With the world population increasing and land area decreasing, buildings are now going longitudinal, instead of latitudinal…. Apartments are becoming more common these days as compared to villas and with good reason too. There is no longer sufficient space left in cites for spacious houses with backyards to play in and maybe plant a small garden nor is there any luxury of space for car parking on the sides of private houses.

Current lifestyles are such that people don’t spend much time at home, thus making apartment, or community living a safer and better option. There may not be a backyard, but there is definitely a balcony or two for enjoying the fresh air and some flowerpots. And most apartment complexes provide common amenities where you and your children can enjoy some outdoor fun time on home turf.

However when it comes to buying an apartment, you need to be a little careful and check whether the design is vastu-compliant or not; many builders claim it, but only a few like the Artech Realtors actually put this ancient architectural science into practice when planning their apartments. Vastu provides information on the governing laws of nature and how they affect man and his home. The five elements of nature including earth, water, air, fire and space govern our lives and when used correctly, help in creating happy, healthy and prosperous homes.

Vastu tips for apartments are similar to that applied to villas, but due to the limitation of space, it’s not always possible to practice all the principles of Vastu in apartment complexes. There are even those naysayers who feel that Vastu doesn’t really need to be applied to apartments, (except the ground floor) as they are not touching the earth element and are therefore not interacting with the 5 elements of nature! But Vastu doesn’t work that way as all apartments have common walls that eventually touch the ground, making Vastu still applicable to all apartments.

Constructing an apartment complex as per Vastu isn’t easy as apartments share walls with adjacent homes, thus making placements of critical areas like kitchen and bathroom difficult as per Vastu guidelines. Some of the Vastu guidelines that can still be applied to apartment complexes include the following:

• The building should have a regular shape, such as a square or rectangle.
• The complex shouldn’t be built on a T-junction.
• Neither should it be built at the end of the road.
• Every room should have four walls.
• The main door to the apartment should be bigger than the rest of the doors in the apartment.
• Rooms in the northern part of the apartment should be bigger than those in the southern part.
• Windows should be 3-4 feet above ground level and must have same level from the ceiling downwards too.
• The kitchen shouldn’t face the front door, but preferably face east.

Though there are numerous Vastu guidelines, it’s not possible to apply all of them to apartments; even if it’s 70%-compliant, count yourself lucky as you are onto a good thing!