Vaastu Suggestion vs Architectural terms

Comparison between Guidelines provided on the basis of astrological considerations and engineering aspects.:

SI NO	Vaastu Suggestion:	Explanation in the Contemporary Architectural / Scientific terms:
1	2	3
1.	The low- lying areas, water brone or water locked areas or where streams flow or poisonous creatures exist are not considered as suitable house sites.	Low- lying areas are susceptible to floods, which will endanger the structure. The existence of poisonous creatures will be harmful to human life.
2.	The immediate vicinity of temples, water tanks, palace, and public places are not advisable to be selected as house sites.	The calmness and privacy of the people living in the houses and the enviornment will be affected due to the floating population visiting public places.
3.	The level of the ground on the East and the North should be lower when compared to the level on South and West sides.	Normally, the prevailing wind is from South to North. Thus, if North is at lower level, the sewage and drainage can be disposed towards North so that the bad smell does not come towards the house.
4.	Test fro selection of site: “The pit should be filled up with water in the evening and should be examined next day at sunrise. If, at least some water remains or if the pit is marshy, the house site will bring prosperity. If the entire water gets dried up or if there are fissures in the pit, the plot is inauspicious.”	The drying of water indicates that the soil is highly permeable i.e., loose sand having low bearing capacity. Fissures in pit indicate expansive clay, which shrinks and swells during summer and rainy days respectively. Both types of soils are not ideal for buildings. The presence of water indicates that the soil is clayey and is good for construction and plantation.
5.	The minimum height of ceiling should be 9’.	The National Building Code specifies minimum height of habitable room as 2.75 meters or 9’. It is important for proper lighting and ventilation.
6.	The minimum width of the outer walls should be 1 foot.	Thick wall has better resistance to dampness and has better thermal insulation. As per Building standards, the minimum width of outer wall should be 13 ½ or 9” in case of brick walls.
7.	The length of wall should not be less than 3’ at any place.	Any wall having a length of less than 3’ will tend to buckle due to its slenderness.
8.	As far as possible, the shape of rooms should be rectangular. However, the ratio of the length to width should be 2:1 to get the best results.	For optimum utility of any room and arrangement of furniture, rectangular shape is better than square.
9.	The trees, which can be planted in a house site, are a)      Tulsi b)      Peepal c)       Neem d)      Palm e)      Banyan f)       Coconut g)      Mango h)      Citrus etc The trees which are not recommended to be grown in a house site:- a)      Datura b)      Thorny tree etc	Black tulasi and peepal gives a lot of oxygen, thus they are good for health. Neem has a lot of medicinal properties. Palm liquid endosperm is highly nutritious and is used as refreshing drink. The solid endosperm is either eaten raw, cooked or it is expressed for edible oil which is used for cooking, used as component of shampoos, soaps. Datura is a poisonous and it has thorn, so it is harmful for children. Therefore, they are not grown in a house.
10.	According to vastu shastra different types of roomare placed in different directions.	As sun rise from East, kitchen is placed towards East to have better light and ventilation. If prevailing wind is from South to North, room placed in South direction will have better light and air.
11.	Walls on South and West should be greater in height and also wider than the walls on North and East.	Wind direction is from South to North, thus walls on South need to be stronger to resist direct wind pressure.
12.	The land should not have pits.	The top good/ fertile soil may have been dug up for making bricks or filling some where else. Rain water gets accumulated in the pits and percolates in the sub soil thus reducing its bearing capacity. Due to the settlement of soil used for filling the pits, flooring will crack.
13.	Land should not have been eroded by water.	The area is flood prone, thus house should not be constructed. The top fertile soil which is good for plantation has been eroded. Land eroded by water may contain harmful sulphates / chemicals which affect durability of concrete.
14.	The wood that is to be used for doors are Teak, Mango, Neem, Palm, etc. Trees that have been damaged by heavy wind like cyclone should not be used.	Wood that is used for doors should be free from knots, shakes, cracks and other defects. Mango and Neem has well developed trunk. Teak is hard wood, and is used in making doors, window and ventilator. Teak can with stand extremes dryness.
15.	The door should not be made of different types of woods and only one type should be used for one door.	The expansion contraction due to moisture adsorption varies for different types of wood; hence, if door is made of different types of wood it will develop cracks.
16	The shutter of windows shall open outside.	Windows shutter if made to open inside will create obstruct inside the room.
17.	The suitability of the soil is determined by sowing a small quantity of paddy and water in a selected plot. The soil is well graded, dense and good for a building, if the paddy sprouts begins to appear on the third day.	Relative density of the soil is determined by refilling the excavated earth into a pit without consolidation. The soil is supposed to be superior, if no soil remains and the site is inferior, if the excavated soil does not fill the pit. The growth of paddy indicates that soil is fertile. To determine soil density, a compression test is conducted at the site by Engineers. These test help to determine safe bearing capacity of the soil and the foundation needed, its type, width and depth.