Interior Design: A Global Perspective on the Environmental Ethics and Social Responsibility Behind Sustainable Material Use
Kinzi Collins
“Design is the expression of the envelope that surrounds you at work, at home, at play, everywhere. It’s creating an experience, an emotion, or a story of your surroundings…” (IIDA, 2019) - Jessica Mann Amato, Senior Project Manager, NELSON, New York, N.Y. Every day we spend a significant amount of time in the inside of a building, however, most people do not think about why or how the elements that surround us got there in the first place. Moreover, many people misunderstand what it is that interior designers do and confuse the profession with other design related fields; often relating it to popular programs on television that have gained increasing popularity in the past decade (Piotrowski, 2011). Interior designers go through a process that distinguishes the important differences between these other design fields and can be easily categorized by the “three E’s:” education, experience, and examination (Kaup, Legal Recognition Part 2). While it is not the only way to obtain legitimacy in education of the profession, one path designers take is to attend a four or five-year program that is accredited by the Council of Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). CIDA regulates interior design programs that meet the accreditation standards and have the ability to understand with the interior design Body of Knowledge (BOK) (Kaup, Legal Recognition Part 2). Experience is gained through positions that designers participate in which can begin during education years through internships or begin when the designer secures a job in the interior design profession after graduation. Finally, examination is administered by the Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ) and consists of the three-part NCIDQ Exam (Kaup, Legal Recognition Part 2).
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However, probably the most important distinction about the interior design profession is social compact and responsibility that designers have to the general public. As the CIDQ describes it, “Interior design is a distinct profession with specialized knowledge applied to the planning and design of interior environments that promote health, safety, and welfare while supporting and enhancing the human experience (CIDQ, 2019).” One of the most important drivers in the design world today that address the health safety, and welfare of the public, is the social responsibility we have to the public to provide sustainable practices and materials that consider the both the environmental context and the complex physical, emotional, and mental needs of the people that occupy it. As Anderson, Dudek, and Honey (2007) say, “We believe interior design’s unique obligation to provide for human well-being and quality of life through responsiveness to the physiological and psychological needs of humans in interior environments is a subset of ecologicallyresponsible design.” Global Sustainability Design Practices
“Create environments that support the human condition in whatever activities it chooses, including living, sleeping, working, playing, eating, shopping, healing, or praying. These environments must be safe, accessible, sustainable, and, in many cases, beautiful. But, most importantly they must be functional for the person(s) inhabiting them.” (Piotrowski, 2011) - Lisa Whited, IIDA, ASID, Maine Certified Designer
To practice globally, interior designers need to be aware of several factors before embarking down the path of designing in a different country. These factors include an understanding of inter-cultural relationship skills, such as the native language and semantics,
an understanding of cultural norms, and an understanding of their personal framework (Kaup, Global Perspectives). It also includes taking in consideration the logistics of business practices within that country like their building codes, history, technology, communication differences and protocols, and material use (Kaup, Global Perspectives). It is our job as interior designers to make sure the integrity behind the design in a global setting reflects and maintains the cultural identity it possesses and does not take away but enhances its surroundings. The design industry has several ways of assessing the sustainable qualities of a building and the materials in it. They do this by following a set of guidelines set by these assessment standards which can give a building a rating on how sustainable the materials are that the designer chooses. Some of the various assessments around the world include: “[…] BREEAM (England), SBTool (International), LEED (USA), EcoProfile (Norway), Promise (Finland), Green Mark of Buildings (Singapore), Green Star (Australia), CASBEE (Japan)” and many more (Ayalp, 2012). Among these, the widely used assessment tools are BREEAM and LEED” (Ayalp, 2012). With advances in technology and the increased ease of accessibility to a multitude of material choices, comes a greater sense of a responsibility for interior designers. Not long ago, people were limited to what kind materials they were able to use. Before to rise of technology, designers “…tended to use materials that were available and plentiful in their location and thus uniquely representative of (their environment) …” (Bell, 2006). “Materiality spoke more to place, to locale, and in a way was more purely definitive as to what a building should look like. (Bell, 2006)” (Phillips, 2015). Phillips continues by saying, “In this way material selections became connected not only to their setting but also to the culture and traditions of the local population. The industrial revolution brought many changes to building processes
throughout the world, however. Materials were easily transported from region to region. Climate control in the way of air conditioning allowed for more variety in building materials and in the design of the interior. Travel also became more common during this time and builders were exposed to a greater range of solutions” (Phillips, 2015). It is because of this that we realize one of the downfalls of modern technology. Therefore, it is our responsibility as designers to essentially “turn back time” and revert to the ways of our ancestors when it comes to how we think about and choose materials in a global setting. That is why “[c]onducting and completing upfront research on the local building materials and practices in the country you are designing in is fundamental” (Schwarz, 2012). Global Cultural Fluency Focus Example Aaron Schwarz, a former principal and managing director for the Mumbai office at Perkins Eastman, told of a time when he experienced global practice with material use. He said, “When taking on a project in another country, research whether there are customs or underlying cultural principles that will inform your design. We recently worked with a client in Mumbai who, only after design development was complete, consulted his Vastu advisor” (Schwarz, 2012). Vastu, or “Vastu Shastra,” is the ancient Indian science focused on harmony and prosperous living with the belief that it eliminates the negative energy and enhances the positive energies around us” (Vastu Shastra Guru, 2019). Schwarz goes on to say, “The advisor determined that the core location for the building did not comply with his interpretation of Vastu principles, and we were subsequently asked to significantly redesign the building. This situation could have been avoided had the client appointed the consultant from the start of the design. Our lesson was this: Avoid costly design changes by asking the KINZI COLLINS |
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client upfront if there are traditional principles or customs that should be considered for the project” (Schwarz, 2012). He then summarizes the lessons he learned about materiality pertaining to the weather conditions in the area by saying, “In India, we quickly learned how to design for the rains of the monsoon season. It isn’t limited to handling large amounts of rain. We learned to ask: Which direction is the wind, and therefore rain, coming from? How many inches of rain typically fall in a short period of time? How do different materials behave in these conditions? How will the finished products be maintained?” (Schwarz, 2012). The questions Schwarz’s team learned on the project are not limited to this region, and are good questions to consider on every project, whether is it local or international.
Social Compact to the Profession We as interior designers are obligated to follow the Interior Design Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (Kaup, Legal Recognition Part 2). Under these policies we understand that part of our responsibility to the public, our clients, and the profession is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public, and with that comes educating them, and ourselves and fellow colleagues, on the current industry standards. There are several organizations that help with this but two organizations that are dedicated to this purpose include the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and the International Federation of Interior Architects / Designers (IFI). The IFI is a regulating group that “connects the international community to further the impact, influence and application of the design of interiors, promote global social responsibility and raise the status of the profession worldwide” (IFI, 2019). They currently have a program called IFI GAP,
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or Global Awards Program, which recognizes global design excellence happening around the world (IFI, 2019). This gives evidence to consumers and the design community alike that there are projects working on a global scale. IIDA provides serval opportunities for education on the various topics in design. Design professionals can use the resources they provide to further their education on topics like global and sustainable business practices. IIDA also focuses heavily on advocating for the profession. One of the reasons the profession may be struggling to gain the proper understanding from the public might be because of the lack of credentialing designers are able to receive. This is why IIDA has taken on the task of advocating for designers’ legal registration and licensure (IIDA, 2019). As of now, very few states have title acts or practice acts for interior designers. Having these laws implemented as a standard in the United States could begin to show the public the legitimacy behind our profession (Kaup, Legal Recognition Part 3). IIDA would not be possible without its members though, which are made up of over 15,000 of us interior designers across 58 countries (IIDA,2019). This means it is our responsibility to take on the challenge of creating a global understanding of the interior design profession. Together, we can take ideas like sustainable global material use and several other factors, and use them to simultaneously educate, advocate, and fulfill our social responsibility to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
References Anderson, Barbara G, et al. “Interior Design’s Social Compact: Key to the Quest for Professional Status.” Journal of Interior Design, Dec. 2007. Ayalp, Nur. “Environmental Sustainability in Interior Design Elements.” WSEAS Press, 17 July 2012. Council for Interior Design Qualification, Inc. (2019). CIDQ l NCIDQ EXAMS l Definition of Interior Design. Retrieved March 29, 2019, from https://www. cidq.org/definition-of-interior-design Fuller, D. (2013, December 2). How Sustainable is Your Interior? Retrieved April 1, 2019, from https:// www.contractdesign.com/practice/design/howsustainable-is-your-interior/ IIDA. (2019). IIDA Advocacy. Retrieved March 28, 2019, from http://advocacy.iida.org/#about IIDA. (n.d.). What is Interior Design? Retrieved March 30, 2019, from http://www.iida.org/content.cfm/ what-is-interior-design Kaup, M. (2010). GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES: Knowledge & Competences. Presentation to ID530: Interior Design Practice & Procedures. Manhattan, KS: Kansas State University, College of Human Ecology
Kaup, M. (2010). Legal Recognition Part 3. Presentation to ID530: Interior Design Practice & Procedures. Manhattan, KS: Kansas State University, College of Human Ecology Phillips, Lisa. “The Evolution of Tradition: a Case Study on the Impact of Industrialization on Caribbean Design.” Journal of Interior Design, 2015. Piotrowski, C. M. (2011, August 30). Becoming an Interior Designer: A Guide to Careers in Design, 2nd Edition. Retrieved March 28, 2019, from https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Becoming an Interior Designer: A Guide to Careers in Design, 2nd Edition-p-9781118151990 Schwarz, A. (2012, August 17). International Design and Practice: Lessons From an Expert Abroad. Retrieved March 31, 2019, from https://www. contractdesign.com/practice/design/internationaldesign-and-practice-lessons-from-an-expert-abroad/ VASTU SHASTRA GURU. (n.d.). Vastu Shastra [What Is It & How You Can Apply]. Retrieved April 1, 2019, from https://www.vastushastraguru.com/
Kaup, M. (2010). Legal Recognition Part 2. Presentation to ID 530: Interior Design Practice & Procedures. Manhattan, KS: Kansas State University, College of Human Ecology
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