cart before the horse. Then they are forced to renovate the house to make it more conducive. Sometimes, they are even told to place trinkets in certain locations or put up so-called “auspicious” pictures to mitigate the effects and to enhance or suppress certain elements.
TAOISM AND FENG SHUI
Part of the reason for this is that Taoists also practise a form of feng shui. Taoism is not a unified religion but one that draws on various sources of knowledge and revelations. Whatever that can be added to the understanding of nature and balance was absorbed into the body of Taoist practices. Hence, Taoism can be very philosophical on the one hand, and very superstitious and animistic on the other.
The I-Ching and other feng shui texts are also considered source material for Taoism. Therefore, Taoist monks also practise feng shui, but their version is infused with many Taoist elements. Over time, the distinction between these two became blurred and it is now difficult to tell them apart.
This is where the placing of trinkets and pictures come in. It is quite amusing, as some of these so-called feng shui masters are not even Taoists!
To be fair, only a scholar who does in-depth studies on this can distinguish fundamental feng shui practices from cultural, religious or superstitious elements.
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Solaris Mont’ Kiara is one of the newest entertainment hubs in Sri Hartamas. Pic shows a restaurant there. - Filepic
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PLATEAU
The condominiums along Jalan Duta Kiara which are parallel to the Duta highway exit should be oriented to face north, as the land is relatively lower north. The gate may face south to join the main road, but the entrances to the blocks should not.
As mentioned earlier, the Solaris Mont’ Kiara sits on a plateau that drops sharply on the north face. This poses an interesting situation. As we know, high land does not collect energy: it is drained of energy. However, this plateau is not the highest piece of land. The hills at the south contribute the energy which flows across the plateau and then down to the highways.
Therefore, properties on the plateau are actually well poised to tap into conducive energy. This is particularly so for shops and buildings that face east and west toward the inner boulevard or Jalan Solaris. The next best orientation would be north-facing properties toward Cold Storage as they follow the overall slope of the land.
Properties at the edge of the cliff are probably not the best placed. Although they score top marks in terms of visibility and profile, they are sitting precariously on the edge and are bombarded head-on with earth energy flowing northwards.
Jalan Duta Kiara continues onwards across the Sprint Highway into Cangkat Hartamas. This is a relatively new development as well. Jalan Duta Kiara joins Persiaran Dutamas which eventually intersects with Jalan Sri Hartamas 1.
Along this route, we can find Hartamas Regency 1 and 2 and yet another Solaris project, the Solaris Dutamas. There are also Duta Tropika and Duta Nusantara. One can infer from the names that we are very near Jalan Duta.
COMMERCIAL SENSE
One wonders if it makes commercial sense to develop two Solaris projects so close to each other. The developers probably wanted to (a) utilise the land and fulfil its commercial unit ratio; (b) to give serious competition to Plaza Damas; and (c), to capitalise on the Solaris branding – both projects have a different theme: Dutamas is an integrated residential-office-retail project while Mont’ Kiara is more retail-oriented.
Solaris Dutamas benefits from its proximity to Jalan Duta, which has been much improved over the years. Nearby, there are the new Federal Territories Mosque, the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex, government offices complex and Matrade. At the very least, it should benefit from lunchtime crowds in the vicinity.
Of course, if all goes to plan, this integrated project will also generate its own crowds. Service apartments, office suites and a corporate tower are included alongside retail units on the ground floor.
Landform-wise, however, it is in a very odd position. The development sits on the crest of a ridge amidst undulating ridges. Unlike the Solaris Mont’ Kiara, it is not on a plateau overshadowed by higher land. It is part of the high landforms in the area.
The service apartments sit on the crest of the ridge which runs east-west. The flanking blocks of office and retail shops on either side slope downhill. The north blocks have a steep drop while the south blocks sit in a tiny gulley and face Persiaran Dutamas, which is actually another ridge.
LOW LAND
Units along the north blocks that face north should do better than those facing south. This is because it faces low land and has a higher back. Units along the south blocks have mixed fortunes: its location is not quite a valley, but rather a shallow rut between two ridges. Thus, the benefits of having a high back is offset by a high front.
Furthermore, there are high tension cables running nearby. These generate an electromagnetic field and may not be conducive to properties located too close to the cables.
Compared to Solaris Mont’ Kiara, this new development has a less favourable landform, though its location is much more accessible. As Solaris Dutamas is an ongoing project – some retail units have opened for business, though – it would be interesting to see how it fares in the future, given the landform factors at work.
*This series on feng shui and real estate properties appear courtesy of the Malaysia Institute of Geomancy Sciences (MINGS). David Koh is the founder of MINGS and has been a feng shui master and teacher for the past 36 years.
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