Zhangfeng Chen

Kayla is a changemaker focused on sustainability in everyday life and society. With a business background and diverse organizational experience, she believes in cross-sector and transdisciplinary collaboration for social change. Joining Edinburgh's D4C, she explores designerly research in spatial practice, mobility, and community building.

In a globalized world, high mobility redefines home and homemaking. This dissertation explores how international students create 'nomadic living rooms'—semi-public spaces that blend living and communal functions. Using qualitative methods, including auto-ethnography, case study analysis, and design experiments, this work investigates how students establish a sense of home away from home. A living room that simultaneously functions as the designer's bedroom serves as a focal point to explore and curate experiences of sustainability and community. Spatial practice prompt participants to reflect on their positions within new cultural and spatial environments. Online auto-ethnographic narratives stimulate discussion on 'nomadic living rooms'. Finally, a guidebook for Chinese international students offering strategies for creating communal spaces in domestic settings. The goal is to challenge traditional views of displacement and foster dialogue on collective resilience and support.