On The Method Of Optimized Design Of Contemporary Chinese Residential Communities

The three phases of residential community design, namely the laying out of the general plan, the design of architectural buildings and environmental landscaping, are treated in a unified manner within the frame of the Method of Optimized Design (MOD) developed by the author and expanded on in the 5 parts of the Thesis:Survey of the problem of contemporary residential community design in China and a brief review of related theoretical topicsFactors lying in the background of Design OptimizationAnalysis of the interactions between the 3 phases, namely the planning, architecture and environmental landscapingPractical application of MODProspect of MOD The scope of the thesis is defined by the solution of problems encountered in the practice of contemporary constructions. The background factors underlying the community design are examined in Part II, in which are clarified the fundamental propositions which the MOD has as its basis, namely, the economic feasibility and optimized orientation as the premises of a project, the intrinsic importance of local geography and environment, and the influence of culture and technology on designing. Characteristic practical cases are introduced as examples to show how one should take the specific situations as the starting point to figure out the various opportunities and arrive at a correct answer to the current project through the interactive activities in connection with the 3 phases. In Part III, theoretical works on gray-space, landscape design and city planning, as well as practical design projects, are reviewed, and with this as a basis, the mutual restriction and cooperation of the phases are discussed from the view-point of design methodology. The MOD lays emphasis on the clarity of the design motive, as well as the multi-dimensionality and mutual interchangeability of design ideas, which enriches the design vocabulary, and eventually leads to the realization of a vitalized and structurally organic community for human residence. In Part IV a practical design is introduced to demonstrate the application of the MOD and the systematic evaluation of the resulting design, with a view to further testify the performance of the MOD in practice. A procedure for the implementation of MOD is also proposed for reference.The essential features of the MOD and its operational specialty and related questions are summarized in Part V, and the prospect and potentiality of MOD are briefly discussed.