The Entrance of the Thames Water Headquarters in Reading. This image shows that the building is circular.

Introduction:

 

The Thames Water Headquarters Building is based in Reading. The circular building is next to the River Thames and has the entrance facing a major roundabout.

 

It is situated near the railway station in central Reading, adjacent to the Reading Bridge.

 

Thames Water is the largest private water utility company, responsible for water supply and wastewater treatment. Its catchment area covers most of Greater London, Luton, the Thames Valley, Surrey, Gloucestershire, north Wiltshire, and far west Kent. Like other water companies, it has a monopoly in the regions it serves.

 

The public utility, based in the Thames Water Headquarters building, is getting much publicity for the wrong reasons. The British press has written extensively about Thames Water's problems, and television news programmes have shown them.

 

This post is based on a real-life documentary on the BBC - Thames Water: Inside the Crisis. It is about people working in the Thames Water Headquarters and other locations.

 

Why is Thames Water getting so much negative publicity?

 

Thames Water has been causing upset among the people in the areas it serves. The public utility has been releasing untreated wastewater into the rivers, sparking communities to form protest groups against the company.

 

Also, Thames Water has been severely fined (over £100 million) for allowing polluted water to leave their sewage plants.

 

The business has borrowed £15 billion, and its annual income is £2 billion. The current annual interest payment is £800 million.

 

They are barely surviving, living off one loan to the next. Should it collapse, the business has to continue as it is a public utility. It would then fall into special administration, presumably under direct government supervision.

 

Thames Water has just received an additional loan of £3 billion, which, at the time of writing. This will enable the business to continue operating for an additional 15 months.

 

During this time, management intends to seek a new owner for the business.

 

I am discussing whether Thames Water will survive this crisis or go into special administration.

 

Therefore, the question is – Will Thames Water survive this continued trauma?

 

I will answer the question through the Feng Shui analysis of the Thames Water Headquarters.

 

The Purpose of Feng Shui

 

Feng Shui is the Chinese System of Management of the Environment. It is used to design buildings that are prosperous for the business. The method can be used to identify buildings for purchase or occupation.

 

Therefore, I use feng shui techniques to identify whether a building will be prosperous or not. In this case, will the business survive in its present form?

 

The central tenet of traditional feng shui is the flow of environmental energy in the building.

 

Analysis of Thames Water Headquarters

 



The Thames Water Headquarters is the circular building in the centre. To the front of the building is the roundabout. To the right of the building is the Reading Bridge. Behind the Thames Water Headquarters is the River Thames. It flows from the West (Left) to the Right (East).

 

The Thames Water Headquarters is located on a plot by the River Thames. The river flows from the West (left) to the east (right). The building is just before the Reading Bridge.

 

The energy flows with the river from west to east. The bridge provides a barrier, allowing a buildup of energy in that area.

 

The main entrance faces a major roundabout before Reading Bridge, which spans the River Thames.

 

1.  The design of the building

 



The Rear of the Thames Water Headquarters. You can see the gap with the 2 circular staircases (fire escapes) enclosed with glass on either side. Again, this image shows the circular shape of the building.

 

The Thames Water Headquarters is a circular building, or more of a “horseshoe” shape, with an opening towards the river.

 

The energy flowing with the river will be trapped by the building's “hugging” shape or closed design. An entrance allows the energy from the river to enter the building.

 

In Traditional Feng Shui, the more energy, the better the business outcome.

 

2. The Entrance to the building

 

The front door of the building faces a roundabout. The energy flows in the roundabout are confused. Not many businesses can survive when facing the challenges of the roundabout. The businesses that do well near a roundabout are undertakers, barbers, butchers and possibly hairdressers.

 

Secondly, one of the turnoffs from the roundabout leads to Reading Bridge. The energies on either side of a bridge are concentrated.

 

The energy flow in front of the building is a lethal mixture of two feng shui negatives – a roundabout and an entrance to a bridge.

 

3. The building is circular.

 

Successful businesses do not have their offices in buildings with a circular shape. Presumably, the unsuccessful ones have gone.

 

However, there are many legislatures are designed in circular shapes. Circular buildings are good for places where there is discussion or debate—in other words, they are a talking shop.

 

I would therefore expect the communications department to have a strong influence in the running of the business.

 

My Observations from the TV programme.

 

Staff in the outlying buildings appear to have low morale. They are understaffed and hence overworked. The buildings are unkept, and vital equipment does not appear well-maintained.

 

The staff appear to be in a firefighting mode, solving one current problem after another. They do not have time to settle and plan for the future. They are tired and under siege.

 

In the documentary, CEO Chris Weston was seen taking advice from the Director of Communications. That would be expected, as it was about the documentary. However, when he made announcements or was interviewed, he did not come across as convinced of what he was saying. When he made announcements to staff, he appeared upbeat but actually looked very tired.

 

Analysis:

 

A characteristic of buildings with a circular design is the “confusion” of the thoughts of the people there.

 

From my observations of the staff's behaviour at Thames Water Headquarters, they appear to lack confidence in their actions. They spend their thoughts and actions addressing current issues. When interviewed, their minds were focused directly on their problems, rather than the bigger picture. They are also concerned about their future.

 

The entrance directly faces a roundabout that leads to a significant bridge.

 

I have not observed any successful businesses that face a roundabout, except for particular types of businesses.

 

Conclusion.

 

The Thames Water Headquarters is not conducive to success as a business.

 

It will continue to struggle until everybody gets worn out.

 

I would be surprised if it did not eventually go into special administration.