The philosophy There are two main schools of feng shui, the Form School and the Compass School.
Consultants usually emphasise one more than the other, but use elements of both.
The Form School analyses the location of a city, house or room by looking at the landscape and any water surrounding it. It was originally used by the Chinese in choosing sites for settlements, temples and graves. There should be something solid and protective there. Traditionally this would have been a hill or mountain, but in modern cities it is often a taller building behind the house. There should be open space in this area, so it is bad feng shui to build a house facing a large obstacle or obstruction.