Safe and Considerate Housing Concept - Beijing's “Better House” Design to Meet User’s Needs

Housing has always been a hot topic in Hong Kong. Besides the quantity of housing units, a comfortable, safe, and resident-oriented “Better House” is also a focal point of attention for every Hong Kong citizen. Ir Thomas HO, Chairman of CIC, recently led a delegation to Beijing to visit the Central Carbon Digital Lab (CCDL) and China Construction Technology Consulting Co. Ltd. (CCTC), to understand the innovative “Better House" design concepts and technologies showcased in Mainland China.

Using Intelligent Devices to Build a Smart and Innovative House

CCTC focus on designing multipurpose, intelligent, healthy, and sustainable "Better House". They adopted Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) in building design and construction to reduce construction time, minimise waste and the environmental impact. The interior also incorporates a number of smart products. For example, by using a mobile application, residents can control a movable wall to adjust the spacing, allowing the living room to be temporarily expanded for entertaining purposes. There are also smart toilets equipped with simple health analysis functions for users. The apartment is designed with a “circular corridor” that connects all spaces, enabling users to conveniently access different spaces for their daily activities by simply taking a 'roundabout' route at home. The width of the corridor is widen to ensure there are ample space for wheelchair or stroller users. All these demonstrate thoughtful designs in meeting diverse needs.

People-Oriented Design to Cope with Aging Population and Low Birth Rate

CCDL advocates for people-oriented housing design concepts. They improve the living environment through better lighting, air purification, and tailored usage. Their apartment showrooms display different layouts for young families, elderly, and those who need to work-from-home, through enhancing the architecture and design to fulfill different needs of residents.

When it comes to the challenges brought by aging population and low birth rate, CCDL believes the construction industry can mitigate the challenges by providing more conducive designs for raising children. CCDL expressed that young families are concerned about the childcare needs and hesitate in expanding their families. Hence CCDL tried to alleviate young families' worries by creating new design concepts. Based on research findings, newborn babies’ breathing frequency is five to eight times higher than adults, so CCDL designed a baby room that has lower air pollution levels. Also CCDL utilises soundproof curtains and walls to maintain the room's noise level at 40 decibels or below as newborn babies require 12 to 15 hours of sleep daily for better growth and development of their central nervous system.

For elderly, most of them tend to spend more time indoors, so CCDL focuses on the comfort and safety of elderly housing by incorporating age-friendly facilities like handrails and sensor lights. CCDL also responsed to the elderly's lack of outdoor activities and joint problem by equipping the elderly room with far-infrared therapy space and top it up with the audio equipment, allowing the elderly to engage in indoor entertainment activities rather than feeling confined to their rooms. According to "WELL Building Standard", exposing to enough sunlight can promote better sleep at night and reduce health and safety risks associated with nighttime wandering, hence CCDL incorporated large windows in elderly housing to allow more sunlight penetrating the room. Through their designs, CCDL creates spaces that are conducive to children's growth, allow elderly individuals to enjoy their golden years, and provide a work and leisure environment for those working from home, catering to the diverse requirements of residents, making the buildings more user-friendly and enhancing the overall "well-being" of the community.

Apart from interior design, CCDL also strives to ensure building safety by installing a cost-effective “External Wall Three-Axis Surveillance System” to monitor the exterior walls’ stability. If there are issues such as wall peeling off or other anomalies, the system will automatically send alert to the backend and trigger the alarm, ensuring the safety of pedestrians and residents.

The concept of a "Better House" encompassing users' needs, quality of life, and even social issues. With technology and innovations, the construction industry can now provide more people-oriented living environments. By drawing inspirations from China's latest housing design concepts, we hoped the Hong Kong construction industry can embrace innovative development methods and construct more comfortable "Better Houses" in Hong Kong.