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NLCID WHITE PAPER – SEEKING PROFESSIONAL STATUS FOR INTERIOR DESIGN, IIDA advantage, July 1997, Pages 3 & 4 The purpose of the NLCID WHITE PAPER is to increase awareness of interior design and promote its status as a separate, core profession. The public needs to realize the importance of health, safety, and welfare in interior spaces and must recognize the necessity of interior design professionals to ensure that these issues be considered and that the public welfare be secured. Interior design is a single, core profession that has a significant impact on the public welfare. The highly specialized and technical knowledge of professional interior designers can have a significant positive impact by reducing injury, sick leave, and medical insurance costs; increasing well-being and productivity, and conserving energy and other resources, thereby reducing costs to consumers and business. The development and promotion of a scientific body of knowledge, formal education requirements, college-level accreditation system, and a professional examination reflect a high level of professional commitment to the health, safety, and welfare of the public. Government regulation of the interior design profession, incorporating stadards (sic) for education, experience, and examination , provides the best and most accountable sytem for protecting the public and ensuring expertise within the profession. Numerous factors provide evidence that interior design significantly affects the lives of individuals in a variety of built environments. The expanded scope of services provided by the interior design professional has the capacity for improving the health, safety, welfare, and productivity of the public through the design of functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing interiors. INTERIOR
DESIGN AS A SEPARATE, CORE PROFESSION Interior design has emerged as a recognized profession, fusing visual and decorative arts with building sciences, public health, safety, management, economics, and business. The scope and complexity of the profession has resulted from an increase in product testing, codes, ergonomics and environmental issues, civil rights legislation, and other government mandates. A commonly accepted industry-wide methodology has emerged, along with the substantive institutionalization of the interior design profession in the areas of education, accreditation, and contractual business formalities. SOCIAL,
CULTURAL, TECHNOLOGICAL, AND ECONOMIC CHANGES IMPACTING INTERIOR DESIGN A diverse range of factors has contributed to this growth, including: expanding rights of individuals (especially as related to accessibility); changes in healthcare provisions and the impact of medical science on longevity; the increase in multi-tenant construction and white collar service work; the increasing costs of construction, land, rent equipment, etc.; the technology revolution; demographic shifts; expansion of hospitality and travel industries; changing housing needs, including home offices and modern technology conveniences; emphasis on reuse of existing structures and historic preservation; and concern for "green" issues including indoor air quality, energy and resource conservation, and recycling. CONVERGENCE
OF ART, DESIGN, AND TECHNOLOGY WITH PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY, AND WELFARE SIZE,
SCALE, COMPLEXITY, AND ECONOMICS OF THE PROFESSION Surveys indicate that the total economic volume of the interior design industry, while not currently measured through standardized means, is significant in the areas of residential and commercial design. Specialties include: government facilities; healthcare; historic preservation; hospitality; business: office design, including conference and convention facilities; education and research facilities; residential design and multi-family housing, and retail. The designer’s authority and abilities, regardless of the type of project, are delineated in legal contracts articulating the responsibilities and obligations involved. METHODOLOGY
AND ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF THE PROFESSION A consensus definition of interior design practice has emerged, which includes the practitioner services of programming, conceptual design, design development, contract documents, contract administration, and evaluation. Only through legal regulation can the interior design profession meet minimum standards attesting to expected levels of competency and qualification. Several institutions currently monitor interior design practice and provide appropriate educational guidelines. These include the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (FIDER), the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC), and the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ). CURRENT
LEGISLATIVE TRENDS Certification reflects such concerns as: ensuring that public health, safety, and welfare remain central to professional service; future professionals must engagein formal and continuing education programs; and organized process of experience is required; and a required examination should be based on integrating the needs of practice and educational offerings. In the past ten years, more than one-third of all U. S. jurisdictions and eight Canadian provinces enacted statutes governing interior design as a profession. 83% of all interior designers live or work in states or provinces that regulate interior designers through various state laws. Regulation legislation is designed to ensure proper education, experience, and testing standards. For more information about the White Paper, call IIDA Headquarters, 312-467-1950 |
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