Hitachi Elevator (China) Co., Ltd. hosted a salon and exhibition with the theme "Smart City x Innovation Design x Human Friendly" at Hitachi Elevator (China) Exhibition Center in Guangzhou Science City on May 17, 2017.
Invited to the discussion were internationally renowned Japanese industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa, design theory and history expert Wang Shouzhi, engineering survey and design veteran Ni Yang, construction industry and senior journalist Guan Ming and Hitachi Elevator (China) vice president and chief engineer Jia Yuhui. More than 150 professionals from design and building sectors took part in the event.
Naoto Fukasawa delivered the keynote speech Quality of Comfort, where he advocated and showcased a revolutionary approach to the industrial design for spaces that normally never attract the attention of passers-by. People would take notice when they see public spaces that they had simply accepted as something that would remain neglected suddenly be transformed into a clean and well-ordered space. Quality of Comfort defines people's unconscious element that quietly takes notice and evaluates the quality of a city.
The salon focused on the Smart City, Innovation Design and the concept of Human Friendly in terms of industrial product design, which is closely linked with quality of everyday life. Four design professionals mentioned multiple times the term Human Friendly and its application in products, spaces and cities.
The concept of Human Friendly was presented by Hitachi Elevator (China) at World Elevator & Escalator Expo 2016. Based on the concept, Fukasawa came up with the design of HF-1, a new kind of elevator, for Hitachi Elevator (China). The salon again brought the concept into focus.
Fukasawa pointed out that the design of a public space, such as an elevator, is something that is taken in unconsciously. "On some unconscious level, everyone would be thrilled to see neglected public spaces transformed into something better." The HF-1 elevator concept project was based on the insights gained from a better understanding the full meaning of Human Friendly. The greater significance of the project is to let people become aware of how the power of unconscious design can make life better, Fukasawa explained.
Wang Shouzhi said, "'Less is more' does not mean 'the less you do, the more beautiful it is' but rather, 'less investment can benefit more people.' Design that serves society and takes into account the greater good is what we call 'Human Friendly.'"
Citing Fukasawa's HF-1 elevator concept as an example, Ni Yang spoke highly of Japanese designers who focus on the nature of things, explore the finer points of the issue at hand, draw inspiration from life for creative design and have traditionally been more cognizant of and sensitive to the human element. Japanese design has great implications for Chinese designers as both Japanese and Chinese share much in terms of cultural history and upbringing.
Jia Yuhui said that Hitachi Elevator is committed to making people feel more at ease when moving about urban spaces through the application of the Human Friendly concept. In the case of elevators, big data can be applied to shorten the time spent in an elevator and the excessive stopping at multiple floors can be avoided by having the software intelligently allocate riders to specific elevators in an elevator bank. These are design upgrades that enhance a citizenry's sense of ease and feeling that the organizations meant to take care of them actually care about their comfort, and are integral to the development of a smart city.
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