CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE APPLYING ECOLOGICAL AND HUMANE DESIGN PRINCIPLES INTO THE DESIGN OF A STUDIO APARTMENT IN CHINA A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences by Xiaosai Wang December 2013 i 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 ii 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 iv 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 v 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 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1 Budget Table 21-22 Table 4.2 Pattern Explanation 32-35 vii ABSTRACT APPLYING ECOLOGICAL AND HUMANE DESIGN PRINCIPLES IN THE DESIGN OF A STUDIO APARTMENT IN CHINA by 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. ix 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. 1 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.