bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Survey of Teaching Innovations in Interior Design Classes
Authors: Canestaro Nancy C. , Carter Edith H.
Published: June 2008

This study was designed to establish an operational definition of innovation as it relates to interior design instruction. The research also addressed the teaching techniques that seem to be prevalent in the most innovative classes. The sample population was selected from members of IDEC who are currently teaching interior design. Faculty were asked to select which of their classes they considered to be most and least innovative and to respond to a series of identical questions related to these classes. Classes in contract/commercial and basic design were cited as being most innovative and history of interiors and drafting the least innovative. Lecture was used most frequently in the least innovative classes, and less time was spent in class discussion and team projects. A greater variety of techniques and more current editions of texts were used in the most innovative classes. Survey results indicate that program mandates concerning course content may impede the application of innovative techniques. The potential for creativity may be enhanced if faculty have the latitude to structure their courses within program objectives.
George Nakashima, Master Woodworker: Integrated Philosophy and Process
Authors: Rymer Jeanne S. , Van Orden Sally L.
Published: June 2008

George Nakashima produced contemporary wood furniture for almost fifty years in his New Hope, Pennsylvania, workshop. Almost from the beginning of his woodworking career he was acknowledged as a uniquely talented purist who integrated his appreciation of nature and his personal philosophy of allowing trees a “second life” with his organically designed furniture. This paper explores the many influences on Nakashima's development as a designer and master woodworker. It examines his almost metaphysical approach to deriving designs from his philosophy as well as from typical aesthetic bases.

His early life experiences as a Japanese–American who traveled the world searching for the proper vehicle to express his beliefs provided the foundation for his individualistic designs and processes of manufacture.

Sketches reveal how his intuitive design approach to furniture was inspired by each unique piece of wood. Photographs record visual information about his standard line as well as some typical custom pieces. The philosophical beliefs that shaped his design approaches and processes are explored.
The Role of Business and Communication Skill Preparation for Interior Design Graduates
Authors: Tew Shannon
Published: June 2008

This study investigates whether preparation in business and communication skills in FIDER–accredited programs influences graduates’ employment in the interior design profession. Findings from a 1991 survey of interior design graduates indicate that a focus in the curriculum on intercommunication skills was related to design employment; focus on business skills, however, was not found to be significantly related to employment. When graduates rated their program's degree of focus on business skills as low, they compensated by learning needed skills on the job. Many communication skills were similarly learned on the job. Skills in public speaking and oral presentations learned in the undergraduate curricula were especially transferable into the work field. Several indicators suggest that a transferable knowledge of business skills can best be achieved through early work experience.
The Early American Journals of Interiors: Reflections of an Emerging Profession
Authors: Dethier Kathryn
Published: June 2008

The turn of the century saw a surge in the number of publications offering interior design advice to the American public. Concurrently, the first specialized journals of interiors began publication as trade journals before the title interior designer was applied to those practicing in the field. This paper describes the evolution of the early professional journals of interior design. The three journals examined, the Decorator and Furnisher, the Upholsterer, and Good Furniture, leaders in the field, survived for more than a decade at a time when a great number of periodicals were started but most perished in less than four years. Changes in content, advertisements, and titles provide a historical perspective about the changing role of the interior decorator and circumstances that prompted the formation of the first professional societies. It is concluded that the long–term success of a journal depended upon its ability to evolve from a broad–based trade journal into a professional journal, the voice of the emerging interiors profession.
Visual Attributes Related to Preference in Interior Environments
Authors: Scott Suzanne C.
Published: June 2008

Responding to a need for knowledge of the preferences of environmental users, this study sought to identify commonly preferred visual attributes of interiors. A principal components analysis of preference ratings of 80 black–and–white slides of interior spaces provided by 309 college students yielded eight factors, named on the basis of their common design attributes. Verbal descriptions of preferred and nonpreferred settings help interpret the factors. Mean preference scores for each factor along with insights gained from a visual content analysis of scenes sequenced according to mean preference rating revealed relationships between environmental attributes and preference. Findings supported conceptual frameworks linking aesthetic evaluation to cognitive processes and basic human information needs. Hypotheses concerning preference for environments that are stimulating and involving, make sense, and include natural contents and balanced opportunities for “prospect” and “refuge” were confirmed.
Use of Mahogany: Impact on Deforestation and the Interior Designer's Responsibility
Authors: McLain–Kark Joan
Published: June 2008

Interior designers’ specification of mahogany along with other usage has led to depleted supplies of the wood in this century. This article analyzes the historical usage of mahogany and relates it to the impact of the logging on the environment. Sources and the ecology of mahogany are explained so that designers can understand the negative effects of logging. The prospects of conservation and producing sustained yields of mahogany are explored to present various alternatives for designers. The role of the educator in this issue also is discussed.
An Experiential Framework for International Interior Design Education
Authors: Guerin Denise A. , Mason Bonnie C.
Published: June 2008

The purpose of this paper is, first, to present an experiential framework for an international interior design course and, second, to determine if this framework assisted the students in attaining the course goals. The course, European Design, is a study–tour of five major cities in Europe. The experiential framework is based on Greenberg's (1978) four constructs of experiential learning as well as a fifth construct based on the authors’ experience with international study programs. These constructs are well–planned experiences, serious study, opportunities for reflection, interchange with other learners, and use of a design focus in each city to guide learning. The goals of the course are to increase students’ knowledge of European design characteristics and their sensitivity to culturally based design.

Data were collected from students who participated in the European Design course over the past ten years. Statistical analysis showed that the two hypotheses (1) use of the experiential framework increased student knowledge about European design characteristics, and (2) use of the experiential framework increased student sensitivity to culturally based design, were not rejected. This finding provides support for use of the framework for experiential international interior design education. The need for interior design students to participate in international education and experiential learning also is discussed.
Interior Design Theory and Action
Authors: Silverstein Lorinda K.
Published: June 2008

This paper argues for imaginative reasoning in the formulation of interior design value claims and in the conduct of interior design research. Concrete design decisions depend as much on assent to value claims as on belief in the truth of factual claims. At issue are the human values that guide decisions in the design process. Designers and educators are most familiar with the action component of the model of theory and action because it encompasses behavior decisions in design, education, and research. The action is the conclusion of a full argument that is often left unstated. A specific conclusion about what action to take depends on assent to two distinct premises: a value claim and a factual claim. In arriving at a design decision, it is just as important to focus on the conceptualization of values as it is to determine the truth of the value–relevant facts. An examination of the experiences of people in physical settings can clarify or transform the values of designers, users, and educators. Sensitivity and imagination must be used in clarifying and transforming values. An analysis of several specific characteristics of the field of interior design suggests that people in the field are in a good position to use imaginative reasoning to contribute to the lives of people in a diverse society. The recommendation is that research issues be formulated to go beyond a description or a taxonomy to a prescription for action based on well–grounded value claims.
Are we Speaking the Same Language?
Authors: Dickson Ann W. , White Allison Carll
Published: June 2008

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to ascertain from the leaders of interior design practitioner organizations their perceptions regarding the purpose, need, and role of research and the types and sources of research used in practice.

RESEARCH DESIGN: Using a modified DELPHI technique, two successive surveys were designed and sent to leaders in the Unified Voice Task Force. The first survey solicited responses from all participating organizations on the task force. The second survey, which was generated from responses to the first survey, obtained perceptions regarding research from leaders in only the design practitioner organizations.

ANALYSIS: Cross–tabular presentation of the data was used in the analysis. Statistical significance was determined using chi–square where possible. For tables with too few observations per cell, the Fisher Exact Test was used to determine statistical significance.

KEY FINDINGS: Analysis of the data reveals that there is dichotomy of language within the profession. Practitioners’ perceptions of research are multifaceted and pragmatic in nature. The findings indicated that practitioners have a preference for “soft” types and sources of information in their design problem–solving process.

CONCLUSIONS: Lack of attention to developing a body of knowledge from within is threatening the existence of interior design as a separate and distinct profession. Interior design educators, practitioners, and industry representatives need to hold discussions to address the language differences that exist as well as the purpose, need, and role of research.
Design Lessons from Sir John Soane
Authors: Hing Allan M.
Published: June 2008

OBJECTIVE: An architect's home is a special place because it gives the architect the opportunity to experiment and develop ideas. Sir John Soane (1753–1837) worked on his home for forty–five years. Because it represents design ideas over this long period, the home can be studied for its content rather than its style. Soane's ideas and their roots, the role of drawing in the design process, and the cultural and aesthetic themes that influenced his work provide a way to discuss design ideas.

RESEARCH DESIGN: The research was conducted on site at Soane's London home on Lincoln's Inn Fields with its vast collection of drawings and historical documents. The research was structured around a graduate history and theory program in London which focused on historiography.

ANALYSIS: The methodology was to find reasons for Soane's design decisions through similarities and derivations in design and to make analytical and objective conclusions, especially in Soane's settings and narratives.

KEY FINDINGS: There are three major lessons to be learned from Soane. First, he used the past as a guide to create original exteriors and interiors. Second, drawing was important for both experimentation and documentation in his design process. The third and most interesting lesson deals with the period's aesthetic and cultural themes. These themes give a richer and a more meaningful understanding to the man and his architecture such as his use of light and the sublime and his spatial interpretations of the picturesque, classicism, and primitivism.

CONCLUSION: Content, not style, is the best approach in discussing Soane. Soane can be useful as a model in the classroom in discussing others who are more theoretical and for students in their search for role models or heroes.
Virtual Reality
Authors: Helmick Richard
Published: June 2008

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this essay is to investigate the possibility that experiences and ideas other than design content will become dominant as designers and educators incorporate virtual reality into their practices and curricula.

RESEARCH DESIGN: The essay synthesizes historical fact and authoritative opinion to yield a speculative answer to the question, Will design simulation in virtual reality tend to displace rather than communicate design content?

ANALYSIS: The essay imaginatively and logically connects the perceptual phenomenon of analogue takeover to the concepts of idealism, immediate environment, and quantum physics to speculate on the strength of analogue takeover in virtual reality design simulations.

KEY FINDINGS: The essay surmises that analogue takeover will be more severe in virtual reality design simulations than it is in traditional perceptual simulations such as renderings. The severity of the problem will increase as virtual reality techniques improve, although when virtual reality is perceived as our immediate environment, the problem will abate.

CONCLUSIONS: Aware persons can consciously direct their attention toward design content and resist the effects of analogue takeover. Unaware persons will be seduced unwittingly by the medium while thinking they are responding to design content.
Complexity and Mystery as Predictors of Interior Preferences
Authors: Scott Suzanne C.
Published: June 2008

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to determine the validity of complexity and mystery as predictors of interior preferences and to identify design attributes related to their perception in interiors.

RESEARCH DESIGN: Preference ratings for 80 diverse interiors presented as black and white slides were provided by 321 college students. These were compared to ratings of two independent groups of students (n = 31 each) who sorted photographs of the scenes according to assessments of either complexity or mystery.

ANALYSIS: Quantitative relationships among complexity, mystery, and preference were described by Pearson's correlation coefficients. Design attributes related to perceptions of complexity and mystery were identified via visual content analyses of the environmental sample sequenced according to mean complexity and mystery ratings.

KEY FINDINGS: Complexity and mystery were positively related to preference ( r= .8164 and r= .5832, p < .001, 1–tailed, respectively), and also to each other ( r= .4195, p < .001, 1–tailed). Design characteristics underlying perceptions of complexity included the number and variety of elements present, the composition of scene elements, and the scene's spatial geometry. Perceptions of mystery were associated with scene accessibility, distance to the nearest point of interest, screening of view, degree of enclosure, and presence of dramatic brightness contrasts.

CONCLUSION: This study points to the utility of information models for explaining interior preferences and provides specific design direction for manipulating complexity and mystery within interior environments.
Image Files: An Interactive Resource for History of Modern Architecture
Authors: Kriebel Marjorie
Published: June 2008

ISSUE: Students in a history of modern architecture course receive much of their visual information through the medium of projected images in a lecture format. Additional images provided within written text present material in a preestablished order, rather than in a format that invites student participation, and may limit the students’ ability to discover comparative relationships.

APPLICATION: Student–owned computers make information available at the student's choice of time and place in a format that invites student participation.

GOAL: A computer file of images serves as a resource for improving instruction by providing an interactive, nonsequential study tool while encouraging students to experiment and become more familiar with computer use.

DESCRIPTION: Over 150 images were scanned from slides and incorporated into a database program that could be used on a student's personal computer (Macintosh SE or better). Images can be selected and grouped by architect/designer, location, date, and words entered by students; they can be viewed with or without text; and two can be viewed simultaneously.

CONCLUSION: Although most students reported using the image files, they seemed to prefer hard–copy prints. Student interest in having images included in the notes for the course resulted in the scanning and incorporating of approximately 200 images in the photocopy packet for use in a subsequent term.
Workscape 21: The Ecology of New Ways of Working
Authors: Becker Franklin
Published: June 2008

ISSUE: How organizations can use all their available resources to their fullest potential to become more competitive over time.

APPLICATION: Develop an international consortium that will support research that has tangible organizational benefits as well as contributing to the general knowledge base about how the planning, design, and management of the workplace affect organizational effectiveness.

GOAL: Use research to influence organizational leaders’ approach to implementing new ways of working.

DESCRIPTION: Conduct a series of worldwide case studies which examine both the process for implementing a workplace innovation and its consequences for the organization and individual workers. Innovations have included the study of nonterritorial and universal plan offices; new approaches to the strategic management of an organizational real estate portfolio; benchmarking of new working practices; analysis of the process of moving from small–scale to large–scale implementations of innovative practices; and the development of an expert–based interactive multimedia computer program that helps organizations anticipate the organizational consequences of implementing different workplace strategies.

CONCLUSION: The research is being used by companies all over the world to guide their thinking about both the nature of different workplace strategies and the best way of implementing them successfully.
Popular Film Media and Viewers‘ Preference for Interior Design Characteristics
Authors: Corry Shauna , Thompson Jo Ann Asher
Published: June 2008

OBJECTIVE: This exploratory study examines the influence of visual images from the media on viewers, specifically, the influence of popular film media on viewers’ preference for interior life–style design characteristics that are defined as exemplifying straight, clean lines and lack of adornment.

RESEARCH DESIGN: A pretest/post–test research design was used with 168 subjects. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) determined whether exposure to a popular film video significantly influenced the subjects’ preference for life–style design characteristics.

ANALYSIS: Analyses were conducted on the total sample (N = 168), low–exposure subjects (N = 75), and high–exposure subjects (N = 93), using 0.05 level of significance as an indicator. In addition, the influence of gender, community size, and age were tested.

KEY FINDINGS: Gender, age, and community size were shown to affect the influence of popular film media on preference, especially among women between the ages of 23 and 30. High–exposure viewers preferred life–style design characteristics, and low–exposure viewers preferred traditional design characteristics, which were defined as those that reflected or imitated historical styles.

CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the visual images in popular film media have a direct influence on viewers’ preference for interior design characteristics. Questions arise concerning the influence of popular film media on design education, on its economic effect on the design industry, and on its role in social and cultural issues.
Health Care from the Patients’ Perspective
Authors: Orr Robin Diane
Published: June 2008

ISSUE: Designers and professionals can enhance the quality and outcomes of patient care by focusing on the patients’ perspectives and experience.

APPLICATION: A comprehensive, patient–centered approach to facility design and the delivery of health care services can be developed.

GOAL: The report hopes to promote the development and implementation of demonstration projects as “laboratories” to research and refine the elements of humanistic, patient–centered care.

DESCRIPTION: A health care administrator involved in the implementation of the Planetree Model Hospital Project presents the background, motivation, and elements of this approach at two national demonstration sites. The design of physical spaces in health care facilities can be a major contributor to a more effective, satisfying experience for patients. Translating the values, principles, and programs of the patient–centered model requires a break from the traditional approach to health care design. Health care and design professionals, committed to creating a more humanistic health care experience, must focus on the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs of the patient.

CONCLUSION: The future of health care delivery and facility design must be patient–centered and dedicated to a broad vision of healing. Expanding upon and refining the work of pioneers in this arena will require the commitment and involvement of design researchers, educators, and practitioners sensitive to the underlying values and principles of this approach.
Pregnancy and the Work Environment
Authors: Kaplan Archie
Published: June 2008

ISSUE: The design community can respond to the need to accommodate pregnant women in the office environment. By extension, the report addresses the design of flexible work spaces responsive to people with special needs and the broader issue of accommodating women in a variety of workplaces traditionally designed for men.

APPLICATION: To promote a more balanced approach on the part of the design profession, from a primary concern with the visual and aesthetic to an equal concern for ergonomic factors such as comfort, safety, and stress reduction in the work environment.

GOAL: Data were compiled on women's needs, particularly their spatial, anatomical, and emotional needs during pregnancy. Designers of office environments and designers and manufacturers of office equipment need to become aware of the requirements of groups with special needs.

DESCRIPTION: The critical elements in addressing the needs of pregnant women in the workplace are (1) recognition that over the course of pregnancy various physical and psychological changes take place; (2) reconsideration of the general office work area and individual work station in the light of these changes.

CONCLUSION: By addressing the unmet needs of workers, both women and men, who are temporarily handicapped, the design profession will benefit in several ways. Such an approach will help meet workers’ needs and result in greater productivity, and the profession will be perceived as having a serious concern with the mechanics of the working environment as well as its appearance.
Entry–Level Interior Design Competencies
Authors: Hines Jean D. , Albanese Carolyn A. , Garrison Mary E.
Published: June 2008

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine whether residential designers and nonresidential designers differ in the ranking of the eight FIDER knowledge categories and the specific competencies within each category.

RESEARCH DESIGN: A questionnaire was designed by the researchers based on the 1988 FIDER Standards and Guidelines/First Professional Degree Level. The questionnaire was mailed to the 340 professional and associate members of the Ohio North Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers; 139 were returned of which 137 were usable, resulting in a response rate of 40%. For the purposes of this study only professionals who classified themselves as either residential or nonresidential designers were used in the analysis of the data.

ANALYSIS: Mean scores and t–tests were calculated to evaluate differences in ratings between residential and nonresidential designers.

KEY FINDINGS: Results of the study indicate that there is general agreement between residential and nonresidential designers on the ranking of the eight FIDER knowledge categories but significant differences on specific competencies.

CONCLUSION: The findings of the study indicate that curricula that meet the current FIDER guidelines prepare students for entry–level positions in both residential and nonresidential interior design.
Cruising the Internet Highway: A Wealth of Information for Interior Design Educators
Authors: Schrock Janet M.
Published: June 2008

ISSUE: A diversity of useful electronic information is available to interior design educators on the Internet.

APPLICATION: Interior design educators and practitioners can use their computers and terminals to find electronically stored information that is useful for lectures and presentations, course reading materials, advising, research, and travel.

GOAL: The Internet may be used to improve the efficiency of acquiring information for teaching and research.

DESCRIPTION: The Internet is a vast electronic network that has been developing for the last 20 years and it is becoming more user–friendly with more data useful to design and education than in years past. It is becoming a very valuable information source for educators from all disciplines, and it is free through most school computer networks.

CONCLUSION: Learning how to use the Internet can save a teacher time, money, and energy. An electronic search through the world's finest libraries takes hours instead of days and can reveal references that might be missed in a manual search. To find travel information an educator can sit in an office and search on–line data bases. There is no need to walk or drive to the library. Telecommuting can become a reality, leaving more time for interaction with students.

Interior designers within the university community need to keep in step with today's changing technology as we move ahead into the twenty–first entury. The Internet is one area of technology that has the potential to improve the job environment and performance of all educators. Email messages and text files can be sent to research colleagues and friends in other parts of the United States and in other countries with no cost and very little time (minutes instead of days). In three to five minutes a listing of scheduled art exhibits of a museum can be downloaded and run off for students. Electronic pictures can be obtained for multimedia presentations within 30 minute. In the future even faster ways to gather information from the Internet will be provided. There is a down side to using the Internet. Often university systems become so clogged with users that logging on to explore is impossible. Occasionally remote systems “hang (stop working) and an explorer has to restart a search. The learning curve is steep, especially for people who have little experience with computers. It is an understatement to say that the system is not yet user friendly. In addition, there are so many servers on line that it is sometimes difficult to find the one with needed information. Figure 4 lists a menu of server locations. Selecting number 6, “California Gophers, revealed 114 server sites. This diversity, however, is also an indicator of the value of the Internet. The enormous body of information already available makes learning to access the Internet a very valuable tool for knowledge acquisition.
Creative Scholarship in Interior Design Education
Authors: Guerin Denise A. , Birdsong Craig
Published: June 2008

Issue

An issue of increasing importance to interior design faculty is the evaluation of creative scholarship for retention, promotion, and tenure.

Application

Administrators in higher education institutions could better support design educators if evaluation criteria, methods, and measures were better defined.

Goal

The goal was to develop evaluation materials for creative scholarship.

Description

The authors reviewed and refined the results of a workshop in which over 30 Midwest Regional DEC members developed or identified (1) a definition of creative scholarship, (2) evaluation criteria, (3) creative scholarship outcomes, (4) evaluation methods, and (5) measures of creative scholarship.

Conclusion

Use of these materials by educators and administrators will help establish the importance of creative scholarship to the interior design profession.
Acoustical Design Features associated with Noise Level in Health Facilities: The Case of Dialysis Facilities
Authors: Bame Sherry I. , Wells Ward
Published: June 2008

Objective

The purpose of this study was to determine acoustical design features associated with different noise levels measured in dialysis facilities. Dialysis facilities were selected because they have noise sources that were similar across facilities but varying acoustical design features.

Research Design

Specific acoustical features in patient treatment areas were observed in 55 dialysis facilities in Texas. Decibel level was recorded from a sample of patient stations in each facility. Sources of noise and ability of staff and patients to control loudness were documented.

Analysis

Nonparametric correlations and analysis of variance were used to test for acoustical features associated with differences in mean level of noise between facilities, controlling for observer bias and measurement error.

Key Findings

Noise levels in all facilities exceeded levels appropriate for patient care environments. Televisions and staff talking contributed significantly to the noise level measured in an open plan treatment environment. Acoustical tiles, wall covering, wall cabinets, and shelves did not alter the high noise level. Noise level did vary according to acoustical screening effects of treatment room layouts. Sound reverberating within a bay of patient stations contributed to higher noise levels. A pinwheel layout was significantly quieter, reflecting sound more randomly because of the geometry of treatment stations configured at right angles.

Conclusion

Noisy environments increase stress and decrease work performance—a condition detrimental to effective and efficient health care. The only acoustical feature associated with differences in noise level was layout of patient stations. The different screening effects of the various layouts were significant in modifying the noise level in the treatment environment.
The Introduction of Domestic Technology in the White House from 1800 to 1952
Authors: Goldsmith Elizabeth
Published: June 2008

Objective

The purpose of the article was to trace the history of domestic technology in the White House from 1800 to 1952.

Research Design

Data were gathered in two ways: a search of historical documents and government reports and an on–site examination of White House files.

Analysis

The discussion is structured thematically and chronologically to show the changes that occurred over time.

Key Findings

The changes coincided with changes in Presidents and available technology.

Conclusion

The study provides valuable information for interior design historians; design educators; historians of presidents, first families, technology, and the White House; and curators. Similar methodologies could be used in describing and comparing the technological developments in other historic homes.
Interior Design Visionaries’ Explorations of Emerging Trends
Authors: Hasell Mary Joyce , Scott Suzanne C.
Published: June 2008

Objectives

A two–phase project is underway to identify salient social, technological, and global trends and anticipate their impact on interior design. A group of recognized visionaries from interior design education, practice, and industry was brought together to consider a menu of over 100 societal and global trends. Two objectives determined both the gathering of data and its analysis: (a) to identify trends deemed important by the participants, and (b) to amplify and clarify what these trends mean for the future of interior design.

Research Design

Phase I employed a focus group methodology to structure a carefully planned discussion. Sixteen Roundtable participants selected trends and discussed the expected impacts important to the interior design profession.

Analysis

Voting procedures within the focus group facilitated the selection of a few trends considered most important to the future of interior design. Audio tape recordings were made of all discussions and then transcribed for qualitative data analysis.

Key Findings

Future designers will need a broad–based liberal arts education complemented with specialized expertise to prepare them for new roles and responsibilities in an emerging global market. The importance of teamwork among divisions within the field and with other disciplines was highlighted. Calls were issued for strategic planning that will guide the field's response to new design problems to be solved, new knowledge to be acquired, research to be undertaken, and new design and business skills and methods to be developed.

Conclusions

Participants expressed optimism about opportunities for the profession and roles for future designers. A remarkable level of agreement evolved among educators, practitioners, and industry participants regarding ideals for the discipline.
Perceptions of the Value of Interior Design: Factors Influencing Program Accountability and Sustainability in Higher Education
Authors: White Allison Carll , Dickson Ann W.
Published: June 2008

Objectives

The objectives of this study were to identify elements critical to the missions of universities with FIDER accredited interior design programs and to determine administrators’ perceptions of program factors and faculty products and activities that define value.

Research Design

Mission statements were obtained from universities offering FIDER accredited programs. Administrators in these universities were surveyed to determine perceptions of the value of various program factors and faculty products and activities in relation to the university's mission.

Analysis

The mission statements were analyzed using content analysis. Analysis of the survey data included an aggregate ranking of responses and a comparison of groups based on demographics of program location and university type. Fisher's exact tests were used to determine statistical significance in the responses.

Key Findings

Regardless of university type, elements critical to the universities’ missions had the trifold focus of teaching, research, and service. Program factors perceived by administrators to have the most value in demonstrating relevance to the institutions’ missions were faculty research/grantsmanship and large numbers of undergraduate majors. Likewise, faculty products and activities perceived to have the highest value were refereed journal publications and externally–funded research projects.

Conclusions

To survive in today's university climate, programs must demonstrate excellence in a broad range of areas outlined in university mission statements. Further, this excellence must be communicated in language that is meaningful to administrators. Interior design programs must do a better job of making their relevance and importance to the university's mission understood by administrators and the public if they are to thrive in institutions of higher education.
The Design Salon: An Experiment in Participatory Graduate Education
Authors: Klein Stephan Marc
Published: June 2008

Issue

Alternative educational processes that challenge the traditional classroom hierarchies, authority structures, and knowledge structures should be explored. These processes may provide a venue for integrating societal, cultural, and theoretical issues into graduate interior design education.

Goal

The purpose of an experiment in graduate education at Pratt Institute was to create a learning community of faculty and students that develops students’ skills in ideation and critique, broadens their knowledge base in terms of design discourse, and encourages radical thinking.

Application

The Design Salon is an on–going experience in the Pratt Institute Graduate Interior Design Department. Based on Freire's dialogic model of education, it has created a setting for continuing discourse and exploration of ideas among students and faculty. The Design Salon experience has implications for organizing other courses at Pratt as well as for other graduate interior design programs.

Description

The Design Salon, its historical context, requirements, content, and process at Pratt are discussed. An argument is made for incorporating the Design Salon or similar participatory educational experiences into mainstream interior design at the graduate level.

Conclusions

The Design Salon represents a step towards a type of education that can create socially responsible designers who challenge the status quo and who are reflective and informed. It has implications that could infuse and fundamentally alter the process and content of graduate design education.
Interior Design Criticism: Developing a Culture of Reverence for the Interior Environment
Authors: Dickson Ann W. , White Allison Carll
Published: June 2008

Issue

Unlike the other visual arts, the interior design profession has not developed a body of criticism that analyzes and evaluates design work in the field within a contextual framework.

Goal

Developing this body of criticism will demonstrate the value of interior design. Both external and internal perceptions of the profession will be positively influenced, creating a culture of reverence.

Conclusions

A body of design criticism that is available to the public and the profession will explain the meaning and structure of the interior environment, enhancing the experiential qualities of the visitor or user and resulting in greater societal appreciation of the value of interior design. Likewise, a body of criticism, which has a more scholarly or theoretical foundation, will strengthen the profession from within.
A Conceptual Framework for Critical Review: The Aronoff Center for the Arts
Authors: Heuberger Barbara Flannery , Special Kenneth W.
Published: June 2008

Objective

The purpose of this project is to develop a conceptual framework for conducting critical reviews of interior environments and to apply that framework to the critique of Cincinnati's Aronoff Center for the Performing Arts designed by Cesar Pelli.

Research Design

Critical analysis was applied to the Aronoff Center as the methodology used in this study.

Analysis

A conceptual framework for critical review of interior spaces was developed based on “essential skills” in interior design as identified by the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (FIDER). Five categories of design were included: (a) space planning; (b) design elements and principles; (c) finish materials, decorative elements, and detailing; (d) lighting; and (e) furniture.

Key Findings

The critical review of the Aronoff Center identified a mixture of strengths and weaknesses in the 5 areas. Space planning, design elements, and furniture choices were generally strong. Lighting did not reflect current aesthetic and technological possibilities. The details and materials of the design solutions related to access by people with disabilities were of mixed success.

Conclusions

Implications of using critical review methodology are discussed for interior design education, theoretical development, and the design process. Through critical review, interior design scholars, educators, and practitioners have an opportunity to apply their unique perspectives and expertise. This paper presents a conceptual framework that can be used in that opportunity.
Mixed–Use Facility Gets Mixed Reviews: A Critical Review of Cincinnati's Aronoff Center for the Arts
Authors: Weigand John B.
Published: June 2008

Objective

This article provides a critical review of the interior design of the new Aronoff Center for the Arts (opened October 1995) in downtown Cincinnati.

Analysis

Criteria used for evaluation looked at whether the building is cohesive and consistent; succeeds on a compositional level; is experientially evocative; and speaks to its users, in this case the performing arts.

Conclusions

Viewed holistically, the building is clearly good but not great. It is cohesive and comprehensive at all scales, and it succeeds, for the most part, on a compositional level. Shortcomings, however, include a lack of attention paid to secondary spaces and a failure to look at new forms, materials, and technologies appropriate to a building of this type.
Eero Saarinen's Firestone Baars Chapel: Poetics of a Sacred Place
Authors: Schwarz Benyamin , Brent Ruth
Published: June 2008

Objective

The objectives of this criticism are to provide a brief history and description of the Chapel, review the coincidence between expression and interpretation through functionalist and formalist approaches, make conjectures about the origin of the Chapel's interior, and draw conclusions about the poetic qualities of the Chapel's humanistically conceived space.

Research Design

The above objectives are met by reviewing original archival material, conducting on–site observations, interviewing current and retired faculty, and documenting the interior space through photographs.

Analysis

Two types of analysis focus on the interior. The first is historical with regards to the Chapel's conception and the origin of its form. The second uses a framework for criticism that is based on the search for coincidence between the expression and interpretation of the Chapel's space.

Key Findings

The criticism articulates why this inconspicuous Chapel radiates poetics of a sacred place.

Conclusions

Criticism of the Chapel promotes a better understanding of Saarinen's approach to the design of a sacred place. Time has not diminished the fundamental qualities of the space, its genuineness, and probity. Saarinen's Chapel endures as a place for human existence at the meeting point between heaven and earth.
Enhancing Interior Building Sign Readability for Older Adults: Lighting Color and Sign Color Contrast
Authors: Lomperski Theresa J.
Published: June 2008

Objective

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of two–dimensional color contrast and interior lighting color on the readability of interior signs for older adults.

Research Design

Eleven signs (10 chromatic text and background combinations/1 white and black) were presented to 40 subjects, age 60–75. Three separate fluorescent lighting conditions were used to examine readability within a 3–dimensional interior space. The Kelvin temperature of the lamps ranged from 3000°K to 6250°K.

Analysis

The analysis of variance (ANOVA) split–plot technique was used to determine which study variables affected sign readability. Pairwise t–tests employing the Bonferroni Method for multiple comparisons were used to make 5 investigations.

Key Findings

Contrast of value and illuminance contrast ratio levels were dominant factors in readability for the older adult sample. Value differences between text and background combinations were more readable than hue differences. Eight of the 10 chromatic combinations were as readable as the white and black control.

Conclusions

Three sign readability effects were identified, providing a broad base for future research on sign readability. These effects include contrast of value and illuminance contrast ratio levels, contrast of hue, and the spectral power distribution curve of the illuminating light source. Expanding these effects can further determine how lighting color and hue, value, and chroma interact to affect sign readability for older adults.
Analysis of the Museum Lighting Environment
Authors: Kesner Christine Wilson
Published: June 2008

Objective

The purpose of this study is to accurately characterize the status of exhibition lighting so that design can be improved through informed decision making. Without knowledge of stakeholder expectations and existing conditions, decision making by designers and museum personnel is ineffective and design improvement is unlikely.

Research Design

The expectations of decision maker and visitor stakeholders were determined via a survey of 130 decision makers (museum personnel and designers) and 427 museum visitors. Problems associated with existing conditions were assessed via a comprehensive evaluation using instrument–based lighting measures applied in 39 electrically–lit and daylit galleries (rooms) in 22 U.S. museums. Mismatches between expectations and existing exhibition lighting conditions were summarized.

Analysis

Factor analysis was used to consolidate the data. The Friedman test was applied to determine significant differences between mean factor responses.

Key Findings

Decision makers and visitors have different expectations. Neither group's priority expectations are met in existing conditions. The major problem among decision makers is daylight management for artifact preservation in daylit galleries. The major problem for visitors is artifact appearance and visibility.

Conclusions

Successful design depends on informed decision making, which must be based on documented evidence, not speculation, and should address stakeholders’ expectations and field performance problems. Prioritized design recommendations are given.
Using Fundamentals of Description: A Foundation for Historical Inquiry
Authors: Temple Stephen
Published: June 2008

Issue

Students have shown a need for increased development of visual and analytic skills when confronting pictorially presented information. Material culture studies utilize descriptive technique as the foundation of their investigative methodology and provide a basic structure for a modified pedagogy of design history Courses

Goal

A case for teaching verbal and graphic techniques of analytic description in the context of introductory design history courses is built in this report.

Application

Engaging students in fundamental descriptive techniques provides a link between a synthetically experiential understanding of the built environment and the analytic, fragmented comprehension common to visually presented slide images. Students utilize information about historical examples not as passive learners but by building for themselves an active framework for understanding.

Description

Descriptive exercises were added to an introductory design history course to engage students in the development of visual and graphic thinking skills that become the foundation for their historical inquiries Projects incorporating descriptive inquiry for introductory history courses serve as a case study.

Conclusion

Descriptive exercises allow learning history to be more closely associated with skills basic to studio activity Results indicate increased student interest, deeper penetration of inquiry, and greater impor’ of histcrical content into studio work.