Chapter 1-Introduction

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE USING CHINESE DESIGN PRINCIPLES AND OTHER SUSTAINABLE BUILDING PATTERNS TO DESIGN THE INTERIORS OF A HOUSE A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences by Hao Luo December 2013 The graduate project of Hao Luo 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 thank my committee members who supported my efforts in writing this graduate project. My highest appreciation goes to my major advisor and my project chair, Dr. Kyriakos L. Pontikis. My undergraduate study of interior design focuses more on art, but this program focuses more on science and some theoretical understanding. Dr. Pontikis provided a lot of support in helping me understand the differences between science-based and human-based interior design and art-based interior design. I also want to thank Professor Rodica Kohn because she provided a lot of support while I am working on my graduate project. During the writing of my graduate project, Dr. Wei Cao also provided a lot of help to me. With her oriental cultural background, she guided me in finding some Chinese design principles such as Feng Shui which I could apply to this project. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page ii Acknowledgment iii List of Figures v Abstract vii CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION 1 Statement of the Problem 2 Purpose 2 Definitions 3 Assumptions 3 Limitations 4 CHAPTER II – REVIEW OF LITERATURE 5 The Fundamental Chinese Design Principle: Feng Shui 5 Feng Shui’s Application in Interior Layout Organizing 7 Feng Shui’s Application in Interior Element Selection 9 Feng Shui’s Development in Western World 11 CHAPTER III – METHODOLOGY 13 Project Methodology 13 Project Evaluation 15 CHAPTER IV – RESULTS 17 Project Results 17 Results from Evaluation by Experts 36 Results from Evaluation by Client 37 CHAPTER V – DISCUSSION 38 Discussion the Findings and Modifications 38 Discussion of the Expert Evaluation 38 Discussion of the Target Population Evaluation 38 Implications 39 Conclusion 39 REFERENCES 40 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 Aquarium example 1 7 Figure 2.2 Aquarium example 2 8 Figure 2.3 Flowing water 8 Figure 2.4 Feng Shui: Fireplace 9 Figure 2.5 Feng Shui: Lamp 10 Figure 2.6 Feng Shui: Landscaping 10 Figure 2.7 Cool color selection on a bedroom 11 Figure 2.8 Hot and warm color selection on the living room 12 Figure 2.9 Cured feeling of a green dining 12 Figure 2.10 Air circulation for living things 13 Figure 2.11 Animals to promote positive Feng Shui 14 Figure 2.12 Plants to promote a feeling of green 14 Figure 2.13 Good bedroom Feng Shui example (gentle feeling) 15 Figure 2.14 Good bedroom Feng Shui example (passionate feeing) 15 Figure 2.15 Kitchen with positive energy flow 16 Figure 2.16 Dining area with good Feng Shui 16 Figure 2.17 Home office with natural Feng Shui feeling (Natural materials) 17 Figure 2.18 Home office with sufficient brightness (Feng Shui: energy) example 17 Figure 2.19 Living room with a natural Feng shui feeling 18 Figure 2.20 Living room with feeling of fire 18 Figure 3.1 Map of client’s home location 22 Figure 3.2 Satellite picture of client’s home 22 v Figure 3.3 Living room view 1 23 Figure 3.4 Living room view 2 23 Figure 3.5 Living room view 3 23 Figure 3.6 An empty living room area 24 Figure 3.7 Backyard North part 24 Figure 3.8 Backyard garden South part 25 Figure 3.9 Backyard garden lounge area 25 Figure 4.1 Entire plan of client’s house 32 Figure 4.2 living room original layout 32 Figure 4.3 living room suggested layout 32 Figure 4.4 Backyard original layout 33 Figure 4.5 Suggested backyard layout 33 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1 Living room patterns 28-30 Table 4.2 Backyard patterns 30-31 vii ABSTRACT USING CHINESE DESIGN AND OTHER SUSTAINABLE BUILDING PATTERNS TO DESIGN THE INTERIORS OF A HOUSE by Hao Luo Master of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences Feng Shui, as one of the Chinese design principles, is a design and architecture framework developed in China. Its aim is to create peaceful, pleasant, healthy and sustainable environment for people who live in. When families in China look for their new home or upgrade their current home, they stick on several factors including location, shape, and the layout of the home and the structure of its internal elements. Based on the principle of Feng Shui, they evaluate what is missing, what is not needed and how can these elements be improved and balanced. The purpose of this project is to incorporate some simple Feng Shui principles along with sustainable design principles to remodel a house and make it more livable and sustainable. The subject of this project is an Asian American house located in Northridge, California. A design proposal to remodel the client’s living room and backyard was presented based on some simple Feng Shui principles and other sustainable design principles. The goal of the design was to improve living quality and harmony. In this project, different patterns have been selected based on Feng Shui and sustainable design ideas. The project was evaluated by the client, an interior design expert and a Feng Shui Master who practices professional Fen Shui Design mainly in the United States. The project realized its goal of successfully incorporating Feng Shui principles with sustainable patterns in interior design to create a more humane and eco-friendly viii green environment. It also demonstrated that many guidelines of Feng Shui are in accord with sustainability requirements. The findings of this project indicate that the use of simple Feng Shui and other sustainable patterns can help to improve the living quality of a house. ix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Feng Shui is one of the world’s most ancient architectural principles that were originally developed and established in China. The principle of Feng Shui includes many important situations to be considered while executing the process of design and construction. Feng Shui- based design focuses more on designing an environment that integrates natures’ elements to bring harmony, health and wealth to people. Eco-humane design is the integration of humane design and green design that aims to design a more eco-friendly environment that can have stronger connection between human beings, the building, and nature. Eco-humane design focuses on the application of sustainable principles to provide certain level of beauty while minimizing the negative impact on environment with a long lasting of the design outcome and the use of green material. Eco- humane is an important approach in the interior design industry. In the past decades, a lot of Asian people have migrated to the United States. Although most of them have adapted to the American life style, traditional Asian cultures and customs haven’t changed much.. With the fusion of eastern and western cultures, the philosophy of Feng Shui has drawn much attention from western people. The intent of this study was to use Feng Shui principles and sustainable design patterns to design homes while facilitating the healthy development of Asian American communities. Statement of the Problem For most Asian American families, “home” is regarded as a place whose function is merely to provide living and sheltering functions. Although many of them hold the concept of people-nature harmony, rarely have they been aware of the approaches and elements to 1 personalize and upgrade it and to make it “their home”. Therefore, there is a need to improve Asian Americans’ home with a design process, to make them more livable and sustainable while maintaining their Asian American identity.. Purpose The purpose of this project was to integrate principles inspired by Feng Shui along with some applicable ecological and humane patterns to improve the home environment, both exterior and interior. A major concern of Feng Shui is to reach spiritual peacefulness and harmony and enrichment of a personalized family style. It is especially important in nowadays when people are dragged by the fast-paced life at work as well as at family, and have little time and efforts to focus on spiritual peacefulness. On the other hand, the fulfillment of human-nature harmony is match to eco-humane, or sustainability. Therefore, the combination of the two factors in home design would bring beneficial output. Those Asian American families may find a simple way to enrich their spiritual life and increase their feeling of belonging and personalized style of their homes. Definitions 1. Ba Gua: Means Eight Symbols in English. It is the expansion of Yin Yang into three dimensions. It uses a symbol with a combination of three lines, each line includes a symbol of Yin (－－) or Yang(－). With the combination of three lines, there will be eight different symbols to indicate eight different meanings in nature, social, family, direction, etc. 2. Chi: Called the breath of the earth while considering earth as a living organism. Chi is also called “Life energy” that needs to be balanced with direction of the environmental situation (Poulston & Bennett, 2012). 2 3. Feng Shui: is defined as “the art of adapting the residence of the living and the dead so as to cooperate and harmonize with the local currents of the cosmic breath” (Hwabgbo, 2002) 4. Green Design: a design that approaches to eliminate negative environmental impact completely through skillful, sensitive design (McLennan, 2004).

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