Architecture defines spaces and creates spatial forms in order to allot living spaces and utilitarian spaces amongst the occupants of a dwelling.  Modern architecture sometimes gets so much obsessed with the ideas like economy, lifestyle, function, and efficiency that it almost forgets the inherent psychological needs like peace and tranquility of a human being occupying the structure.  Sometimes, the hands of an architect are forced because of professional compulsions like satisfying the demands of builders and developers.  The individuality in architectural creations, visible in earlier times has in recent times been lost to problems associated
with group or mass housing techniques.

Vastushastra deals with four kinds of spaces – within human form, constructed space, terrestrial space, and cosmic space.  A designer with Vastushastra insight achieves harmony between all these spaces, and in the process creates microcosm in the built-up space that replicates the qualities of the macrocosm. Vastushastra ideas result in design of houses, which are beneficial to the body and mind of the dweller.

In Vastushastra as well as modern architecture, the shapes like square and rectangle indicate safety, completeness and stability. But, the aesthetic shapes like triangle and rounded shapes representing grace and progress, which are popular in modern architecture, are a voided in Vastushastra.  Vastushastra considers that the energetic space within a square or rectangular form create vibrations appropriate for peaceful and tranquil pattern of life.

Modern architecture, though outwardly elegant, is yet to imbibe the smooth way in which Vastushastra has found balance between symmetry and asymmetry in designing structures.  But the trends are changing.  Architects have started borrowing from concepts of climatology, environmental engineering, and cosmic energy flow principles to design dwellings that are in harmony \ with nature and closer to Vastushastra logic.

It is perplexing to note that Vastushastra and ancient cosmic Mandala diagrams are being dismissed in architectural seminars as mere tradition and memory architecture.  Even after assuming the collective and personal memory plays a decisive role in an architectural layout.  Vastushastra is far beyond this process during planning stage, construction stage, or finishing and decoration stage.

It is interesting to note that some Western scientists are promoting a concept of ‘space therapy’, which is based on the premise that well-defined built-up spaces have the virtuous ability to cure human body of ill health.  The experiments have mostly been confined to pyramids and similar shapes.  These ideas though rediscovered in the Western world are already available Vastushastra encompasses the whole cosmic existence, the microcosm and the macrocosm.