THE APPROACH TO GREEN

My name is Hongli Zhao. I am currently a master’s student studying interior architecture and design at the Academy of Art University. I finished my bachelor’s degree in environmental art design at Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology and have been an interior designer for 11 years in China. I enjoy every sparkling moment of thrills or struggles in design, and all the experiences and cultures I have stayed in have become my design motivation and inspiration.

F or me, design is solving problems, and responding to needs. The responsibility of an interior designer is to build the relationship of humans with the environment from physical and moral. The building industry is responsible for about 39 percent of carbon emissions globally. By 2050, the interior design industry will influence almost one-tenth of the carbon emissions. Rethink consumption, extractive relationship to nature, the inequality of the economy, and the wastefulness lifestyles are significant for designers. As a sustainable designer, I will consider the whole life cycle of the design, people, and the planet. Design is often the problem, and design can be the solution to many of our current dilemmas. As an interior designer, I have a special opportunity to be a part of the solution and continuously improve outcomes for both people and the planet. My vision is to design with nature, not against it, bring better well-being for creatures, and give back to the system.