I CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE APPLYING

Home , Balcony, Studio, Studio apartment

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE

APPLYING ECOLOGICAL AND HUMANE DESIGN PRINCIPLES INTO THE DESIGN OF

A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences

Xiaosai Wang

December 2013

The graduate project of Xiaosai Wang is approved:

Rodica R. Kohn, M. Arch, MFA,Leed GA, CID Date

Wei Cao, Ph.D. Date

Kyriakos L.Pontikis, Ph.D., Chair Date

California State University, Northridge

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I would like to express my sincere and deep gratitude to my committee members who supported me in writing this graduate project.

My highest appreciation goes to my advisor, Dr. Kyriakos Pontikis, for his trust, guidance, encouragement and support in the completion of my thesis. As an international student,

I found that it was very hard at the beginning to adjust studying in US. However, Dr. Pontikis always encouraged me to do my best with my studies and be myself. His encouragement has made me who I am and my progress unique.

I would also like to thank Professor Rodica Kohn willingness to serve for my committee.

During the completion of the graduate project, as well as during my study in interior design,

Professor Kohn gave me a lot of valuable suggestions and feedbacks.

Dr. Wei Cao also gave me a lot of support while I was working on the project. Her sharing of her mixed east-west educational and cultural background and success in academia has constituted part of my motivation to finish my study at CSUN. She provided me some cross- cultural research resources and some suggestions while considering the selection of textile-based home design products such as carpet and curtains.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page ii Acknowledgment iii List of Figures v List of Tables vii Abstract viii

CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION 1 Statement of the Problem 2 Purpose 2 Definitions 3 Assumptions 4 Limitations 4

CHAPTER II – REVIEW OF LITERATURE 6 Green Studio Environment 6 Humane Studio Environment 8 Doing Office Work at Home: Home office 10 Green Design’s Development in China 11

CHAPTER III – METHODOLOGY 13 Project Methodology 13 Project Evaluation 17

CHAPTER IV – RESULTS 19 Project Results 19 Results from Evaluation by Experts 39 Results from Evaluation by Member of the Target Population 41

CHAPTER V – DISCUSSION 42 Discussion the Findings and Modifications 42 Discussion of the Expert Evaluation 42 Discussion of the Target Population Evaluation 43 Implications and Conclusion 43

REFERENCES 44

APPENDIX Pre-Design Questionnaire 47 Post-Design Survey 51 Expert Survey Questions 52

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1 Green-decorated balcony 7

Figure 3.1 Map of the client’s home 14

Figure 3.2 Community environment 1 14

Figure 3.3 Community environment 2 15

Figure 3.4 Community environment 3 15

Figure 3.5 Building of client’s home. 16

Figure 4.1 Living room 19

Figure 4.2 Bedroom view 1 20

Figure 4.3 Bedroom view 2 20

Figure 4.4 Bedroom view 3 21

Figure 4.5 Bamboo flooring type 1 23

Figure 4.6 Bamboo flooring type 2 23

Figure 4.7 Embroidery wallpapers 24

Figure 4.8 Non- toxic painting materials 24

Figure 4.9 Embroidery curtain 25

Figure 4.10 Embroidery curtain could be used in small units 25

Figure 4.11 Pink related color used for ladies’ room 26

Figure 4.12 Palm Lily 27

Figure 4.13 Interior plant 27

Figure 4.14 Decorating shelf example 28

Figure 4.15 Convertible decorating shelf 28

Figure 4.16 Bar table pattern 29

Figure 4.17 Two function table as dining table 29

Figure 4.18 Two function table as working desk 30

Figure 4.19 Sofa bed 30

Figure 4.20 Bunk bed system 31

Figure 4.21 Glass tea table 31

Figure 4.22 Sample of attractive lighting fixture 32

Figure 4.23 LED bulb 32

Figure 4.24 Original layout 35

Figure 4.25 Adjusted layout with area and perimeter 36

Figure 4.26 Floor plan 36

Figure 4.27 TV wall and sliding door 37

Figure 4.28 Living room rendering 37

Figure 4.29 Dining area rendering 38

Figure 4.30 TV wall rendering 38

Figure 4.31 Bedroom rendering 39

Figure 4.32 Shelf rendering 39

LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.1 Budget Table 21-22

Table 4.2 Pattern Explanation 32-35

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ABSTRACT

APPLYING ECOLOGICAL AND HUMANE DESIGN PRINCIPLES IN THE DESIGN OF A

STUDIO APARTMENT IN CHINA

Xiaosai Wang

Master of Science in

Family and Consumer Sciences

Studio apartments, with characteristics of multi-function, convenience, and affordable price, have become popular for the young professional in China. However, the convenience and simplicity of the design may not provide a more livable environment for people, who really expect to relax after long time working in the office, who really have to work in a more personalized and friendly environment while staying at home. The purpose of this project is to create a pattern language following sustainable and humane design principles, then using this language to design a more livable studio apartment for a young professional who lives in Qingdao, China. The utilization of natural elements such as indoor plants, textured wall paper, low impact materials, multi-functional furniture etc. in the project were proposed to the clients.

The evaluation from the clients and experts in the field indicated that the integration of green design and humane design in this studio design was successful. The remodeled home provided an enriched spiritual life and comfort to its resident. This project will be a good example for young Chinese architects and interior designers in integrating sustainable elements developed in

Western culture with Chinese characteristics. Furthermore, the remodeled design project will increase the value of the studio apartments, which will lead to the increased sales/rental revenue

viii of studio apartments as well.

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Living quality is considered as individual’s “core value” or “the stuff of life” for us

(Parse, 2013). More and more people demand a higher level of living quality nowadays.

Landscape designing of the living environment may provide a better connection with nature

(Těšitel, J. et al, 2001). Living in an environment where can make people feel comfortable and close connection to nature will bring a strong feeling of belonging to them.

With the challenges such as energy crisis, pollution, resource shortage, etc., sustainability has been taken into consideration in all aspects of our lives. A sustainable environment for interior design means the design outcome can benefit not only for our current generation, but also for the future generations. In addition, we will have to apply human design (Pontikis, 2010) principle into the environment design, since human design emphasize a higher livability and give people a better feeling of belonging. If we could combine the sustainable design principle and human design principle together, to fulfill people’s green needs in environment and conservation concern and human needs in personal and spiritual expectation, we can create a more sustainable and livable environment.

Nowadays, design principles have been exchanged in application internationally. Many traditional design principles in Chinese culture, such as Feng Shui, have been used by many US designers. The successful green building rating systems - such as LEED – have been disseminated to more and more Chinese designers, the integration of both eastern and western design principles in interior design field will provide a better living environment for human being.

Statement of the Problem

The rapid booming of economy in China creates more working opportunities in cities.

More and more people have migrated from traditional suburb areas to cities such as Qingdao,

Shanghai, Guangzhou, Ningbo to seek for a better life. The housing market in these big cities has been boomed with the fast paced urbanization in China. Studio apartment becomes an ideal option for many migrants with average income. The statistic dated indicated that the market demand of studio apartment rent and sale has been kept at very high level for more than 10 years

(Wu et al, 2010). A lot of real estate projects focusing on studio apartments have been developed in the big cities to attract these people (Wu et al, 2010). The most common way to attract potential buyers is to advertise the apartments using pre-decorated and presentable model home.

These model homes look new, attractive and ready to move in. However, it does not involve the combination of both sustainable design and human design. For example, all the model homes use same materials, same colors and same design, occupants lost the feeling of belonging in it; the pre-determined design could not accommodate occupant’s specific needs; lack of nature elements, may not bring a more livable environment for the occupants. In addition, most studio apartment buildings were constructed in a very mechanistic way with less consideration for the occupants.

Purpose

The project was developed to address the issues in the current studio apartment design, provided the opportunities for the occupants to participate the design process in personalizing their home. Meanwhile, the builders could use the project as an example to diversify their model homes in the future. The purpose of this project was to apply the ecological and human design principles into a specific studio apartment design in China, create a more enjoyable and unique

2 environment with personalized characteristics for the client.

The implication of this study will benefit for two groups of people. The first group is the residents who live in these studios. With the integration of traditional Chinese design elements and the eco-humane principles, the remodeled home provided an upgraded and enriched spiritual life for residents. The second group is the real estate developers. With the application of eco- humane design principles into the design of studio apartments, real estate developers will use this design to present more humane and green model rooms to prospective tenants or buyers, thus to attract more clients in the market. Moreover, this project will be a good example for Chinese architects and interior designers in integrating sustainable elements developed in Western culture with Chinese characteristics. The new remodeled design project will increase the value of the studio apartments, which will lead to the increased sales/rental revenue of studio apartments as well.

Definitions

1. Pattern Language is a series of environmental patterns which can sustain life and human

feeling that can help homeowner designs a space or a building for themselves to enrich the

spirit and beauty of the built environment (Alexander et al. 1977).

2. Form Language is the geometrical solutions of an architectural style. It is a set of forms that

can be combined together to build a particular built environment (Salingaros, 2002).

3. Eco-humane design is the integrated design system that includes humane design (which focus

on the design for human needs) and green design (which focus on designing an environment

that has less impact to the surrounding environment and people) along with the ecological

needs to create a sustainable built environment. This is a design model developed by Dr.

Kyriakos Pontikis at CSUN who first proposed the term of “Humane Green Design”

(Pontikis, 2010) which has later evolved to “Eco-Humane Design”.

4. SOHO: SOHO is an abbreviation for “Small-Office/Home-Office”, use home as office and

user can do business at home without having an actual workplace.

Assumptions

The assessment for this design project was based upon the following assumptions:

• Participants (i.e. professionals in studio design, real estate developers/representatives, and

studio apartment occupants) would review my project and give some feedback for my

project.

• All participants are able to understand English (Most occupants are white-collar professional

with college degree, they have enough English proficiency.)

• Professional participants are holding acknowledgeable professional license in order to review

and give suggestion on my project.

• Participants that are real estate developers have 10 years of business experiences in selling or

rent studio apartment units.

Limitations

This project contributed to upgrade the life of residents in studio apartments. However, certain limitations still exist.

• This project is only geared towards occupants that are living individually in studio

apartments.

• This project is written entirely in English. Only participants who read English will be able to

understand the concepts developed in this project.

• This project was evaluated only by professionals specializing in studio design in China

because they have a better understanding and experience in Chinese studio apartment design.

• The client is residing in China and the researcher/designer is residing in the USA. The

distance barrier may cause some challenge in the project design because the communication

was mainly through the Internet.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

To develop an ecological sustainable environment for studio apartment users, with a fully consideration of more eco-humane design principle, we should make sure that there will be as many positive benefits as possible and as few negative impacts as possible to studio apartment users. In this project, I tried to meet the green criteria and humane criteria to develop a studio environment for the client.

Green Studio Environment

The first objective focused on the eco-sustainable design part. Most occupants demand a more ecological living environment in China based on the recognition of ecological development in most cities. People expect a healthy working and living environment to ensure a high- efficiency of work quality (Yee, et al, 2013).

To create the connection with nature in interior design is one of the approaches to reach ecological needs. The connection with the nature could be fulfilled through physical means and visual aspect. For example, using woodwork in the design is one of the physical connections to the nature (Browne, 2011, p. 54). Bamboo could be a representative selection in woodwork.

Bamboo grows fast and can be harvested very quickly. It is a strong material with less negative impact to the environment. It will be a good material in enlarging the ecological element in design. China has a large production of bamboo, which could save the cost in transportation if we need to use bamboo as one of the materials (Girolamo, 2008).

Studio apartments are small apartments. It would be difficult to apply lots of physical connections with the nature. However, we can use some alternate solutions such as visual means.

For example, some studios are located at the upper level of the building with a balcony area. It is

6 possible to use plants as a connection to nature. To apply these solutions, using green plants to decorate the balcony and create a small outside garden as the garden environment (See Figure

2.1) outside of the room. Occupants will be able to have a view of the garden environment and relax themselves (Asensio, 2003, p. 149) through the window.

Figure 2.1 Green-decorated Balcony

In addition, using wood roof can also help to reduce the waste of water and the emission of greenhouse and acid gas (McMinn, 2002). With this kind of design, occupants can virtually have a “larger” living environment and ensure an ecological effect.

Another important green requirement is the reduction of waste and extra energy consumption. In order to achieve this goal, to consider using more efficient resources and other transformation is necessary, for example, to use high efficient electricity units (Sillah, 2011, pp.

6-7) in the design. In addition, other approaches such as to enlarge the area of the window, to allow more natural light lighting the room to reduce the energy consumption are good choices.

The water efficiency is also important to be considered in evaluating the green design of a

7 building or an environment. The reduction in water usage will save costs for both the occupants and the developers (Yee, et, al, 2013).

Indoor air quality is an important issue in green design. Most people who come home for rest after work, fresh air with enough oxygen will be good for their health. As we know, green plants can use photosynthesis to transform the carbon dioxide to oxygen and refresh the air quality. Therefore, to put some indoor green plants, ensure a good air flowing in an open space will help maintain a greener environment.

Humane Studio Environment

1. Livable environment

Livable environment means that the occupants should live in a convenient environment with a strong feeling of belonging. The feeling of livability is according to people’s needs.

Livability could be explained as fewer environmental impacts, sufficient light ambiance, attractiveness, and comfort. An environment with reasonable harmony could increase the feel of comfort and belonging.

Color is an important design feature to create a harmony feeling, it will give both occupants and visitors the first impression of the room based on the psychological influence on people (Gibbs, 2005). The appropriate color selection could help people to release the stress from the work (Carroll, 2005). For example, green colors could help relax the eyes, yellow color could enlarge the feeling of sunshine in the room (Wallpaper Sunshine, 2009). Moreover, studio apartment is a type of small apartment. The using of color becomes more important because the elements can be unified together and shows the beauty of wholeness (Asensio, 2003, p. 53).

Besides color, texture is a good design element to be considered. Different textures of materials could create varied visual effects. High-quality texture of materials can bring more

8 alive and more convenient feeling for people to reside (Gibbs, 2005, p. 106). Smooth texture is good, rough texture can at times be a good solution too because we cannot omit roughness

(Alexander, 2002, p. 210) in life. Texture in carpet, flooring, or wallpaper materials will be an important factor in design selection.

2. Functionalized Environment

Studio apartment is a small living unit, with careful design considerations; small units can feel very comfortable (Hoffman, 2012). A well-developed functional layout, with other design elements such as circulation, color, etc., and using multi-functional and flexible furniture could make the small unit comfortable. Schleifer (2011) proposed to use dining table as a work desk for the convenience and cost-saving. The studio apartment can function as a mini SOHO to fulfill people’s needs in home and office.

The existing furniture can be used as beautiful artwork in interior design. Schleifer (2011) also mentioned that to decorate a bookshelf to function as an artwork. This is the same consideration as the property of “Good Shape”, one of the fifteen fundamental properties of space (Alexander, 2002, p. 143). Moreover, a sofa could function as a bed when needed, for example, using Fold-down bunk beds to make a convenient space for guests and also used as a sofa which acted as a regular home furniture planning (Schleifer, 2011, pp. 502-503).

Other elements with strong culture meaning could enrich occupants’ spiritual life and create a strong feeling of belonging. Studio apartment has played an important role for the fulfillment of many people’s living needs in a limited area. However, living at a space-limited area doesn’t mean to live without a high quality of life. Therefore to create a livable environment with the application of both ecological and human design principle is necessary.

Doing Office work at Home: Home office

With a higher bandwidth to allow a high-speed Internet connection, more and more business can be done as long as the Internet is available (Barbagallo, 2003). Moreover, most businesses have created their online platform. Therefore people are able to do business at home with laptop and other portable digital devices. Under this circumstance, we will need a home office to help us to fulfill the needs to do business at home. SOHO has been used to describe this kind of function while adding the office working function into home. SOHO has become a very popular selling point in most real estate in China.

The home office area/location should be away from places that are used for gathering

(Capistrano, 2004). Lighting is important for home office design. Lighting that are close to natural lighting can help office workers to create a convenient working environment and reduce the tiredness after long-term working (Butalla, 2006). With the function of home office, most white-collar worker can complete a lot of office work at home. However, it is not always that you could place an independent home office room at home. A small apartment or even a studio apartment doesn’t have sufficient space for a separate home office. In that case, we need to make the home office transformable and have multiple functions. For example, we can combine the home office with a guest or media room to allow office working in day time and entertainment activities in the evening (Butalla, 2006). We can use two end tables as nightstands When we have guests to stay overnight (Home office, 2007). This kind of solution can be considered while designing the studio apartment with office working function.

Sustainable Design Development in China

Sustainability design has been discussed in the design field for long in China. The humane approach design is defined as a “socio-cultural practice in pursuit of aesthetic and

10 affluent life” (Choi & Yu, 2011) in Asia, which means it is possible to add some traditional and culture elements as lighting and/or aesthetics solutions (Choi & Yu, 2011).

One of the approaches in China sustainable practices in interior design is associated with energy conservation. China is huge with a wide range of climate, it is important to optimize the insulation level of exterior wall and roof (Li, M 2011). Therefore, many building projects used local energy source to reduce additional cost in energy transportation, or using low-carbon solution to reduce the carbon emission and the impact to the world (Li, W 2011). The first LEED certified building in China received LEED gold certification in 2005. However, the widely spread of green building projects experienced a big challenge. Chinese people lack of understanding of green building, its importance and value, and there are some inappropriate incentives reduced the pace for China to adopt green building (Nelson, 2012). In residential field, sustainable requirement is also indicated by most real estate developers in China. Christopher

Alexander, along with two other co-authors wrote the book of A Pattern Language provided 253 different kinds of patterns that can be considered in making the home design more humane.

Some Chinese home design and selection approach and principle can be found in this book.

Pattern 105: south facing outdoors, is one of the usable patterns while doing home selection. It is stated that if the building is placed right, the building and its garden will bring lots of happiness for people (Alexander, 1977, p. 514). With the south facing outdoor and north building location, there will be a balance of sun and shades (Alexander, 1977, p. 516). South facing outdoor was preferred in home design in China due to the better sunshine. Stakeholders of apartment industry have stated that sustainable design will improve the performance product and/or services in environmental value, and increase the life-cycle of the product and service. Sustainable design can not only benefit the apartment developer, but also the residents/customers (Zhu, et al, 2012).

It is possible to develop a more successful sustainable design project and make it easier to be accessed by most residential customers.

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

Project Methodology

To apply the ecological and human design principles into the design of studio apartments in China, it is better to work with a local client. I posted my project topic in several interior design professional discussion forums in China. Several people contacted me after a month.

Through the communication with them, I decided to work with a young female professional who works in Qingdao. The client was aware that the design and remodel of her studio apartment would go through the online communication.

The client is a young office lady, who purchased that studio apartment two years ago.

The design of the apartment is unified, same as the sample room. She is currently living by herself at that studio apartment. Her main request was to personalize that apartment for her following ecological design principles. The online meeting with the client started with the background information for client’s apartment.

I. Background information of the Apartment from the Client

The client’s home is located at Haiqing Garden, Shinan District of Qingdao City. It is a residential community with different types of residential buildings around. The map below indicated the location of Haiqing Garden’s in Shinan District.

Figure 3.1 Map of the client’s home

Below are some pictures of client’s living community.

Figure 3.2 Community environment 1

Figure 3.3 Community Environment 2

Figure 3.4 Community environment 3

More pictures below were provided by the client to indicate the location of her apartment.

She lives at the 6 th floor at Building 20.

Figure 3.5 Building of client’s home.

II. Meeting with the client to identify her needs

The meeting with the client was through Windows Live Messenger (MSN) and Skype video conference. After the preliminary conversion to know the client’s basic request and estimated budget, I sent her the pre-design questionnaire (translated into Chinese) to understand more in-depth about her. The Questionnaire is attached as Appendix A.

III. Existing unit Evaluation

After analyzing the information from the questionnaire, I requested some pictures of the interior environment of the apartment to prepare for the remodel. The photo of the existing apartment condition is shown on the first section of Chapter 4.

IV. Project Pattern/Form Language

The selection and application of pattern language for this project was based on the existing condition of the current apartment and client’s needs. Considering this, some existed pattern had to be retained due to the budget and client’s preference, new proposed pattern had to

16 be accepted by the clients.

V. Project Budget Setup

Based on the conversation, the design budget was set at $16,000.The distributed project budget was shown inn Table 4.1 Allocation of Budget.

VI. Project Design

The design process of this project included two parts: creating a floor plan and remodeling for the apartment. Based on the rough floor layout plan provided by the real estate developer, I used AutoCAD to create a much clear floor plan for this project. Furthermore, I used

3DSMax to create a 3D model for the studio apartment, especially two rendering pictures for the proposed design of her living room and bedroom.

VII. Project Assessment

The project was assessed by two industry experts and the client in China. The design proposal had to be translated into Chinese when proposed to the client. Feedback from the evaluators was collected and a Post-Design Survey (Shown on Appendix B with both Chinese and English Editions) was conducted.

Project Evaluation

I. Evaluation by Experts

Expert Evaluation Procedures

The two industry experts were reached through online directory in the local real estate design institute in Qingdao. I used Skype to contact them and sent them an archived file which included the floor plan, 3D model of the studio apartment along with the description of the project (both in English and Chinese). The Expert Survey Questionnaire is shown on Appendix

C (with English edition only since I assumed the expert can understand English).

Expert Evaluation Measurement

Both two experts are full of experiences in sustainable design. Expert evaluation survey are open-ended questions in the space planning, the sustainable approach, the budget, etc.. A

Likert scale questionnaire was prepared for their overall evaluation for the project.

Expert Characteristics

One expert is a senior designer at Qingdao Architectural Design Group. He specializes in sustainable design topics. He also participated in the design of Qingdao International Sailing

Center, which held the 2008 Beijing Olympic Sailing Games. Now his primary focus is in residential sustainable design.

Another expert is a senior designer who involved in many international design projects.

He has fifteen years of working experience in residential design. During the last five years, he focused more on SOHO design and now his research interest turns to sustainable design of

SOHO environment. He also had some research in Alexander’s Pattern language.

II. Evaluation by Target population

Target Population Evaluation Procedures

For the target population evaluation, I used an evaluation from my client.

Target Population Evaluation Measurement

The evaluation questions I designed for my client were mainly close-ended questions and tried to get her feedback on the proposed patterns and design for the project.

CHAPTER IV

RESULTS

Project Results

I. Existing Situation of the unit

1. Interior photo of the unit

The following pictures are the initial layout of the unit before the design. The rooms are

not very bright and there is only white color on the wall. The dining room and the living

room are separated by the frosted window.

Figure 4.1 Living room

Figure 4.2 Bedroom view 1

Figure 4.3 Bedroom view 2

Figure 4.4 Bedroom view 3

II. Budget Breakdown

During my conversation with the client, the client stated her budget plan on this project was at 16,000 U.S. Dollars, which is about ￥100,000 Chinese Yuan. According to the current market price of the furniture and home decorating, $16,000 is really a substantial budget to remodel her studio apartment in China.

Below is the itemized budget for the remodeling proposal.

1. Total Planned budget: CNY 100,000 (approximately USD 16,000)

2. Estimated itemized budget (Currency Used in table: CNY, Foreign Exchange Rate: 6.25

Yuan per Dollar)

Budget Category Quantity Estimated RMB US Dollar Unit Cost Yuan Budget Budget LED Lighting bulb(Large, for living room) 6 35 210 $33.6 LED Lighting bulb(small for bedroom) 10 25 250 $40 Regular Lighting bulb(for living room) 6 30 180 $28.8 Embroidery Curtain 2000 $320

Indoor Plants 600 $96 Painting 8000 $1280 Bamboo Flooring 6000 $960 Wallpaper 1800 $288 Storing Shelf 4000 $640 Tea Table 1800 $288 Guest Chair 180 $28.8 Bar Chair 120 $19.2 Bar Table with storing function 600 $96 Lighting fixture 2 600 on avg 1200 $192 Sofa bed or Bunk bed system 3500 $560 Carpet 3000 $480 Bed (Include Frame and Mattress) 9000 $1440 Pillow and Comforter 1400 $224 Nightstand 1200 $192 Total Estimated Budget 45040 Yuan or $7206.4 Table 4.1 Budget Table

During more in-depth conversation, the client shared with me more about her expectation for the remodeling. As an office lady, she has to work at home when need it. Comparing with working in the office, she prefers a more natural environment to reduce stress and tiredness. In addition, there are a lot of documents to be organized in her apartment. Besides the work, she would also to use her studio apartment as an entertainment area to have fun with friends.

I introduced the eco-humane approaches in interior design and the possible ways to apply the principle to her studio design to the client, she seemed very interested, expressed her understanding of it, such as to be relaxed at her apartment while she is tired during working.

With the encouragement, I planned to use some natural elements for this purpose.

III. Pattern Selection and application

Based on the evaluation of the client’s home and the study from Alexander’s Pattern

Language, the following patterns were considered to be used in the client’s home.

1. Floor and wall Materials

Natural materials are one of the good choices in sustainable approaches. Considering the

22 availability of materials, bamboo can become a good flooring solution due to short planting period with good strength.

Wall paper with different textures is a good choice for sustainability consideration.

Smooth texture give people a feeling of harmony and rough texture indicate a feeling of classic design. Classic embroidery texture wall paper in China, such as Xiang Yun ( “Lucky Cloud” in

English), can also increase the humane feeling.

Figure 4.5 Bamboo Flooring type 1

Figure 4.6 Bamboo Flooring type 2

Figure 4.7 Embroidery wallpapers

In order to fulfill the need of green design, it is important to select painting materials that have lower health impact to people, such as using painting solutions made of natural materials with non-toxic chemicals that can influence the occupant’s health.

Figure 4.8 Non toxic painting materials

In addition, window curtains in the bedroom could influence the design seriously.

Embroidery was chosen for the window curtains and other accessories in the bedroom.

Figure 4.9 Embroidery curtain

Figure 4.10 Embroidery curtain

2. Color

The theme colors provided to the client were light and warm colors. These colors usually make people feel curing and relaxing (Fehérváry, 2012 ).

Figure 4.11 Room with accent wall color

3. Interior Plants

Interior plants can fresh the indoor air and also absorb some electromagnetic radiation

from computers, televisions and other electric appliances. The studio apartment is located in

Qingdao, a coastal city, we discussed to select some indoor plants that fit the local natural

environment.

Figure 4.12 Palm lily

Figure 4.13 Interior plant

4. Furniture

Based on the need from the client, I had to find some space to store and organize her documents. Due to the limited space, some decorative but functional elements, such as the bookshelf shown in figure 4.15 and 4.16 would be a good choice.

Figure 4.14 Decorating shelf example

Figure 4.15 Convertible decorating shelf

In order to save space in a limited studio environment, I recommended using bar table and bar chair in the dining area. In addition, this table has to function as a working table for the laptop. The dual-functional table was designed as follows.

Figure 4.16 Bar table pattern

Figure 4.17 Two function table as dining table

Figure 4.18 Two function table as working desk

For the sofa in the living room, we agreed on using a sofa bed or bunk bed system to accommodate guests who want to stay over. Along with the sofa, a tea table is necessary. To provide a better humane feeling, I recommended a glass tea table. I also added a guest chair just in case the sofa is full.

Figure 4.19 Sofa bed

Figure 4.20 Bunk bed system

Figure 4.21 Glass tea table

5. Lighting

Using attractive lighting fixtures will make the living room more beautiful, along with some LED lighting, especially LED can save more energy.

Figure 4.22 Sample of attractive lighting fixture

Figure 4.23 LED bulb

The proposed design was listed in the following table compared with the original design.

1. Living room

Elements Photos of existing Photos of proposed Explanation

situation inspirational design

Wall The original color in the living room is Material white. This is not that colorful for a person aged twenties. I changed it into light yellow to allow a better reflection of natural brightness. Sofa Using sofa bed can increase the function of sofa. If the client is tired after working or or watching TV late, she can just convert it to a bed and go to sleep. Light color sofa bed can also reflect the natural light. Tea Table Since the color of sofa is proposed to be light color, I recommended to use glass tea table for the living room.

Lighting The lighting fixture was suggested to be a more attractive one, therefore it became a decorating element.

Dining The dining table was suggested to be Table & replaced to a bar table with bar chairs to save Chairs space. I also recommended the client to ask the manufacturer to customize a storing function so that it can also be used as a work desk.

Plants The original room doesn’t have any plants, so I suggested to place some flowers near the TV to absorb some electromagnetic radiation

2. bedroom

Wall The color in the bedroom was white, which is simple Material for the client. I recommended using pink/purple to represent the client’s characteristics

Decorating There is a closet in the bedroom. However, that Shelf storage unit along with the wall does not have a good color combination. Therefore I recommended my client to take out the closet and replace it with a sliding door and a decorating shelf next to the sliding door.

Curtain Using curtain with embroidery technology can help to increase a better living quality. Silk is also a valuable design element used in China.

Lighting The lighting in the bedroom is very important for the lighting and decorative purpose. There is no enough lighting in the original room, so I suggested an attractive lighting fixture shown on the left. Table 4.2 Pattern Explanation

IV. Design Proposal

A. Floor Plan

Since this was a remodeling project, it is necessary to take a look at the original layout and discuss with the client for further expectation. First, I obtained the original layout of the studio apartment, which is shown below on Figure 4.23.

Figure 4.24 Original layout

Based on the discussion with my client, both her and myself agreed that the frosted wall made the unit very small, so I removed the wall and created the dining area along with the living room area to a big section.

Figure 4.25 Adjusted layout with area and perimeter

The following floor plan indicated a design with a Bar table and Chair in the dining area.

Figure 4.26 Floor plan (Does not include the design of kitchen and Restroom)

For the TV wall and the sliding door section, I also made a special design rendering in order to confirm with the client that my design has fulfilled her needs.

Figure 4.27 TV wall and sliding door

B. 3D Rendering

1. Living room

Figure 4.28 Living room rendering

Figure 4.29 Dining area rendering

Figure 4.30 TV wall rendering

2. Bedroom

Figure 4.31 Bedroom rendering

Figure 4.32 Shelf rendering

Evaluations by Experts

Both evaluator A and evaluator B gave 9 out of 10 on the understandability of the pattern language I developed. However, Evaluator A only gave 8 out of 10 on the application of the humane and green design. He said colors used in living room and bedroom represented a young lady. The humane needs have been successfully fulfilled. However, the green need was not

39 satisfied appropriately in the design of the living room, He also mentioned that using LED as lighting source resolved the problem in the consumption of electricity, which is good, but green design is not that simple. This room still lacks green plants. Except for that, there was only one set of plants in the living room, this is not green enough. He recommended that putting some potted green plants on top of the tea table. He even mentioned that using green plants, especially the ones that can be planted in Qingdao, can make the living room much more lively. Regarding the process of my design methodology, he thinks online communication resolved some challenge; however, it is not the same level communication as live consulting, so it would be better if the client can provide more detailed pictures from different angle. For the pattern language, Expert A said that all the pattern languages I proposed were very valuable to my clients, especially on the color selection of the living room and bedroom. He does think the color well-represented the client’s characteristics and fulfilled the needs in reflecting natural lights. It is an active color combination. Furthermore, he suggested removing bunk bed system since it is hard to find a bunk bed system in China. He really likes the idea of dual-function table to increase the space in a limited apartment.

Expert B gave me 8.5 out of 10 on the overall application of humane green design. He also indicated that the proposed living room lacks green plants, recommended to use some plants to absorb the emission if possible. In addition, he pointed out that most of my rendering are ideal ideas. The design ideas should be based on the material availability in the local market.

Regarding the cost breakdown, he recommended me to search for some affordable materials online such as Taobao.com to save the cost for the client.

Considering using pattern language methodology in Chinese real estate market, both experts think pattern language is a very valuable resource, especially for people who would like

40 to design home by themselves. This will provide more freedom for the clients to personalize their living space.

Results from the Evaluation by the Client

The evaluation report from experts was translated into Chinese and emailed to my client.

In general, she was satisfied with the overall design. She specifically mentioned that she likes the color combination of her living room and bedroom, especially on the color selection of her bedroom, because she loves warm color. In addition, the light violet color in the bedroom makes her felt relax after work.

However, she indicated two parts to be improved. The first part is the same as indicated by the experts, which is the lacking of green interior plants. She explained that, Qingdao is a beautiful coastal and developed city, but people like her have to spend too much time in their office working. Therefore more green plants in the room will help her relax her eyes after the whole-day busy working. The second part is the cost of replacing LED lighting. LED lighting is expensive and easy to be damaged, to replace all lighting to LED and be prepared for the replacement during maintaining, plus the consideration for some compatibility issue with the fixture and the LED bulb, will be a big burden for her at the moment.

CHAPTER V

DISCUSSION

Discussion the Findings and Modifications

The purpose of this project was to apply the eco-humane design principles in remodeling a studio apartment in China. This design proposal used Christopher Alexander’s Pattern

Language as the theoretical framework to guide the entire research procedure and the design process. Both Humane and green design principles has been applied in this project. The outcome of this project also provided guidelines in analyzing the current apartment situation and select appropriate solutions to fulfill the humane and green needs.

Discussion of the Expert Evaluation

In Chapters 3 and 4, a pattern language design process has been conducted and was evaluated by two experts in the field. According to the feedback received from both experts, more potted green plants should be placed in the living room. After the more in-depth research, I recommended to use some emission absorbing potted plants that can be found locally for the client. In addition, they gave valuable comments in color combination, environmental protection, and patterns usability.

For the design process, the expert pointed out the weakness in communication with the client due to the online format. As I mentioned in the introduction, a better communication with the client would help to produce a better design project.

The comments from expert B led me a wider exploration to the actual market, not only limited myself in the existing rendering choices in the computer. In addition, I followed his suggestion in investigating the cost of the materials online. It seemed that the cost could be controlled within 50,000 Yuan, or about 8000 dollars for the current design. It is possible to save

42 more for my client if we purchase the material online.

Discussion of the Client’s Evaluation

I considered the recommendation from the client in the final adjustment. Although her budget target is 15000 dollars, she would like to save the money if it is possible. She suggested the partially application of LED lighting solution. Therefore, I changed the application of LED lighting solution from 100% LED lighting to 40% LED lighting.

The client also indicated adding green interior plants in the project. She provided a website about the current hot-selling plants in Qingdao. I selected some plants and did some further research regarding their ability in absorbing the emission. Finally I recommended three kinds of plants to be considered in the living room and bedroom: potted Cactus, Spider plant and

China Pink.

Implications and conclusions

Application of Eco-humane design patterns in interior design usually cost a lot. This

study indicated that it is possible to build the ecological and humane design principles in a small

studio apartment remodel project with limited cost. Although there are a lot to improve in the

project, the design outcome fulfill the needs to create a more enjoyable and unique environment

with personalized characteristics for the client.

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Appendix A Pre-Design Questionnaire

I. (English Version, information translated)

Home Improvement Designing Questionnaire (For non-US clients small-size)

Section 1: About You Name: Li XX (For Privacy, the first name of the client has been replaced as XX) Address:Hai Qing Garden, Bldg 20, Room 602, Shinan District City:Qingdao State/Province:Shandong Postal Code:266000 Email: Not Provided Phone # 0532-XXXXXXXX

Section 2: About your Family: What is your special needs for your entire home : I hope that my home can be much brighter and I also want the design can represent my characteristic as a young office worker. Do you need to use your room for any entertainment needs? No. The size of my home is not very big What is the importance on Formal Living Area: I want my bedroom to be bright and I also want to use my laptop to do some computer-based office work while I am in the living room.

Section 3: Home Design Requirements: Home Type: One Bedroom, One Bathroom, One Kitchen, One Living Room Like/Dislike of current home design: I like my overall home. However, the natural brightness in my home is not very good. The color in the home is also very monotonous and gives people a feeling of depression. Which part of your home do you need for re-design? I need to re-design my living room and my master bedroom What is your preferred home style? European or American What is your estimated budget? 100,000 Yuan What is your time Frame of Design & Construction? Two Years in total What is your Anticipated Area (Sq meter / Sq Ft) 75 Sq Meters Floor Location:6th floor Levels inside home:One Level What is your Heights of home: About 3.3 meters

Section 4: Living Room Design Request: Size: 30 sq meters Fireplace ○Yes ● No Built-ins: ○ Yes ● No What Furniture must be accommodated in your living room? I want LCD TV, tea table, sofa and guest chairs to be included in my living room ______

Section 5 Dining Room/ Dining Area Size: 15 Formal: ○Yes ● No Built-in ○ Yes ● No

How many people are using this area usually?Usually myself , maximum 2-3 people

Do you have any special request for your Dining room/ Dining area? Why? If Possible , I want to use my laptop on dining area to do some computer-based office work ______

Section 6 Bedroom:

Size: 20sq meters Theme Color: Light color, good for ladies is preferred Do you need any sitting area for your bedroom? I don’t need a fixed sitting area for my bedroom, but I want my bedroom to have some places to place something, such as some documents from my workplace. Do you have any additional purpose of use for your bedroom? No other purposes

II. Chinese Translation

居家改进设计调查问卷

第一部分：关于您姓名 : 李 XX (For Privacy, the first name of the client has been replaced as XX) 地址 :市南区海情花园 20 号楼 602 室城市 :青岛省份 :山东邮政编码 :266000 电子邮箱 :（未提供）电话号码 _0532-XXXXXXXX_(For Privacy)___

第二部分：关于您的家总体来说，您对您的住宅有什么特殊要求吗？我希望我的住宅能够更明亮一些，并且能够更加体现我这个年轻办公人员的性格。您要将您的某个房间用于娱乐用途吗？不需要。我家的住宅面积不是很大。您的居住区域有什么重要性？我希望我的卧房能够明亮一些并且能够让我在客厅里面做一些使用电脑办公的事情。

第三部分：居家设计要求住宅类型 : 一居室（一室一厅一卫一厨）对目前的住宅的满意或不满意之处 : 我对我的住宅总体还是比较满意，但是屋内自然光照明效果不是很好，并且颜色单调，给人一种压抑感。您希望对您的住宅的那部分进行重新设计 ? 我希望您对我的客厅、主卧房进行一下设计您喜欢的住宅风格是什么 ? 欧美风格您的预算是多少 ? 十万元人民币您的设计与施工时间大概需要多少 ? 两年内完成您的住宅面积是多少？ (平方米或平方英尺 ) 75 平方米所在楼层 : 6 内部层数 : 1 房间内高度 : 3.3 米

第四部分：客厅设计需求 : 大小 : 30 平方米有没有壁炉○有●无壁橱 : ○有●无您的客厅内必须要有什么家具 ? 我希望在我的客厅内有沙发、茶几、液晶电视、客人座椅

第五部分：餐厅 /就餐区大小： 15 平方米正式 : ○是●否壁橱○有●无一般多少人使用 ? 一般是我自己，最多 2~3 人

您对您的餐厅 /就餐区有什么特别需求么？为什么？如果可能的话，我希望我有的时候可以用笔记本电脑在就餐的地方做一些简单电脑办公的工作。

第六部分：卧室大小 :20 色调 : 淡色、偏向于年轻女性为好。您需要在您的卧室内设置就坐的地方吗？不需要，但是我希望我的卧室能放一些其他的东西。比如一些单位的相关文件

您还把您的卧室用作其他用途吗？没有其他用途

Appendix B Post-Design Survey

I． English Questions

1．Are you satisfied about the suggested budget breakdown for your home? 2．Do you think the color selection matches your lifestyle and preferences? 3．Do you think if any of the design recommendations is not needed or needs to be revised in your home? Please explain why? 4．Do you want any elements to be added from the existing design? Please explain why? 5．Do you think that the proposed design have fulfilled your humane and green needs? 6．Do you have any comments for the design of your living room? 7．Do you have any comments for the design of your dining room/area? 8．Do you have any comments for the design of your bedroom? 9．Overall, are you satisfied with the proposed design and the design process we have used? Please rate it with a scale from 0 (not satisfied) to 10 (very satisfied). 10 ． Do you have any additional comments for this design?

III. Chinese translation

1. 您对我给您的预算分配满意吗？ 2. 您认为这个颜色选择和您的生活习性相符吗？ 3. 您觉得哪些设计元素是不必要的吗？ 4. 在既有的设计中，您需要添加一些其他元素吗？ 5. 您认为这个设计达到了您的人性化或绿色设计需求了吗？ 6. 您对您的起居室的设计有什么看法？ 7. 您对您的餐厅 /就餐区的设计有什么看法？ 8. 您对您的卧室的设计有什么看法？ 9. 总体来说，您对我的设计满意吗？请以 0（不满意）到 10 （满意）进行评价 10. 您对这个设计还有其他什么问题吗？

Appendix C Expert Survey Questions

1. Are you able to understand the pattern language I developed for this design proposal? Please rate from 0 (completely unable to understand) to 10 (can easily understand) scale. 2. Do you think that the pattern language was able to the humane needs and green needs?Please rate from 0 (not approached at all) to 10 (completely approached) scale. 3. Can the pattern language methodology be useful for design in China’s real estate market? 4. Do you think that any of the patterns can be improved? 5. Do you think that the client will be benefited with the patterns applied in this proposal? 6. Do you have any recommendations on how this design process can be improved? 7. Do you have any other comments on this design proposal?