Discourse On Ecological Furniture Design

At the back of environmental pollution, resource impoverishment and the ecocide; facing Chinese furniture's resource shortage, wasting resources and energy, Green trade barriers, and so on; Chinese furniture's need for ecological design is extremely urgent. Through research on the ecological thought of East-West, the article points out that associating the eastern whole grasp thought with the western rational analysis is greatly needed to comprehend and handle the world all-sidedly and to make man-nature in a harmonious development. Through deepgoing comprehension on ecology, referring to ecological application on industry, the article applies ecological ideology to furniture design innovatively, and analogies the furniture system as a nature ecosystem. Through an analysis of the furniture system on matter cycle, energy flow and information transmission, the article summarizes that material choices, saving of resources and energy, reducing and properly disposing wastes are especially needed to achieve the balance of the input-output of energy and matter and to reduce the environmental impact of the furniture system. Basing on the above cognition, ecological furniture design is defined as bellows: planning the whole process of the furniture system according to the thought of ecology to ensure "man-furniture system-environment" in perfect harmony, and expressing it by drawings, models or samples. Following, the similarities and differences are analyzed between green design, design for environment, sustaining design, life cycle design and so on, the comprehension on ecological product is expounded and the thought of product authentication is posed. Through the research of Ming furniture and its representative Huanghuali round chair, Art chair, Aeron and paper furniture on material, form, structure, processing etc.; the principle of ecological furniture design is summed up and is expounded in detail, it includes material choices, minimization principle and ergonomics principle. Finally, the East-West collection and bamboo furniture are gone deep into and are hoped to be used for reference by Chinese furniture designers and firms.