Recently, I had the opportunity to present on the topic of Feng Shui for Prosperity at the International Feng Shui Conference in Melbourne. One of the case studies that I used included the Feng Shui of Aberdeen Centre which was located in Richmond, B.C. Canada. The building is well-known amongst the Chinese community as many special events are held there while the Chinese TV and Radio stations in Vancouver are headquartered at Aberdeen Centre. During my talks, I presented a video recording of the surroundings and the interior of the building. Many of the knowledgeable Feng Shui consultants and practitioners in Australia were shaking their heads in disbelief over the design of the building. The numerous flaws of its modern and so-called ‘sleek’ design were easily identified by the practitioners. During the break, I was asked whether the owner of the building ever thought of hiring a Feng Shui master to re-evaluate and make changes to the building. While in Vancouver, this building has always been a topic of discussion by my clients. They always ask me “who came up with this design? The building is always empty and the shops are shutting down on a regular basis.”

Those who have been to the building may already notice the ‘hollowness’ of the building with the lack of traffic in the mall. Firstly, many questioned where the facing direction of the building is located. The building itself sports three main doors, one by the Southeast corner of the building, another by the east of the building, while the third entrance is by the side of the north end where the main Cambie Road is located. The three main entrances will give any Feng Shui master headaches in terms of trying to determine how to capture the main ‘Qi’ flow.  The entrance by the Southeast corner is the most threatening out of the three as it is designed like a claw. This may be useful if it was designed for a casino, but this is a shopping mall where energy should be vibrant, nourished, and positive, not threatening.

Walking through this entrance immediately gives anyone a headache. In addition, the design itself can be considered a ‘mis-use’ of real estate space as more square footage could have been used for generating additional income. The entrance itself is rather uninviting making customers wonder whether they should enter the building. The sitting and facing directions accompanied by the entrances does not by themselves allow us to judge how terrible the Feng Shui of this shopping center is, albeit, they are vital components of any building when evaluating the Feng Shui of a unit. The understanding of the flow of traffic, in Feng Shui terminology, water, must also be taken into consideration.

There are two main roads for this building, Cambie Road and Hazelbridge Way as marked on the map below.

It is possible that the San He (三合) theory may have been applied on this building to open up the “wealth door” or energy for this building, and hence, the reason for three entrances. In addition, there are two separate entrances for the parking lot. Having said this, I highly doubt that Feng Shui techniques were applied since the profitability and longevity of the shops inside the building does not reflect the use of proper Feng Shui configurations.

The exterior design of the building, sleek with modern designs and glass, does not fit with the environment and consistency of its neighbours. Aberdeen Centre will quickly remind many of a modern BMW car dealership for those who have been to Germany. Little does this mall look like a shopping center.

Once you enter the building, you will notice the hollow nature of the interior and the spaciousness of the halls. The headache increases as one enters near the center of the building where the water fountain is located. Every hour on the hour, music is played at the circular area where the water fountain is located. Trying to hear oneself talk is almost impossible as the echo of the music and the splashing water creates an incredible amount of “noise sha”, or negative sound effects. In order to experience the negative effects of the entire building, I highly recommend Feng Shui enthusiasts to enter the building and pay attention to the echoing sound of the music and water fountain. This building serves as a prime example of what “not” to do from a Feng Shui theory standpoint. I will write more about its interior configurations in the future.