IDEC Exchange - Interior Design Educators Council

2012 Summer 

IDEC Exchange 

a Forum for Interior Design Education 

ADVANCING EDUCATION, 

SCHOLARSHIP AND SERVICE 

Why Interior 

Design Matters 

2012 Conference: 

Awards Recap 

Bicycle-Friendly 

Restaurant 

“Bayou-luminescence,” an installation commissioned by the New Orleans chapter of the American Institute of Architects, is a 

collaboration between Igor Siddiqui, principal of ISSSStudio and assistant professor of interior design at the University of Texas 

at Austin, and Matt Hutchinson of San-Francisco-based firm PATH.

2012 Summer IDEC Exchange Special Theme 

This year marks the eighth anniversary since IDEC began 

embracing environmentally responsible design, including 

the cradle-to-cradle paradigm. Through sustainable 

design, green design, universal design, LEED, and other 

approaches, interior designers are at the forefront of 

creating beautiful, functional environments for people. 

As advocates for those who live and work in interior 

spaces of all types, we strive to employ healthy, safe design 

principles in every project. 

This issue of the IDEC Exchange reminds us of a proclamation 

developed at the 2005 conference in Savannah: 

ENVIRONMENTALLY 

RESPONSIBLE 

DESIGN 

Be it resolved that IDEC 

supports the concept 

of socially responsible 

design, including the 

cradle-to-cradle paradigm, 

as an integral part of 

interior design education. 

Through discussion and critical analysis of both the positive 

outcomes and challenges that are inherent in this 

design philosophy, we examine how far IDEC has come 

since 2005. 

What progress have you and your students made in this 

arena? We invite you to share your stories about: 

• Innovative solutions have you found to teaching environmentally 

responsible design. 

• Changes have you seen in your own programs with 

regard to environmentally responsible design. 

• Research you are doing on this topic. 

• Books, articles, teaching projects, and student outcomes 

developed around this growing movement. 

2 

Lisa Tucker 

2012 IDEC President 

Virginia Tech

Contents 

idec newsletter / 2012 summer 

4 

EDITORIAL 

Message from the president + 

Past President 

Lisa Tucker, 

Lisa Waxman 

6 

Message from the 

Communications Chair 

Irina Solovyova, Ph.D 

19 

SPECIAL THEMED 

ARTICLES 

A green materials library at UNCG 

20 

George Washington University’s 

interior design program participates 

in the U.S. Department of Energy’s 

2013 Solar Decathlon 

26 

research 

31 

Collaboration 

32 

teaching highlights 

7 


Editor-in-chief 

Jonathon Anderson 

8 

IDEC UPDATES 

Publications, Awards 

and Recognitions 

13 

2012 Conference Awards Recap 

17 

Why Interior Design Matters 

22 

Inspiring environmentallyresponsible 

design through 

nineteen case studies 

23 

Making digital 

24 

Universal design: 

A shifting paradigm 

24 

Shifting the way people think: 

Research-based sustainable interior 

environments from FIT/SUNY’s 

graduate program 

35 

alumni relations 

37 

INDUSTRY & 

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE 

41 

Emerging talent 

46 

service 

50 

2012 IDEC Leadership 

3

Editorial 

MESSAGE FROM THE 

PRESIDENT + PAST president 

Lisa Tucker, 2012-13 IDEC president, 

Virginia Tech 

Dear members, 

I start my new role with a sincere 

thanks to the board members with 

whom I have had the pleasure of 

working in recent years. Our pastpresident, 

Lisa Waxman, has been 

a true inspiration and I hope to 

serve the organization with as much 

grace and poise as she. Ellen Fisher 

represents the New York perspective 

and offers us the wisdom of a dean 

combined with the passion of a designer, 

making us a better organization. 

Scott Ageloff always challenges 

us to do the right thing and, for that, 

we owe him a huge debt. Denise 

Guerin, well, is Denise Guerin—who 

could ever compete with her (or even 

try)?! She provides us with muchneeded 

continuity and knowledge. 

I am pleased that Migette Kaup 

(our wonderfully detail-oriented 

treasurer), Jackie McFarland (our 

director of service), and Lisa Waxman 

all continue on the board over 

the next year. 

Although they probably need no 

introduction, I am also excited to 

introduce our newest board members. 

John Martin Rutherford is 

president-elect and a great addition 

to the board. He is both an excellent 

chef and an incredibly well-read 

individual—both of which are valuable 

during some of our more trying 

conversations and debates. Cynthia 

Mohr is the new director of teaching 

and brings to her role a great 

deal of experience as the teaching 

collaborative coordinator. She is sure 

to keep us entertained! Our director 

of scholarships is Doug Seidler, who 

has been instrumental in reworking 

our review process for conference 

presentations, so he brings those insights 

and expertise to the position. 

I look forward to the next year and 

the new opportunities that will 

enable us to grow as people and 

as professionals! Please mark your 

calendars for the next annual conference—February 

17-20, 2013. 

Best, 

Lisa Tucker, 

IDEC President, 2012-2013 

4

Lisa Waxman, 

2012-13 IDEC past president, 

Florida State University 

Dear colleagues: 

As my term as president comes to an 

end, I thank you for your commitment 

and service to IDEC. Although 

I’ve been involved in IDEC 

for many years, as president I had a 

first-hand look at all of the initiatives 

IDEC undertakes and the number 

of hours donated by our volunteers. 

We are fortunate to have so many 

dedicated members—thank you! 

The 50th anniversary conference 

in Baltimore enabled us to connect 

with one another, learn from one 

another, and celebrate our organization. 

We launched two new events 

that will continue next year—the 

Pecha Kucha Night with fast-paced 

creative teaching ideas and the Village 

Square discussions of interest to 

the profession. The highlight was 

the anniversary banquet recognizing 

member accomplishments and 

service, then toasting our 50th year! 

As past-president Denise Guerin’s 

term on the board ends this year, I 

thank her for her service and support 

during my year as president. I 

welcome Lisa Tucker who became 

IDEC’s president on May. Lisa is 

well-positioned to lead IDEC. 

Soon, we will seek nominations for 

the next round of elections. Please 

consider stepping up and volunteering—don’t 

forget it is OK to selfnominate! 

I think you’ll find IDEC 

service a rewarding experience and I 

encourage you to give it a try. 

Thank you for your membership 

and commitment to interior design 

education. Have a great summer! 

Take care, 

Lisa Waxman, IDEC Past President, 

2011-2012 

5



Irina Solovyova, Ph.D 

2012-13 communications chair 

University of Texas at San Antonio 

Dear colleagues, 

The 50th anniversary conference 

in Baltimore was a tremendous 

success. If you couldn’t attend, 

visit http://2012.idec.org for 

complete coverage. 

Let us thank Doug Seidler for 

creating the conference Web site. 

Attendee responses acknowledged 

the positive difference a dedicated 

conference site made for their overall 

experience. Let’s also thank the 

volunteers and IDEC staff who 

put many hours into organizing 

the conference. 

This year, 300 people attended the 

conference and, of this number, 32 

were graduate students. An increasing 

number of students are attending 

the IDEC conference each year and 

we hope to continue this trend. Here 

is some data on paper and poster 

presentations. Conference proceedings 

are available for download on 

IDEC Web site. 

There was more to the Baltimore 

conference than presentations and 

the 50th anniversary celebration was 

a conference-long event. One special 

celebration featured IDEC “History 

Minute” videos and an exhibit illustrating 

special moments and people 

in IDEC’s history. I encourage you 

to read Buie Harwood’s article about 

the celebration. 

Student work was recognized and 

celebrated during the conference. 

Displays of work from the “Make 

A Difference” and student design 

competitions were prominently 

on display and clips of the video 

competition winners were shown 

during major conference events. The 

student work exhibited was excellent 

and the attention it received was 

well deserved. 

For the second year, I participated 

in a leadership summit the day 

before the conference began. I 

continue to be amazed at how much 

is happening in the organization and 

how many volunteers contribute 

their time and effort to make important, 

positive changes in interior 

design education. 

2012 was the first year of a Pecha 

Kucha night, sponsored by IIDA 

and dedicated to creative teaching 

ideas. Also new was the Village 

Square which replaced the previous 

Town Hall. A Fellows Forum was 

dedicated to showcasing the value 

of interior design and how it affects 

many aspects of society outside of 

traditional venues. Combined, these 

events enable us to share our individual 

stories and work. What stories 

will you share next year? 

The best part of the conference, 

however, is the opportunity for 

face-to-face interaction and dialog! 

Meeting old and new friends and exchanging 

ideas help us recharge our 

mental batteries and creativity for 

the rest of the year. Natalie Mendez, 

the new social media chair, used the 

event to help raise public awareness 

of why interior design matters. Read 

Natalie’s article about this global 

social media campaign and explore 

the Why Interior Design Matters 

Web site. 

Keep in touch through social media, 

Irina 

6

Message from 

the editor-in-chief 

Dear IDEC community, 

As the academic year ends, I hope you look forward to a summer of research, 

teaching, travel, or simply some well-deserved relaxation. 

As showcased in the fall 2011 and spring 2012 issues of IDEC Exchange, 

our members were active contributors to their universities, communities, 

and the profession. 

Jonathon Anderson 

2012-13 editor-in-chief 

University of North 

Carolina Greensboro 

The summer 2012 issue is no exception as we continue to inform readers 

of new developments by sharing and featuring the work in which members 

like you have been engaged. It is also full of content that centers on the very 

important theme of environmentally sustainable design. Our goal is always 

to deliver content that is thought-provoking. 

As this issue is released, I will be in China researching the Shanghai Creative 

Industry Parks. Enjoy your summer and remember—e-mail your news, announcements, 

story ideas, and feedback to newsletter@idec.org. Your contributions 

are essential for helping members of our profession continue to grow, 

evolve, and remain at the forefront of the latest developments and trends. 

干杯 gān bēi, 

Jonathon 

7

IDEC Updates 

Publications, awards, 

and recognitions 

Inside Prefab 

After Taste: Expanded 

Practices in Interior Design 

Low construction costs, efficiency, and sustainability 

make prefabrication an attractive solution for today’s 

interior designers. 

In Inside Prefab, author Deborah Schneiderman offers 

a fascinating history of prefabricated interior design, followed 

by 24 contemporary case studies. The illustrated 

examples include walls, kitchens, bathrooms, furniture, 

offices, and complete prefabricated house interiors. 

The first book-length discussion of the subject, Inside 

Prefab profiles an array of innovative design solutions 

that will appeal to architects and clients alike. 

About the author 

Deborah Schneiderman is an associate professor of 

interior design at the Pratt Institute. She received her 

M.Arch. from SCI-Arc and her B.S. in design and environmental 

analysis from Cornell University. Her current 

practice focuses on new, alternative, and ecologically 

sound design and building materials. 

Lois Weinthal, associate professor and graduate advisor 

for the graduate interior design program at the University 

of Texas at Austin, is pleased to announce the release of 

After Taste: Expanded Practices in Interior Design, 

co-edited with Kent Kleinman (Cornell University) and 

Joanna Merwood-Salisbury (Parsons The New School for 

Design), published by Princeton Architectural Press. 

After Taste is an edited volume comprising texts, interviews, 

and portfolios that collectively document new 

theories and emerging critical practices in the field of 

interior design. The book’s central argument is that 

the field of interior design is inadequately served by its 

historical reliance on taste-making and taste-makers, and, 

more recently from a set of theoretical concerns derived 

from architecture. It seeks to set an expanded frame by 

advancing new voices and perspectives in both the theory 

and practice of interior design, considered as an independent 

discipline. After Taste offers expansive views of 

interior studies, highlights emerging areas of research, 

identifies allied practices, and makes public its underexplored 

territory. 

8

Adapted from Design & Intuition: 

Structures, Interiors & The Mind 

C. Lewis Kausel, WIT Press, 2012 

Although human enjoys new designs, 

classic styles are still timeless. 

Why do societies around the world 

repeat artistic forms? Sometimes the 

repetition reinforces the importance 

of community, much like a popular 

song that everyone sings because it 

produces feelings of shared experience 

and merriment. The culture of 

classic, iconic images usually proves 

to be more aesthetic than sociallydriven, 

however. They are more 

meaningful to humans than passing 

fashions, fads, and fleeting social 

objectives of polite society. 

Since time immemorial, mankind 

has used design methods and instruments 

to create distinctive, meaningful 

designs. Ancient monuments are 

testaments to some of the world’s 

most unforgettable designs, suggesting 

the human desire to express and 

contemplate aesthetic forms. 

Design communicates aesthetic 

ideas, like the need for distinction 

and elegance. What people find 

beautiful has always evolved and 

what was elegant in the Rococo 

becomes opposite of that considered 

elegant in modernity. The reality of 

these attributes, which amounts to 

how physical features of objects are 

interpreted, exists in the collective 

visual transactions of culture. What 

our eye tells is “elegant” is shaped 

by the times in which we live, hence 

design must always be measured by 

the aesthetics of the era in which it 

was created. 

It is interesting to study architecture 

where form obeys statics. Exceptional 

structural forms often migrate 

from building exteriors to interior 

objects as décor. Human tend to recreate 

buildings they find beautiful, 

gradually modifying them into regional 

cultural forms such elongated 

church spires or round, more sinuous 

domes. Ultimately, these outcomes 

become the aesthetic transformations 

of collective imagination. 

Architectural styles are be seen in 

objects ranging from furniture to 

clothing, representing structures in 

human scale. This is important at a 

subliminal or unspoken level where 

the perception of design works and 

our body metaphorically becomes 

a part of design. Furniture with Renaissance 

cornices, for example, may 

appear more valuable or “important” 

to consumers, however, it does not 

necessarily define “good” design. 

The perceived value by the public is 

an important component of understanding 

the dynamic interaction of 

design and human culture. 

Design is based on solutions where 

achievable, functional, and favored 

forms are repeated in building construction. 

Both innovative and classic 

forms are subject to inspiration 

and repetition. In today’s world, we 

now focus on environmental sustainability 

and the low, embodied energy 

constructions of the past inspire us. 

Cecilia Lewis Kausel 

Mankind creates functional design 

but inspiration transforms functional 

syntaxes into decorative design. 

Human instinct compels us to notice 

and enjoy forms of decoration. Consider 

the recent interest in obsolete 

industrial objects, like outdated 

rotary telephones and turn-of-thecentury 

sewing machines which 

are now “decorative” in our culture. 

What, exactly, is decoration when 

obsolescence and function inspire 

us aesthetically? Why does this 

happen if not for the aesthetics that 

culture pursues? 

About the author: 

Cecilia Lewis Kausel is a professor 

of interior architecture at Mount Ida 

College in Newton, MA. She is certified 

by the NCIDQ Board and holds 

the CID license of the State Board 

of Architects and interior designers 

of Kentucky. Her research has been 

published internationally. 

9

Two-day intensive 

learning session 

focuses on ergonomics 

In partnership with Humanscale, 

IDEC will host its first topicintensive 

summer workshop titled 

Ergonomics: From Fundamentals 

to Application in Practice and the 

Classroom. Scheduled for July 12-13 

at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, 

the purpose is to immerse interior 

design educators and practitioners in 

the topic to provide them with the 

appropriate knowledge to teach or 

implement in practice. 

The session is open to everyone in 

the interior design industry, including 

educators and students, interior 

design and architecture practitioners, 

industry partners, graphic designers, 

and engineers. 

Day one is a full-day course in office 

ergonomics covering: 

• Ergonomics definition 

• Musculoskeletal risk factors 

• Overview of common musculoskeletal 

disorders, symptoms and 

causes 

• Components of ergonomically 

designed workstation 

• Components of effective ergonomics 

assessments 

• Applied ergonomic methods for 

computer workstations 

• Applied exercises 

Day two focuses on teaching strategies 

for integrating ergonomics into 

course assignments and projects. 

Cost for the two-day workshop is 

$295 for IDEC members, $375 for 

IDEC industry partners, and $425 

for non-members who register before 

May 1. Fees for the intensive are partially 

underwritten by Humanscale. 

Register online at www.idec.org or 

call 317.328.4437. Continuing education 

credits are available for who 

complete both days. 

10

Innovative Teaching 

Resources Program 

IDEC’s Innovative Teaching 

Resources Program is designed to 

provide educators with high-quality 

teaching materials and resources. 

Educators may purchase and download 

materials for use in their classes. 

The first project selected for inclusion 

is a healthcare studio created by 

Katherine Ankerson of Kansas State 

University. It will serve a test case to 

see if there is interest among educators. 

If so, IDEC will continue to 

seek quality teaching materials. All 

projects selected will be thoroughly 

reviewed and then made available for 

purchase for other educators to use 

or adapt. The project can be found 

at: http://www.idec.org/education/ 

InteriorDesignTeachingResources. 

php 

Special thanks to Catherine Anderson, 

Georgetown University, who has 

chaired this committee over the past 

several years. 

Message from 

the Journal of Interior Design (JID) 

Led by moderator Dr. Joy Dohr, 

the Journal of Interior Design 

( JID) editorial board recently held 

their third annual writer’s workshop, 

which focused on effective ways 

of interpreting findings and 

forming conclusions. 

Attended by more than 20 individuals, 

six of whom were graduate 

students, the workshop provided 

participants with insights about the 

most common obstacles in getting 

published in scholarly publications 

and helpful writing strategies. In 

addition to “Think like a reviewer” 

exercises, participants engaged in 

one-on-one time with the editorial 

team to discuss their individual 

research projects and manuscripts. 

If you seek professional publication, 

plan to attend next year’s workshop. 

As noted by one attendee, “I came 

to the last workshop and learned so 

much, I had to come back this year.” 

Another said, “The best workshop 

yet! They keep getting better.” 

As JID approaches its 30th year, 

many exciting changes have occurred! 

We have moved to a quarterly 

production schedule, with 

the first issue focusing on topics in 

sustainable design and a perspective 

written by Susan Szenasy. Our call 

for contributions to a history special 

issue titled “Time: People + Places 

+ Processes,” ended in February and 

will be published in 2013. 

Watch for our call for papers on collaboration 

soon. Manuscripts on any 

topic related to teaching, research, 

multi- and inter-disciplinary projects, 

and teaming collaborative issues 

are sought. JID also plans to publish 

completed dissertations, theses, and 

creative projects annually. 

New and existing board members 

remain dedicated to the journal’s 

success. Dr. Meg Portillo remains 

editor-in-chief for a second threeyear 

term and is joined by associate 

editors, Dr. Bridget May and Dr. 

Janetta McCoy. The board is chaired 

by Dr. Jennifer Webb, with Dr. Joan 

Dickinson and Dr. Jane Kucko serving 

in director capacities. 

11

egional 

updates 

Events 

Midwest 

• Maureen Mitton was appointed director of the School 

of Art & Design at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. 

The fourth edition of her book Interior Design Visual 

Presentation was published by John Wiley and Sons, 

February 2012. 

• Wendy Puffer passed the NCIDQ. Congratulations! 

• Julie Boettcher, adjunct interior design faculty at the 

Art Institute of Pittsburgh, was granted a full professional 

teachers license in the state of Minnesota. 

• We congratulate Migette Kaup, Kanas State University, 

who successfully defended her dissertation. 

West 

Announcements from the California College of the Arts 

(CCA) in San Francisco: 

Mark your calendars for the ASID Career Exchange, a 

job fair for the interior design industry. We host three 

throughout the year! 

• Hospitality Design in Las Vegas, NV* 

May 17, 2012, 10 to 11:30 a.m. 

*Now recruiting educators for one-on-one resume and 

portfolio reviews. 

• NeoCon Trade Fair in Chicago, IL* 

Wednesday, June 13 2012, 10-11:30am 

*Now recruiting educators for one-on-one resume and 

portfolio reviews. 

• Neocon East in Baltimore, MD 

Thursday, October 18, 2012 

• Cathrine Veikos will join the faculty this fall as the 

new chair of interior design. 

• Julianne Malnick claimed first place and a $4,000 

scholarship and Tuan Tran claimed second place and a 

$2,000 scholarship from the IIDA-NC chapter this year. 

• CCA alumnus Lucas Martin, who led his design team 

on behalf of Rapt Studio, won an honor award for their 

design of the new San Francisco Aids Foundation offices. 

• Michael Vanderbyl also claimed an honor award for 

the New York showroom of LUNA textiles. 

12

2012 Conference 

awards recap 

Awards photos by Jen White, Baltimore, MD 

IDEC Arnold Friedmann 

Educator of Distinction 

Award 

Buie Harwood, 

FIDEC, Hon. FASID, 

CID/VA, Professor 

Emeritus, Interior Design, 

Virginia Commonwealth 

University 

The IDEC Partner in 

Education Award 

Jeannie Bochette, 

Marketing Manager, 

Steelcase 

IDEC Community 

Service Award 

Hannah Mendoza, 

Assistant Professor, University 

of North Carolina 

Greensboro. Hannah is 

leading a global studio that 

has designed a school for a 

village in Ghana. 

IDEC Service Awards 

Douglas Seidler, 

Abstract Coordinator 

Margaret Konkel, 

Abstract Coordinator 

Lindsay Tan, Communications 

Committee Social 

Media Chair 

Susan Ray Degges, 

Director 

IDEC Fellow 

Bridget May, 

Assistant Chair and 

Director of Graduate 

Studies, Department of Interior 

Design, Marymount 

University 

IDEC Teaching 

Excellence Award 

Candy Carmel-Gilfilen, 

Assistant Professor at the 

University of Florida 

Judy Theodorson, 

Professor at Washington 

State University 

IDEC Media Award 

“Project Connect DP&E ,” 

Amy Roehl, 

Texas Christian University 

Caren Martin, Author of 

“Education Resolution” 

Darrin Brooks, Regional 

Chair- Pacific West Region 

Jane Nichols, Regional 

Chair- South Region 

Maura Schaffer, Creative 

Scholarship Coordinator 

Bridget May, 

Conference Host 

Moira Gannon Denson, 


Meg Konkel, 


Bob Meden, 


Douglas Seidler, 


Robin Wagner, 


13

IDEC Book Award 

Vibhavari Jani, 

Kansas State University, 

“Diversity in Design: 

Perspective from the 

Non-Western World” 

Merit Awards 

Ellen Fisher, Board of 

Directors- Director 

Scott Ageloff, Board of 

Directors- Director 

Wei Dong, Scholarship 

Collaborative Coordinator 

Buie Harwood, 50th 

Anniversary Celebration 

Committee Chair 

Patty Warren, IDEC Staff 

Meeting Planner 

IDEC Special 

Projects Grant 

“Interior Design Emerging: 

Humanity, Diversity 

& Connectivity” 

Sarah Sherman, Florida 

International University 

2012 IDEC 

Scholarship Awards 

Best presentation: 

William Riehm, 

Mississippi State University, 

and Annie Coogan, 

Crawford, Parsons - the 

New School for Design, 

for “A Bar Stool, Ernst 

Haeckel, and Rhinoceros: 

Learning Object Modeling 

Technology through 

Design Problem Solving” 

Irina Solovyova, 


Barbara Anderson, Chair 

of IDEC Academy 

Joy Dohr, Scholarship 

Collaborative Coordinator 

Presidential Award 

Denise Guerin, 

Outgoing Past 

President 

Best poster: 

Sabrina Frey of Florida 

State University for 

“Well Being, How the 

Living Environments of 

Others May Improve It.” 

Members Choice: 

“Beyond the Final Studio 

Presentation: Multimedia 

Project Storytelling as 

Portfolio Enhancement,” 

an abstract presented 

by Jill Pable, Florida 


14

IDEC Student Design Competition 

First: 

“Canvas: A Center for Children” was submitted by 

Lindsay Mercer, Savannah Roberts, and Shellie Sauls 

from Auburn University. They worked under the faculty 

supervision of Lindsay Tan and Kelly Martin. 

Third: 

“Vrede Village” by Hannah Fletcher and Heather Hall of 

Valdosta State University. These students were sponsored 

by faculty member Selend Nawrocki. 

Second: 

“Umizi Omusha” was produced by Ian McRae, Kristen 

Jamieson, Deepa Gill of British Columbia Institute of 

Technology under the guidance of faculty members 

Michelle Lafontaine and Dixie Hudson 

Honorable Mention: 

Shannon Coughlin, Toree Miller and Beth Ross of 

Washington State University for their project titled, 

“Teacher in a Box.” Faculty assistance was provided by 

Judy Theodorson. 

15

2011 Interior Design Video Education Competition 

First: “Why Interior Design Matters,” Kate Croy, Lauren 

Reinhard, Kelsey Keller, Lory Marsocci and Anna 

Beydoun, Radford University with faculty advisor 

Renee Walsh 

2012 Fairchild Topical 

Issues Grant 

Candy Carmel-Gilfilen at 

the University of Florida, 

“Incorporating Cultural 

Sensitivity into 

Healthcare Design” 

2011 IDEC Creative 

Scholarship Awards 

Art Category 

First: Tim Cozzens of Columbia 

College Chicago, 

“Table 15” 

Second: “Economical,” Emily Erbes and Anya Robson, 

Iowa State University with faculty advisor Jihyun Song 

The Best of Show: 

“MORE EFFORTLESS: 

A Responsive Intervention” 

by Tamie Glass and 

Ulrich Dangel from The 

University of Texas at 

Austin 

Second: Saral Surakul of 

University of Georgia, 

“The Lost Moments” 

Design Category 

16 

Third: “How Interior Design Economically Effects 

Society,” Kristin Amundsen, Hannah Berryhill and 

Emily Sutton, University of Texas Austin with faculty 

advisor Carl Matthews 

2011 Fairchild Topical Issues Grant 

“Social Sustainability – Designing for Disaster Relief ” 

Project team members are 


International University; 

Dak Kopec, PhD, Radford 

University; and Jeanne 

Mercer-Ballard, Appalachian 


Merit of Distinction: 

“Landscape, Built Form, 

and Agrarian Spaces in 

the Midwest” by John 

Humphries Miami 

University 

First: “An Explorers Toolpouch 

for going Knowhere” 

by Samantha Perkins 

of Miami 

University 

Second: “Bohdan Townhouse” 

by Thad Reeves, 

University of Texas 

Arlington

Why interior design matters 

seen before. Within hours of seeing the video, I started 

posting it to LinkedIn groups and Facebook. It was very 

well received, not just by fellow interior designers, but 

also family and friends from other fields. I began contacting 

schools, practitioners, and organizations around the 

world, asking them to watch and show their support in a 

social media campaign to make the video go viral. 

Natalie Mendez, 

 

M.A., ASID, IIDA, IDEC, Inventive Design LLC 

April 16, 2012 was a good day for the interior design 

profession because a global social media campaign 

raising awareness about Why Interior Design Matters 

began. I discovered a global campaign is challenging to 

orchestrate, but the effort has been a positive experience 

and life lesson! 

I soon found the work contagious (my husband fondly 

started calling me “design patient zero”). After a month 

of e-mails, LinkedIn and Facebook conversations, phone 

calls day and night to talk with those in other time zones, 

and commitments from interior design leaders from 

DEC, ASID, IIDA, IFI, SBID, and many other international 

organizations, we built enough momentum for 

the design community to unite in a massive, global social 

media campaign. 

In a 24-hour period, there were over 4,000 hits to the 

WIDM.org site. To date, there have been over 20,000 

views of the “Why Interior Designers Matter” video 

from more than 100 countries. The video took first and 

second place in the Twitter interior design category and 

was one of the top hits on the YouTube interior design 

category. 

It began at the 50th anniversary conference. The issue 

of raising public awareness about the profession was a 

prominent topic in both formal events and informal discussions 

in Baltimore. I was inspired listening to keynote 

speaker Rosayln Cama. Although her ideas about design 

and the world around us are similar to my own, I began 

wondering why there aren’t more opportunities to discuss 

diverse perspectives within the design community. 

I also wondered about the lack of support for InformeDesign, 

one of the venues through which we can communicate 

the value of evidence-based interior design. 

While watching the winning video competition entry, 

I found it extraordinary and something that I had not 

For those who participated and those who missed out, 

join us again for World Interiors Day. Let’s embrace our 

talents for the common good. Through unity, we make 

the strongest impact! 

Making a difference extends beyond participation in any 

single event or group, however. Apart from volunteering 

for IDEC as its social networking chair, I also work with 

groups like Habitat for Humanity and public libraries. 

By advising Habitat for Humanity, I assist in improving 

the lives of hundreds of people in need. By volunteering 

at the library, I help low income and middle-income 

families learn the positive power of real design. 

If you are as passionate about why interior design matters 

as I am, join me in my quest and share stories of how you 

make a difference to everyone’s lives every day. Don’t 

just make a difference quietly—make it public, encourage 

others, and be in the forefront of promoting interior 

design through service. Will you join me? 

17

18 

Volunteer 

testimonies 

Submitted by Lisa Tucker, 

Virginia Tech 

I have had the opportunity to serve 

IDEC in many capacities and one 

of the best things about this organization 

is that if you want something 

to change—all you have to do 

is volunteer! 

One of the first things I did was volunteer 

to serve on a multiyear task 

force with Anna Marshall Baker to 

bring sustainability to the forefront 

of IDEC’s work, an experience that 

was personally very meaningful and 

fulfilling. It was wonderful to work 

with Anna and to see results almost 

immediately within the organization. 

I hope to continue that commitment 

during this year during my 

term as president. 

I have served in many volunteer 

roles, including the South Region 

chair, the regional chair liaison to the 

IDEC Board, and as a board member 

for the last five years (now going 

on six), holding positions including 

communications director, director 

of scholarships, president-elect, and 

now president. I have been an ab- 

stract reviewer for probably ten years 

and review for the Journal of Interior 

Design. Although this voluntarism 

may sound like a full-time job to 

some, it has been incredibly enriching 

and the people I have worked 

with have made it all worthwhile! 

One of the most enjoyable assignments 

has been working with Irina 

and the communications committee. 

To give you a small example, I was 

disconcerted by how all the materials 

from each region were being 

invented every year in addition to 

new branding for every conference. 

During my year as communications 

director before IDEC was “restructured,” 

I called for volunteers for a 

communications committee and 

more than 20 individuals expressed 

interest. As a group, we determined 

to move IDEC to the next level and 

our plans included a new newsletter 

and a new Web site, all with fresh, 

consistent branding. Irina was one 

of these initial volunteers and she 

has been a constant throughout the 

rebranding campaign, the social networking 

initiative, the new newsletter. 

The communications committee 

is now thriving and is better than I 

could have ever imagined! 

This organization appreciates everyone’s 

contributions—big or small. 

If you haven’t ever volunteered, I 

highly recommend it. 

Submitted by Anna Marshall- 

Baker, University of North 

Carolina Greensboro 

When my mentor and department 

chair Jeanette Bowker asked me after 

my first month of teaching if I would 

like to attend the South Regional 

IDEC Conference in 1992, I never 

imagined how this organization 

would so deeply affect my personal 

and professional life. 

At that first meeting I met Jean Edwards, 

Lisa Waxman, Buie Harwood, 

Paul Petrie, Jerry Nielson and others 

who were actively engaged in interior 

design education and scholarship. 

I was clearly the new kid on the 

block. I began my own involvement 

in IDEC by moderating a paper session 

at the next regional conference. 

From that first step, my service to 

IDEC grew to include many volunteer 

activities and responsibilities 

such as editor of the first e-newsletter, 

reviewer for the Journal of Interior 

Design, regional chair, president, 

paper chair, juror, member, and later 

co-chair of a network, then chair or 

co-chair of two other task forces. 

Through service I came to know 

my colleagues in interior design 

education and they came to know 

me. They supported my conference 

presentations and publications. They 

partnered with me in the development 

of initiatives such as the resolution 

in 2005 regarding sustainability 

and environmentally responsible 

design. They became my peers, my 

critics, and my reviewers. 

These colleagues have shaped my 

career as a design educator. And 

perhaps most importantly, they have 

become my friends. We travel together. 

We work together. We share 

our joy and sorrows, even though we 

are separated by states and regions. 

And we celebrate the few days of 

each year when we see each other at 

IDEC events. 

Volunteering in IDEC has not just 

been a service commitment for me. 

It has changed my personal and professional 

life in ways that are meaningful 

and long-lasting. All it took 

was me saying, “I can do that.”

Special Themed Articles 

A green materials library at UNCG 

Dr. Anna Marshall-Baker, University of North Carolina-Greensboro 

university library staffers, we developed a system using 

the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) 

Master Format. 

This system provides a list of titles and numbers that 

organize specifications and other project information for 

building design and construction that includes products 

and materials. Incorporating that system into a standardized 

library cataloguing system not only organized our 

material samples, but also engaged students in using 

the Master Format. As with any book or journal, the 

materials appear in the library catalogue with 

descriptive information. 

When our department moved into a new building, we 

found ourselves in a space with piles of print materials 

that needed cataloging and an idea for a “materials 

library” (which at the time had no materials because 

the ragtag collection of samples from the old building 

had been discarded). Staff from the university library 

provided much-needed cataloging services for the print 

materials, and soon we began to discuss how to organize 

material samples. 

A departmental decision was made that no materials 

harmful to human or environmental health would be 

included the library. We developed a protocol sheet with 

information about each material to assess its “green” 

qualities, such as product life cycle from raw material to 

manufacturing, packaging and shipping, installation, use, 

maintenance, and end of life. We also recorded sustainable 

practices of the manufacturers and included contact 

information that students use to call sales reps. 

To further engage students, a faculty member teaching 

our materials, methods and technologies course required 

that each student bring two new sustainable materials 

with protocol sheets to the library, which ensures about 

80 new materials each year. 

Yet the task of organizing these materials remained. The 

Library of Congress cataloguing system does not include 

paint chips, lighting fixtures, or ceramic tile. With help 

 

Any library user who enters “linoleum” (http://www. 

armstrong.com/commflooringna/products/biobasedtile) 

into the catalog, for example, will see an entry 

that includes: 

title 

a running title 

corporate author 

holdings 

internet links 

publisher 

subject headings 

description 

notes 

the manufacturer’s category of tile 

name of the particular product line 

the manufacturer 

where the sample is located 

the manufacturer’s website and the 

protocol sheet 

manufacturer with the date the 

sample was obtained (rather than a 

copyright date appropriate for 

print materials) 

such as “resilient flooring,” “flooring, 

tile,” and “linoleum” 

information about the sample, e.g., 

28cm 

quotes from marketing materials 

The materials library and protocol sheets are now 

available to anyone who accesses the university catalog. 

Cataloguing the materials enables regular reports that 

indicate when materials need to be replaced or discarded. 

Students develop knowledge about sustainable materials 

and the kinds of questions necessary to determine 

the green qualities of materials and products while also 

gaining experience with the Master Format, assembling 

a real-time palette of materials, contacting industry reps, 

and ordering materials. Students are engaged not only as 

users but also as contributors to the collection. 

19

George Washington University’s 

interior design program 

participates in the U.S. Department 

of Energy’s 2013 Solar Decathlon 

Catherine Anderson; Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, IDEC 

In the fall of 2011, the interior 

design program at GWU was 

invited to participate in the Solar 

Decathlon by The Catholic University 

of America’s School of Architecture 

and Planning (CUArch), which 

assembled a group of Washingtonarea 

universities known as Team 

Capitol DC. 

The competition, according to the 

US Department of Energy / National 

Renewable Energy Laboratory’s 

Web site, “challenges collegiate 

teams to design, build, and operate 

solar-powered houses that are costeffective, 

energy-efficient, and attractive. 

The winner of the competition 

is the team that best blends affordability, 

consumer appeal, and design 

excellence with optimal energy production 

and maximum efficiency.” 

The need for renewable, clean 

sources for energy has never been 

greater. Reliance on fossil fuels must 

be reconsidered this finite resource 

is being depleted and CO2 emissions 

with detrimental effects on the 

environment reach record highs. 

Rendering by the Catholic University of America School of Architecture + Planning 

With the events like BP’s oil rig 

explosion which leaked over 200 

million gallons of oil into the Gulf 

of Mexico in April 2010 and the 

nuclear power plant meltdown in Japan 

after the tsunami which released 

radioactive materials into the atmosphere, 

there is great incentive to rely 

less on those energy sources and seek 

less destructive alternatives. 

Plentiful natural resources like wind, 

sunlight, heating and cooling from 

the earth, and rainwater, can be 

harnessed in ways that have minimal 

impact on the environment. Solar 

power , for example, is not limited to 

simply warming structures but also 

for lighting and cooling them while 

producing electricity. According to 

20

Rendering by the Catholic University 

of America School of Architecture + 

Planning 

the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, it is a robust supplier of power. 

The amount of energy from the sun which shines on the earth in one hour is 

more than what is used by everyone in the world for one year! 

During the spring 2012 semester, GW students collaborated with 

sustainable landscape designers to create living walls (also known as green 

walls or vertical gardens) that will allow the inhabitants of solar homes to 

grow edible gardens. 

This access to the gifts of nature during the growing season serve as a reminder 

of the natural cycle of plants and draw a mental and visual connections to 

outdoor gardens with a wide variety of plants and vegetables. The students 

also carefully considered the selection of interior finishes. Keeping in mind 

that nearly all materials require some amount of embodied energy, from gathering 

raw materials to manufacturing to the shipment of these goods, finishes 

used in the home were chosen for their minimal environmental impact. To 

create a strong connection between the interior and exterior, materials suitable 

for both areas that transition seamlessly from inside to outside and vice 

versa will be used. 

As we prepare the next generation of designers, creating solar homes will not 

only educate the public about energy-efficient construction and renewable 

energy, but will also prepares students to participate in an economy that supports 

the use of clean energy and learning strategies to implement sustainable 

practices and new ways of thinking and living. 

21

Inspiring environmentallyresponsible 

design through 

nineteen case studies 

Travis L. Hicks, M.Arch., 

University of North Carolina-Greensboro 

This work occupied the first half of the semester, after 

which students took a two-day field trip to explore the 

decathlon projects in person. The students visited their 

assigned houses before spending time in other houses. 

Third-year students from a different studio section also 

participated in the field-trip, so the entire class now has a 

common point of reference about the project. 

22 

Third year students in IARc at UNCG 

In 2002, the U.S. Department of Energy began sponsoring 

the Solar Decathlon, its biannual design-build challenge 

for college and university teams to design, build, 

and operate solar-powered houses on the mall in Washington, 

DC. The international competition comprises 

20 teams. 

Even if your university has not directly participated, the 

event still offers opportunities for teaching and learning. 

I used the 2011 Solar Decathlon as the foundation for a 

design-build studio I taught last fall for 20 third-year design 

students. With access to construction drawings and 

specifications for the decathalon models, UNC students 

were able to study, analyze, and diagram each unit before 

a field-trip to visit them in person. Students generated 

digital drawings and models using AutoCAD, Revit, and 

SketchUp, allowing them to assess, among other things, 

the passive and active solar strategies of each design. 

Parallel to this analysis, students designed their own 

home based on decathlon guidelines. Given the small 

footprint dictated by the guidelines, the “clients” I 

assigned as homeowners were single college students. 

Energy-efficiency, furniture flexibility, passive and active 

systems, and environmentally responsible materials were 

common in each design. Employing the building’s interior 

as a driver for the exterior architectural design also 

added a layer of complexity and interest not typically 

seen in decathlon houses. 

On site, students saw the design details, experienced each 

form and space, and answered questions that the construction 

documents had raised earlier in the semester. 

They sketched and took notes and photographs to document 

what they saw. The trip inspired students not only 

in their work for that semester but in subsequent months 

as well. They returned to complete better-informed case 

studies and finish their “inside-out” designs. From the 

20 individual designs, a jury selected one project as the 

winning scheme on which students collaborated for the 

remainder of the semester. 

Moving forward, the collaborative project was similar 

to that of a typical decathlon team, moving from the 

digital design of a small house to full-scale design-build 

installation and development of print and digital 

marketing materials. 

Unlike other case studies, the assignment provided 

students with a hands-on collection of precedents to use 

for analytical and generative purposes. And although 

they did not directly complete in the decathlon event, 

students and faculty at UNC Greensboro are inspired by 

what they learned. Several students have developed independent 

study projects dealing with alternative energy 

research and design. Full-scale design-build projects have 

made their way into a number of studios. 

Dr. Anna Marshall-Baker has fostered a culture 

of environmentally responsible design in our 

department for a number of years. We have made a 

commitment to community engagement and our department 

has a rich history of design-build going back more 

than 50 years. The Solar Decathlon model offers us the 

opportunity to connect sustainability, design-build, and 

community engagement into a single, signature interdisciplinary 

project.

Making digital 

Kevin P. McClellan, University of Texas at San Antonio, College of Architecture 

Digital fabrication is a movement 

fast becoming a standard within 

the design community. It presents 

opportunities to realize projects that 

are both more complex and more 

sensitive to a particular context. But 

one of its greatest benefits is often 

overlooked, that of being resourcespecific 

and enabling designers to 

reduce environment impacts. It 

expands the capabilities of a designer, 

opening up new techniques and 

processes that reduce embodied energy 

and ultimately total cost, while 

facilitating differentiation as a means 

to build a client’s brand. 

In the design community, we see a 

shift that is pushing away from standardization 

to purpose-built design 

and a growing interest in these ideas. 

The trend reflects the well-established 

shift by fabricators to computer 

numerically controlled (CNC) 

machines for production. As such, 

teaching and learning the means and 

methods of digital fabrication more 

vital than ever for the career potential 

of student designers. It ensures 

that they will have the tools to adapt 

and reinforce those capabilities as 

well as training that will serve a particular 

client or expand the service 

capabilities of an employer. 

Cubby Coffee Shop and Café, Amber Porterfield 

This past spring, our interior design 

program launched a topic studio 

to explore the potential of digital 

fabrication as part of the senior 

capstone studio. Working closely 

with a developer client, we identified 

two unique sites within their 

portfolio with diverse programmatic 

constraints. Running simultaneously, 

the two projects allowed for crossfertilization 

and topic exploration 

through parallel learning. Projects 

focused on one technique in particular 

in an effort to instill a more thorough, 

viable, understanding of the 

digital fabrication methods. Metal 

fabrication and rotational molding 

arose as the two methods most easily 

assumed into student’s preexisting 

design vocabularies. The focus 

on one technique challenged them 

to see the inherent flexibility and 

overall limitations of the process, resulting 

in a true understanding of the 

potential of the applied technique 

while counter-intuitively expanding 

their creative potential, which the 

students did not anticipate. 

Curved Collection Atrium Installation, 

Micaela Silva 

As educators, our challenge in 

incorporating new methods in a 

curriculum is to educate and encourage 

students to learn processes that 

will benefit them and their clients or 

employers. As we take action to be 

environmentally aware and minimize 

over-consumption, students must 

learn to manage not only the design 

process but utilization of resources. 

In that way, we can instill increasingly 

important values that both serve 

the nascent design professional and 

the profession as a whole. 

23

UNIVERSAL DESIGN: 

A SHIFTING PARADIGM 

Janice Rieger, Mount Royal University 

Life is about overcoming barriers 

and universal design attempts to do 

just that. Universal design examines 

both the experiential and intellectual 

barriers that exist in our world 

(Steinfeld and Maisel, 3). 

As a teacher of one of Canada’s few 

courses in universal design, I’ve 

discovered that universal design has 

shifted significantly over the past 

seven years to become part of the 

larger concept of socially responsible 

design. Universal design is no 

longer viewed as a “specialization” 

or “field” of design. It has expanded 

and created a synergy with parallel 

movements like sustainability, agingin-place 

and affordable housing. 

(Preiser and Smith 1.9) The most 

salient change that I have observed 

over the last seven years is that universal 

design has altered our design 

thinking. (Nussbaumer 62). 

Universal design education is 

changing from a concentration on 

prescriptive mechanics to a performative 

model of inquiry. By looking 

at universal design through this lens, 

it calls attention to our daily habits 

of engagement, our assumptions, our 

practices, and who we are in relationship 

to others and our environment. 

As the paradigm of socially responsible 

design continues to expand, we 

will continue to see more transdisciplinary 

scholarship. At Mount 

Royal University, we have created a 

culture of inclusion that was recently 

acknowledged with an award from 

the mayor and the City of Calgary 

(see www.mtroyal.ca/AboutMountRoyal/MediaRoom/Newsroom/ 

hp_accessaward.html). 

In my own research, teaching, and 

practice, I have adopted a transdisciplinary 

framework to address 

complex issues like universal design 

and am collaborating with the 

Studies in Aging program at Mount 

Royal University to design a certification 

program in accessible housing 

design. This fall, the Canadian 

Specialization in Accessible Housing 

Design (CSAHD) will begin a pilot 

project for which students will be 

accepted beginning in 2013. It is the 

first and only certification program 

in accessible housing in Canada and 

will bring together educators, researchers, 

and industry professionals. 

Seven years later, the barriers are 

slipping away and we have arrived 

at a point where universal design 

is coalescing with parallel socially 

responsible design movements. 

Whether this shift came about as an 

outgrowth of changing demographics 

or from a global culture that 

is more socially aware, our design 

thinking is forever altered. I look 

forward to what the next seven years 

will bring! 

References: 

1. Nussbaumer, Linda L. Inclusive 

Design A Universal Need, New York: 

Fairchild Books, 2012. 

2. Preiser, Wolfgang, F.E. and Kordydon 

H. Smith. Universal Design Handbook, 

Second Edition, New York: 

McGraw- Hill, 2011. 

3. Steinfeld, Edward and Jordana L. 

Maisel. Universal Design Creating 

Inclusive Environments, New Jersey: 

John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2012. 

SHIFTING THE WAY PEOPLE 

THINK: RESEARCH-BASED 

SUSTAINABLE INTERIOR 

ENVIRONMENTS FROM 

FIT/SUNY’S GRADUATE 

PROGRAM 

Grazyna Pilatowicz, Nora Rubinstein Fashion Institute of Technology 

Developed at the Fashion Institute 

of Technology in New York City, 

the Master of Arts in Sustainable 

Interior Environments (SIE) welcomed 

its first cohort of students 

last fall with the goal of building 

a holistic vision of sustainable 

design practice. 

The program was developed for 

established design professionals to 

think critically about the manner in 

which their work can have a lasting 

24

impact and how they can create meaningful, equitable 

places through a cradle-to-cradle design process and 

commitment to the triple bottom-line of environmental, 

social, and economic responsibility. 

Based on the premise that sustainable design must be 

integrated spatially and conceptually across the professional 

disciplines, faculty represent interior design, architecture, 

ecology, psychology, engineering, chemistry, 

and historic preservation, and other fields. They model a 

dedication to sustainability both in their own practices 

and in their approach to learning. Using on-site, electronically 

supplemented, and field classes, they focus on 

interior spaces but also address the impacts of design in 

broader contexts. 

While many programs emphasize developing and 

implementing technology and/or cost-benefit scenarios 

as primary drivers of change, we stress the importance 

of understanding environmental attitudes, beliefs, and 

behavior. We ask students to examine their own values 

and cognitive frames for complex decision-making, like 

balancing the needs of conflicting constituencies or selecting 

materials and products which represent competing 

“goods” as with local, fair trade, or certified options. 

The curriculum was developed to guide students in synthesizing 

applied skills in behavioral research; inclusive 

design; indoor environmental quality; chemistry and 

specification of materials; as well as building their expertise 

in design’s impact on human health, and the health 

of the local and regional economy. New York’s advanced 

technology buildings provide ample precedents and environmental 

think tanks provide a living laboratory and 

extensive opportunities for mentorship. 

Graduates will need these tools as they assume leadership 

positions in the design industry and educational institutions. 

It is their role to change the future status quo by 

bringing research expertise grounded in the principles of 

sustainable design to each project. 

As part of their work, students are expected to 

develop articles and monographs that will advance the 

opportunities for evidence-based research to change 

design practice. 

SIE students chat with keynote speaker Dr. Stephen Kellert 

at the annual FIT/SUNY Sustainable Business and Design 

Conference on March 27, 2012. 

Students took part in the exhibition and led a breakout session 

titled “You are what you breathe! How much do you know 

about sustainable materials?” 

In the first year of the program, students have developed 

thesis projects that address perceptions of sustainably 

designed health care spaces, attitudes toward biophilic 

design, perceptions and desirability of LEED certified 

residential space, and the life-cycle issues in the design of 

exhibitions. They have begun work on developing a core 

of relevant research resources and have created blogs to 

present their work publicly as an ongoing reflection of 

the thinking and action that can impact change. 

John MacLennan of the International Living Future 

Institute has said: “Each building, each project creates a 

ripple effect around it. It changes the way people think. 

When there are enough of these examples, then a sudden 

and large-scale shift will be possible.” 1 We agree and add 

that each professional whose design is based in the principles 

of sustainability changes the way people live. 

Visit our program’s Web site at www.fitnyc.edu/SIE. 

Student blog posts appear in Metropolis Magazine at 

http://www.metropolismag.com/pov/20120409/interior-design-research. 

1 

Eckart, Kim. “Jason F. Mclennan. Bringing Buildings to Life.” 

Yes! Winter 2012: 33. Print. 

25

Research 

Gregory Marinic 

2012-13 research editor 

University of Houston 

ASID Foundation 

announces 

research 

grant recipients 

26 

Tom Dixon: 

Interiors research-in-practice 

Tom Dixon, a London-based interior designer, is noted for his innovative use 

of ecologically-sensitive raw materials and ability to express a strong narrative. 

It is with the same ethos that he established Design Research Studio 

in 2002. Specializing in research-based, high concept interiors, large-scale 

interior installations, and architectural design, Design Research Studio has 

been engaged with significant commissions in the UK and worldwide. Tom 

Dixon’s “Light Light” installation was created by Design Research Studio 

for the world premiere of the new Audi A8. “Light Light” was inspired by 

the A8 itself--lightness of space frame, brightness of LED headlights, technical 

precision, and craftsmanship. These attributes are represented in “Light 

Light” through an acid-etched aluminum structure and use of LEDs. The 

intention was to demonstrate how mathematics, geometry and engineering 

can produce balanced design. 

“Light-Light,” an interior installation created by Tom Dixon for Audi’s A8. 

The American Society of Interior 

Designers (ASID) Foundation announced 

the recipients of the second 

annual Interior Design Research 

Grant Program, Transform, which 

focuses on applied research in 

interior design and human behavior. 

Grants for 2012 totaled $115,000 

and recipients included Drexel University, 

Texas Tech University, and 

the Center for Health Design. “We 

are so proud to be able to award the 

ASID Foundation Transform Grant 

to each of these three recipients,” 

said ASID Foundation Chair Judy 

Pickett, FASID. “Their work will 

significantly add to our ever-growing 

body of knowledge, demonstrating 

the value of interior design through 

evidenced-based design.” 

Drexel’s proposal will employ 

evidence-based design study of the 

efficacy of a daylight¬matching, lowenergy 

LED luminaire prototypes. 

In collaboration with the Archdiocese 

of Philadelphia, Drexel University 

is developing an automatic diurnal/seasonal 

daylight-matching LED 

luminaire to reduce symptoms of 

dementia in elderly residents at the 

St. Francis Country House skilled 

nursing facility. The LED luminaire 

will address the dual sustainability issues 

of energy efficiency and health/ 

well-being of building occupants 

by providing quality illumination 

for visual tasks and synchronizing 

biological rhythms for better health, 

cognitive ability and performance 

for patients.

Texas Tech’s proposal for ASID, 

awarded to Angela Bourne, a Ph.D. 

student in Environmental Design, 

will investigate prototypes for 

therapeutic living and enrichment 

environments for aging adults with 

intellectual developmental disabilities 

and autism spectrum disorder. 

Her study will provide design 

guidelines and prototypes for the 

development of therapeutic living 

communities for an aging population 

of individuals with intellectual developmental 

disabilities and autism 

spectrum disorders who suffer from 

Alzheimer’s disease. The research 

will explore how interior design can 

enhance these individuals’ behavior 

and well-being. 

The Center for Health Design’s 

proposal will develop a standard 

evidence-based patient room interior 

design checklist and evaluation 

tool. Their project will include the 

development of a web-based patient 

room interior design checklist to 

support design decision making, 

and a patient room evaluation tool 

that can be used for existing facilities 

or renovation/new construction 

projects. The patient room interior 

design checklist and evaluation tool 

will address a critical need in the 

industry by providing access to the 

healthcare design evaluation tools in 

an accessible and actionable format. 

Studio O+A present 

Facebook interiors at SCAD 

Primo Orpilla and Verda Alexander, founders of Studio O+A, recently 

presented Facebook’s Palo Alto, California interiors at the Savannah College 

of Art and Design with a detailed case study of their design strategy. The 

presentation narrated Facebook’s consolidation of multiple offices under 

one roof at Stanford Research Park. Orpilla and Alexander demonstrated 

how intensive collaboration with their client and a “blank canvas” approach 

allowed for user-personalization, as well as an interior design concept that 

significantly raised O+A’s specialized profile. “Facebook discussed their goals 

with us,” Orpilla told the SCAD audience. “They didn’t want a slide or a 

fireman’s pole. They wanted an honest, down-to-earth look. These are people 

who spend a significant portion of their day living, working, and creating in 

their space-they wanted the space to be eclectic.” O+A’s concept for Facebook 

amplified circulation paths to accommodate skateboarding, a kitchen 

that doubled as a game room, and super-graphics that were ultimately 

featured in the film: “The Social Network.” Since their initial transition to 

Palo Alto, Facebook has completed a new move to offices in Menlo Park. 

Meanwhile, O+A has executed designs for Yelp, AOL, Microsoft, MTV, and 

several other tech-oriented companies. 

O+A design for Facebook headquarters, Palo Alto, CA 

27

Fostering ecological 

design research at 

Cornell University 

Since 2001, Professor Jack Elliott has taught “DEA 422: 

Ecological Literacy and Design” at Cornell University. 

The class is positioned within the interior design program 

of the school’s Department of Design and Environmental 

Analysis. The course was developed to address 

the significant role designers play in contributing to the 

rapidly degrading state of natural systems. From species 

extinctions and topsoil loss, to carbon dioxide emissions 

and light pollution--it has been estimated that up to 50% 

of the world’s energy and materials are utilized in the creation, 

operation, and disposal of the built environment. 

Elliott believes that designers must learn to love things 

natural before they will care for things natural. They 

must learn to care before they will conserve and protect. 

DEA 422 was created to give the next generation of 

designers the tools they need to respect the earth. 

The prime objective of this course is to help students 

develop a broader sensitivity for living things and an accompanying 

set of environmental ethics. To this end, the 

class introduces the concepts of systems thinking, risk assessment, 

life-cycle analysis, and moral reasoning—tools 

that allow students how to think more critically about 

sustainability issues. In the curriculum, Professor Elliott 

includes various sustainability models, including Natural 

Step, which uses a science-based framework to help 

large organizations such as IKEA understand and adopt 

green practices, and William McDonough’s Hannover 

Principles, issued by the City of Hannover, Germany to 

ensure that the design and construction related to the 

city’s EXPO 2000 World’s Fair represented a sustainable 

development for the city, region, and world. 

In addition, DEA 422 aims to demonstrate how ecological 

knowledge can be applied to design. For example, 

students learn of the connection between aluminum 

production and coral reef die-off in Jamaica. They consider 

the positions of those involved, including mining 

interests, regional government, local inhabitants, and 

researchers. They develop design strategies to help solve 

this issue, such as specifying non-Caribbean aluminum, 

boycotting the companies involved in the mining, and/ 

or ensuring that they use only 100% recycled aluminum 

in their projects. By being guided through expanded 

decision-making processes, students begin to understand 

how they can make an environmental difference through 

design of ecologically-sensitive objects, interiors, 

and buildings. 

Professor Elliott believes that there is a need and demand 

for courses like DEA 422: courses that combine theoretical 

and practical advice on environmental design. 

Although in recent years, the issue of sustainability has 

been slowly integrated into design curricula, single classes 

like DEA 422 are not enough. As an educator, Professor 

Elliott seeks to ensure that his students are prepared for 

the demands of their profession. As more and more firms 

compete for government contracts specifying LEED certification, 

and as more demand greener buildings, LEED 

knowledge and ecological design is no longer simply a 

fringe benefit, but rather, a professional responsibility. 

28

Aggregate 

experimentation 

at the University 

of Houston 

Interior architecture foundation studio models at the University of Houston. 

As a pedagogy based on material investigation, 

Prof. Meg Jackson of the 

University of Houston’s Interior Architecture 

program engages her students 

in the performance, expression 

and design of detail connections and 

building modules. Students directly 

participate in creative acts of making 

physical assemblies documented 

through sketching, photography, and 

axonometric construction sequence 

drawings. Students of the foundation 

studios participate in a series of rigorous 

iterative experiments employing 

various material-based methods 

explore modules, fasteners, tectonic 

relationships, and systematic connective 

assemblies. Various projects 

are evaluated on the strength of the 

experimentation, intensity of the 

investigation, material manipulation, 

and innovation. Prof. Jackson 

focuses on connections as a vehicle 

for spatial development. Projects are 

evaluated relative to structural controls 

and formal assemblies, as well 

as the potential for spatial expression 

and creative problem-solving within 

given constraints. 

29

Daylighting research 

at Washington State 

University 

Judy Theodorson, Washington State University 

Daylight is an important component of sustainable, 

high-performance buildings, offering benefits that range 

from reduced energy use to positive impacts on occupant 

health, well-being, and productivity. Daylighting, 

defined as “the controlled admission of natural light into 

interior spaces to reduce or replace electric lighting,” is a 

complex problem, requiring integration of architecture, 

lighting, and interiors—and it helps to have an educated, 

engaged user. 

• DISCOVERY: Through scientific experimentation 

and observation, students build knowledge around the 

physical behaviors and properties of the daylight source, 

including color, intensity, variability, solar patterns, and 

material interactions. 

• DESIGN: Simple physical models built to scale with 

representative materials allow accurate prediction of 

daylighting performance. Students are encouraged to 

test various reflectances and aperture configurations to 

understand coordination of architecture and interiors. 

• ASSESSMENT: The existing built environment 

provides a laboratory to study how design intent and decisions 

play out in occupation, creating a feedback loop 

for future design problems and opportunities to provide 

occupant education. 

At Washington State University (WSU), Professor Judy 

Theodorson integrates teaching and research to advance 

new perspectives about daylighting. By developing pedagogy, 

tools, and expanding the body of knowledge, she 

hopes to encourage design professionals to make greater 

contributions to human-behavioral and visual-spatial 

aspects of daylighting design. 

The focus on daylighting and interiors emerged from 

Theodorson’s experiences as director of WSU’s BetterBricks 

Integrated Design Lab (IDL) from 2004-09, 

one of five academy-based design labs in the Pacific 

Northwest funded to encourage energy efficient building 

design. IDL enlisted interior design and architecture students 

to provide daylight prediction and post-occupancy 

follow-up on regional projects. This interdisciplinary 

exchange helped identify the need for a better understanding 

of interior concerns in daylit spaces, including 

qualities of the visual environment, daylight controls, 

and the dynamic relationship between the user and the 

daylight resource. 

Example 1: Shifting color spectrum on over the course of a day. 

Leveraging projects from the IDL, Theodorson continues 

to conduct and supervise post-occupancy research 

on human and visual factors in daylit buildings, studying 

issues of controls, daylight variability, occupant satisfaction, 

and patterns of behavior. Her work has been 

disseminated through IDEC, JID, PLEA (Passive and 

Low Energy Architecture), and ASES (American Solar 

Energy Society). 

In technical courses and interior design studios, Theodorson 

adapts IDL methods and tools to create active 

learning opportunities for students to construct personal 

and disciplinary knowledge around natural light. Units 

are conceptually organized by the following framework: 

Example 2: Daylight model and false color imagery. 

30

Collaboration 

Virginia San Fratello 

2012-13 collaboration editor 

San Jose State University 

The unique installation fuses material surface, structural 

volume, and light into an immersive spatial experience. 

Its title is a play-on-words that refers to “bioluminescence,” 

a phenomenon whereby living organisms produce 

and emit light. The installation glows from within, 

casting intricate shadows onto adjacent surfaces and inviting 

pedestrians to cross the accepted boundary between a 

public sidewalk and the private space beyond. 

Siddiqui and Hutchinson collaborated at a distance 

throughout the design and fabrication process. Technology 

was central to their process allowing them not only to 

generate and experiment in terms of design but to manage 

the collaboration. With a single digital model and an 

online folder serving as a shared “office,” they explored 

material tolerances, construction details, and assembly 

strategies, integrating those criteria into the digital model. 

Information for the model was fed into the fabrication 

process, with Hutchinson fabricating the steel structure 

in San Francisco and Siddiqui casting the translucent rubber 

skin in Austin. All formwork used in the casting was 

CNC-routed at the UT School of Architecture. 

“Bayou-luminescence,” an installation commissioned 

by the New Orleans chapter of the American Institute 

of Architects, is a collaboration between Igor Siddiqui, 

principal of ISSSStudio and assistant professor of interior 

design at the University of Texas at Austin, and Matt 

Hutchinson of San-Francisco-based firm PATH. 

The project came together onsite in less than four hours. 

Once installed, the public gave the work a whole other dimension, 

which was really exciting for the partners. “The 

anecdotal feedback was so valuable. I would say that for 

me, the biggest surprise was people’s need to figure out 

what the installation is. Is it a tent, a teepee, a lantern, or 

something else? We hope the work shifts the conversation 

away from what the piece means to how it feels to actually 

experience it in sensory terms, away from representation 

and toward affect,” Siddiqui explained. 

When asked about the environmentally responsible nature 

of the project, Siddiqui pointed out that the project 

is based on non-standard construction, which is about 

research into ways that the physical environment can 

be tailored to specific conditions, optimized in terms of 

performance and dealing with human responsiveness. All 

of these issues are related to environmental responsibility 

today and in the future. 

31

Teaching Highlights 

Auburn University students 

“LEED” the way 

Dr. Amanda Gale, Auburn University 

As interior design educators, we prepare our students for 

practice in a number of ways. As a Leadership in Energy 

and Environmental Design Accredited Professional 

(LEED AP), I believe that the most significant factors 

facing students entering the profession are environmentally 

responsible design and integrated design. For that 

reason, I incorporate environmental responsibility into 

all of the courses that I teach. 

Last year, I developed a three-credit elective course on 

sustainable practices and accreditation for the interior 

design program at Auburn University. Another way to 

give students a competitive edge in the job market, the 

course engages students through tours of LEED-certified 

buildings, guest lecturers who are actively involved in 

LEED registered projects, a hands-on service learning 

opportunity. Topics include rating systems, integrated 

project design, and strategies for water conservation, energy 

efficiency, site selection, indoor environmental quality, 

and material and resource acquisition. The course was 

also designed, in part, to prepare students for the LEED 

Green Associates (LEED GA) examination. 

In its first semester, 17 students enrolled in the course 

and there was a 94 percent pass rate among students for 

the LEED GA examination. This spring, there are 28 

students enrolled. Originally intended only for interior 

design majors, next year it will be offered to all interested 

students. The course has also been approved to count 

toward the university’s sustainability minor. 

“The course prepared me to talk intelligently about the 

role of sustainability in practice and in relation to the 

firm’s mission during the interview process,” reports Kaitlin 

Barton, a student intern with Nate Berkus Associates. 

Not just for those who want to pass the LEED GA exam, 

students are also actively engaged in service learning, collaborating 

with the city of Montgomery and the Home 

Builders Institute to deconstruct interior components 

of a detached single story residence. Salvaged materials 

were donated to Rescue Relics, a non-profit organization 

for resale. This experience emphasized the importance of 

interdisciplinary collaboration and integrated practice, 

an important part of the professional world. 

Participating in this course has been a great opportunity 

for students to give back to the community. “For me, 

sustainability is more than just an interest—it’s one of 

the foundations for my interior design education,” finds 

Hannah Yon. 

This course has become part of a larger sustainable initiative 

in our program, which can be seen in freshman-level 

through senior courses. 

For more information on eligibility requirements for the 

LEED Green Associates exam see http://www.gbci.org/ 

Exam-Guide/Eligibility/LEED-Green-Associate.aspx. 

32

Trash to treasure: Understanding sustainability 

through furniture design 

Amy Jacobson-Peters, University of Central Oklahoma 

Since 2006, the University of 

Central Oklahoma (UCO) has 

worked to become a green campus. 

In the past three years, the school 

won awards from the Environmental 

Protection Agency and other 

organizations for using wind power, 

bio-fuel production, and outstanding 

recycling efforts. These accomplishments 

set the university apart as 

a leader in green practices in a state 

that, as a whole, is not often at the 

forefront of new trends. 

According to the EPA, Oklahomans 

recycled just one percent of our trash 

in 2006, ranking last among other 

states in recycling efforts. 

The number of recyclable items 

found in classroom trashcans even 

when a recycling receptacle is placed 

directly outside the classroom door 

became a catalyst for a “Trash to 

Treasure” project for UCO interior 

design students. 

Part of a custom furniture design 

class students are required to take 

their sophomore year and inspired 

by a competition issued by the EnvironDesign 

Convention, the project 

requires students work in small 

groups and design a piece of furniture 

made of materials that would 

otherwise have gone in the trash. 

Students research their chosen 

material and develop their own 

designs following a traditional design 

process, beginning with concept 

sketches and simple sketch models 

to explore three-dimensional form. 

Once designs are fully developed, 

renderings and working construction 

drawings are produced. To better 

understand the materials, students 

explore and experiment with construction 

methods, then producing 

a final full-scale mock-up of 

their design. 

Each group functions as a “real” 

furniture design company so that as 

they develop their designs, students 

must consider their target market 

and make design decisions based on 

the target they choose. To help with 

marketing, each group collaborates 

with graphic design students to 

develop branded materials such as 

logos, hang tags, Web pages, or brochures 

that represent the their fictitious 

company. By considering their 

market, students learn more about 

reducing waste and saving valuable 

resources, thereby realizing that, as 

designers, they have real opportunities 

to protect the environment. 

Through inner- and intra-disciplinary 

collaboration, the “Trash to 

Treasure Project” has been a great 

success and has changed attitudes 

and opened minds about sustainability. 

The project has garnered attention 

through local newspaper articles 

and exhibits, emphasizing the 

importance of utilizing our precious 

resources in the most responsible 

manner possible. 

References: 

Williams, Laura. “United States Recycling 

Statistics,” retrieved July 7, 2011 

from http://greenliving.lovetoknow. 

com/United_States_Recycling_Statistics 

and http://www.uco.edu/administration/green/recycling/index. 

asp and http://www.uco.edu/administration/green/sustainability/index. 

asp, both retrieved April 18, 2012. 

33

Many bales: One building generates 

awareness in South Dakota 

D. Dean Isham, interior design program coordinator, 

East Tennessee State University 

34 

A 900 square-foot, freestanding 

straw bale building used as a multipurpose 

space with a 1,300 squarefoot 

“living roof,” believed to be the 

largest roof on a load-bearing straw 

bale structure in the U.S. can be 

found at the Children’s Gardening 

& Outdoor Classroom in Brookings, 

SD at McCrory Gardens. 

The Children’s Gardening & Outdoor 

Classroom is a service-learning 

project serving as a multi-purpose 

space where visitors learn about 

sustainable building practices. Its 

primary mission is to spark interest 

in sustainable design concepts in the 

upper midwest. 

As a focal point in the larger overall 

garden dedicated to sustainable 

design and gardening practices, the 

structure attracts a wide variety of 

visitors because of its unusual construction 

and living roof. Intrigued 

by this type of construction, visitor 

conversations quickly turn to other 

sustainable building methods, resulting 

in a greater learning opportunity 

about all types of sustainable issues. 

No matter their age or background, 

visitors share similar initial skepticism 

about straw bale construction. 

As they begin to understand the 

benefits, their facial expressions 

change and about three-quarters of 

the way through the presentation, 

looks of doubt change to acceptance 

and often excitement. Discussions 

are always lively, offering a perfect 

learning moment to discuss sustainable 

design. 

South Dakota State University 

(SDSU) interior design students 

constituted the vast majority of 

volunteers engaged in construction, 

from stacking bales, installing the living 

roof, and final trim work. Multi- 

ple funding sources included a small 

SDSU Seed Grant, matching funds 

from the College of Agriculture and 

Biology, and a larger grant from the 

College of Family and Consumer 

Sciences. The largest contributors 

were local building organizations 

and contractors. National interest 

was expressed in a grant from National 

Geographic magazine and the 

Lowe’s home improvement corporation. 

In total, about 20 different 

groups and individuals contributed 

to the successful completion of 

the project. 

The generosity of the donors and the 

energy of the volunteers attracted 

widespread attention from newspapers, 

television stations, and magazines 

who reported on the structure 

and its message of sustainable design 

(http://www.keloland.com/video 

archive/?VideoFile=083009eye). 

Valuable exposure from these media 

outlets spawned additional inquiries 

about sustainable design, interests 

in building straw homes from straw 

from the local Habit for Humanity 

Group, and untold visits to the gardens 

to see the structure in person. 

Engaging the public on all these 

levels invites a dialog larger than 

the project itself as the message of 

sustainability spreads throughout 

the region.

Alumni Relations 

Christina Hoehn 

2012-13 alumni relations editor 

Oklahoma State University 

A perspective on sustainable 

interior design through the eyes 

of a graduate student 

Tracy Scott Howard, University of Oklahoma 

As I embark on my second year of graduate studies in 

interior design at the University of Oklahoma, I believe 

I’ve found a thesis topic that could not be more relevant 

to sustainable environmental design. 

When a professor inquired what topic I would choose 

for my thesis, the first thought that came to my mind 

was that if I am going to pursue a career in this area, I 

need to know exactly what the roles and responsibilities 

of interior designers are in the sustainable environment. 

Through my course work, I learned about the availability 

of many research resources. As I considered my topic, 

however, I discovered little information regarding about 

the roles and responsibilities of interior designers. There 

were few credible guidance sources on LEED-accredited 

interior designers and many seemed to have contradictory 

information on their role in sustainable design. 

Many definitions about what sustainable design is and 

what it means to have a sustainable environmental 

design can be found. One can even find definitions of 

sustainable interior design but, from a holistic point of 

35

view, the literature seemed to focus more on groups like 

engineers, architects, consultants, and landscapers. 

What I found lacking in the precedent studies posted on 

the U.S. Green Building Council’s Web site for LEED 

accreditation was information about the actual impact of 

interior design. If interior designers are, indeed, part of a 

holistic approach to design, there is little information in 

studies about LEED-accredited facilities. I also discovered 

there are only 8,788 U.S. interior designers who are 

LEED-accredited according to the USGBC. Interior designers 

ranked fifth behind architects (50,462), construction 

manager (16,708), mechanical engineers (10,391), 

and project management (9,427) as LEED professionals. 

So, as graduate student in interior design, I’m now more 

aware of the importance of LEED testing and accreditation 

on my ability to contribute to the body of knowledge 

regarding our profession. More information about 

the impact of interior design professionals on sustainable 

outcomes is needed. Are interior designers valued as 

legitimate contributors in this area? In my opinion, no 

profession has a greater impact on client health, safety, 

and well-being. 

Upon completing literature reviews, I found few published 

articles about sustainable interior design projects. 

Plentiful studies on sustainable design projects were 

available, but few contained information about the role 

of interior designers. I also wondered how to discern 

whether sustainability was fully incorporated into the 

interior design profession. Information distributed by 

manufacturers is doesn’t offer many clues. Online sources 

such as the LEED rating system and the State of Minnesota 

Sustainable Building Guidelines are both great 

resources, but neither seemed to offer a complete scope 

of all the encompassing principles of sustainable design, 

which would include interior design. 

One 2011 survey targeted interior designers and architects 

who are members of both AIA and ASID, although 

the overall results showed that interior designers are 

unfamiliar with sustainable terms. One survey question 

had several statements and participants taking the survey 

were to select three that pertained to sustainability. Over 

70 percent of interior designers selected statements 

dealing with green design. More interesting was the fact 

that architects’ percentage was eight percent greater 

than designers’ answers. Another question concerned 

products that had either green specifications or sustainable 

specifications. Interior designers selected 59 percent 

of those specifications that were green but not sustainable. 

Other questions that I found interesting were the 

ones that linked the size of the projects with the interior 

designers. The larger the project, the more sustainable 

principles were followed although not documented. 

As a student who wants to specialize in sustainable 

environmental design, I believe a comprehensive guide 

for both professional and educational purposes would be 

extremely beneficial. 

As my preliminary research continues this summer, I 

have many ideas and even more questions. I started out 

with wanting to about the specific roles and responsibilities 

of an interior designer in sustainable environmental 

design. But the quest for overall guidelines may take 

the lead in my investigation. If interior designers do not 

have accurate guidelines to produce, guide, evaluate, and 

educate, what does that mean for our profession? Interior 

designers go through years of formal education, examination, 

and continuing education, but are we dropping 

the ball when it comes to the sustainable execution of 

our work? Let’s join forces, become LEED certified, and 

publish our findings on environmental interior design. If 

we do not promote our own work, who will? 

36

Industry & Professional Practice 

Michelle Belt 

2012-13 industry and professional 

practice editor 

Lawrence Tech 

ASID announces 

student design 

competition 

winners 


Designers (ASID) announces the 

winners of its 2011-12 student design 

competition. This year’s competition 

challenged students to look 

the year 2025 with design solutions 

that address the human, economic, 

and environmental needs of a 

future society. 

“This year’s entrants demonstrated 

a holistic approach to sustainable 

design that communicates a forwardthinking 

approach to creating 

healthy, vibrant, and aesthetically 

dynamic environments,” commented 

competition judge and USGBC 

faculty member Annette Stelmack, 

allied ASID, LEED AP. “Not only 

do these concepts deliver innovative 

models for sustainability, they showcase 

how built environments can 

serve as a teaching tool for the com- 

munity.” Along with Stelmack, the 

competition was judged by ASID 

President-Elect Barbara Marini, 

FASID, and Susan S. Szenasy, editorin-chief 

of Metropolis magazine. 

The winning entry received a $2,000 

cash prize and will be featured, along 

with the honorable mentions, at the 

ASID @ NeoCon booth during the 

NeoCon event from June 11-13, 

2012 in Chicago. 

Now in its ninth year, the annual 

competition is open to all ASID student 

members currently enrolled in 

accredited interior design programs. 

Full descriptions and concept 

drawings the winning entries and 

designers can be accessed at: http:// 

openarchitecturenetwork.org/ 

competitions/2012ASID. 

Winner: La Comunidad Office and 

Public Gathering Space 

Designer: Hannah Chessman, 

Student ASID, Virginia Tech 

The design for La Comunidad not 

only improves the welfare of the 

community but creates a vehicle for 

the discussion of sustainable design 

and its growing necessity in the 

design world. Because of its urban 

location, indoor air quality (IAQ), 

a connection to nature and general 

health of occupants, were key issues 

that this design attempted to address. 

From floral and vegetable gardens 

to grass-lined walkways and a 

45,000 square-foot park and garden 

area directly behind the building, 

increasing connections to nature and 

the community are a key element 

of the design. Substantial amounts 

of vegetation combat both poor 

IAQ and the negative psychological 

effects of urbanization. Employee 

and community health is improved, 

in part, through improved IAQ as 

well as walking and bike paths for 

exercise, creating an office design 

that encourages movement 

and collaboration. 

Honorable mentions: 

• 2025+ House, Chi T. Nguyen, 

Savannah College of Art and Design 

• Glimpse – Visualization 

Communication Center for the 

Blind and Seeing Impaired, Lauren 

Deffner, Ball State University 

• Envelop Women’s Boutique, 

Ashton Capps, Anderson University 

• Sustainable Advertising 

and Media Company, Jennifer 

Boyd, Virginia Tech 


Designers (ASID) is a community 

of people—designers, industry 

representatives, educators and 

students—committed to interior 

design. Through education, knowledge 

sharing, advocacy, community 

building and outreach, it strives to 

advance the interior design profession 

and, in the process, demonstrate 

and celebrate the power of design to 

positively change people’s lives. Its 

more than 30,000 members engage 

in a variety of professional programs 

and activities through a network of 

48 chapters throughout the U.S and 

Canada. Visit www.asid.org for 

more information. 

37

IIDA inducts two 

members into 

prestigious 

College of 

Fellows 

Margaret McCurry 

Peter Conant 

Peggy Noakes, FIIDA, chair of the International Interior Design Association 

(IIADA) College of Fellows announces two new have been inducted into 

the college. The new fellows are Peter Conant, FIIDA, AIA, LEED-AP, 

and Margaret McCurry, FIIDA, FAIA, ASID. Conant and McCurry will 

be recognized at the association’s annual meeting on June 10, 2012 at The 

Feinberg Theatre. 

Admission to the College of Fellows is the highest honor the association 

bestows upon professional members, recognizing those who have made 

extraordinary contributions to IIDA and the interior design profession. 

“We are honored to welcome these two incredible design leaders into the 

College of Fellows,” said Noakes. “They’ve demonstrated exceptional dedication 

to the field through their exemplary professionalism, high caliber of 

work, and distinguished achievements.” 

Exciting 

new student 

activities planned 

for IIDEX/NeoCon 

Canada 2012 

Bring your students and visit Canada’s National Design + Architecture 

Exposition and Conference, IIDEX/NeoCon Canada, September 20-21 

in Toronto. For the first time, The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada 

(RAIC) is co-presenting the show with an expanded focus on construction 

products, architecture, and technology. 

Planning is already well underway, with several new and returning student 

activity favorites. Don’t miss the interior design and architecture student 

charrette builds, student panel discussions, tours, awards programs and much 

more. Plan now to visit Toronto – this is one show you don’t want to miss! 

38

ASID’s Interior Design Billings Index 

slips slightly; overall outlook for 2012 

more optimistic 


Designers (ASID) Interior Design 

Billings Index ended 2011 slightly 

below positive territory at 49.4, 

continuing a decline in November 

(50.2) from October (51.4), when 

the index hit its highest point in 

the second half of the year. The 

Inquiries Index, however, stayed 

positive at 52.0 (compared to 53.8 in 

November), suggesting that interior 

design clients may be holding off on 

projects until the economy shows 

stronger signs of sustaining a recovery. 

The Interior Design Index fell 

behind the AIA Billings Index for 

the second month in a row; it stayed 

at 52, the same as for October. 

Index highlights include: 

• Declines across billing sectors: 

Firms of all specializations, with the 

exception of multi-family/senior 

housing, reported billing declines. A 

pattern of growth across all sectors 

was evident in the first half of 2011, 

a trend which reversed in the latter 

part of 2011. Regionally, firms in the 

midwest, south, and west reported 

gains in December, while the northeast 

showed a decline. The west 

region reported increased billings 

in ten of the past 12 months. The 

midwest and northeast were more 

inconsistent, reporting growth during 

the first six months and declines 

in the last six months. 

Sector index means: Tesidential 56 

[single 48, multi-housing 64]; commercial 

44, institutional 44 

• Product sales and hiring are up 

Despite the year-end dip, respondents 

reported substantial increases 

(ten percent or more) in product 

sales among a large number of 

categories compared to those of the 

previous quarter. Products related 

to home remodeling projects were 

especially strong. Four out of ten 

respondents (39 percent) expect 

prices to rise but by less than five 

percent. In the past three months, 

ten percent of firms report hiring at 

least one employee. Nine percent of 

respondents indicated that their firm 

will increase employment over the 

next three months. This is a positive 

improvement from the four percent 

that reported such intentions in 

the previous quarter. While overall 

survey results show an industry 

backslid at the end of 2011, firms 

with between two and nine employees 

finished 2011 on a strong note, 

posting an index of 60.2. 

Although the ASID Billings Index 

ended the quarter below 50, firms 

expect business conditions to be 

better in the future. In December, 

the ASID Business Outlook Index 

was 74.3, up from the prior quarter’s 

index of 56.4. 

“Economic growth is solid but not 

spectacular,” said Jack Kleinhenz, 

chief economist for ASID. “However, 

modest improvements in the 

broader economy, combined with 

the positive trend in inquiries could 

signal a more promising 2012.” 

39

CIDA 

accreditation 

decisions: 

April 2012 

The Council for Interior Design 

Accreditation (CIDA) congratulates 

these institutions on achieving initial 

accreditation: 

• Academy of Art University (Master 

of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture 

and Design) 

• Art Institute of California, 

San Diego (Bachelor of Science in 

Interior Design) 

• Mississippi College (Bachelor 

of Arts or Bachelor of Science in 


It also congratulates this institution 

on achieving candidacy status: 

• Sullivan College of Technology 

and Design (Bachelor of Arts in 


In addition, 11 programs were 

awarded reaccreditation. To view 

the decisions made by CIDA’s Accreditation 

Commission during their 

April 13-14, 2012 meeting, please 

visit the CIDA website. 

IDCEC launches 

first phase of 

new Web site 

The Interior Design Continuing 

Education Council (IDCEC), along 

with its core funding members 

ASID (American Society for Interior 

Designers), IDC (Interior Designers 

of Canada) and IIDA (International 

Interior Design Association) are 

pleased to announce the first of a 

two-phase launch for its new, online 

centralized continuing education 

registration and reporting Web site 

is complete. 

The new system supports each association’s 

efforts to provide quality, 

lifelong learning to more than 

35,000 interior design professionals 

across North America. 

Phase one enables professional learners 

to search all IDCEC-approved 

courses in one convenient location, a 

shift from the previous site. IDCEC 

lists more than 1,400 courses in its 

calendar and, once registered, users 

can search for offerings anywhere in 

North America. The levels and types 

of courses being offered are also now 

more easily identified. 

“For the first time, learners will 

be able to search and report ID- 

CEC and non-IDCEC credits and 

obtain an official transcript for their 

records,” says IDCEC’s executive 

director, Brynell D’Mello about the 

Council’s new website. 

Providers of continuing education 

will be the biggest beneficiaries of 

the phase one launch. IDCEC has 

streamlined the process by allowing 

providers to create an account and 

submit course materials for approval 

electronically. Approval times have 

been reduced to just three-to-four 

weeks and the new submission process 

is entirely green and paperless. 

In addition, providers can schedule 

their approved course anywhere in 

North America, report attendance 

and manage accounts quickly 

and easily through the system’s 

secured access. 

The second phase of the Web site 

project is expected to be complete in 

June 2012 and will give learners access 

to a continuing education registry 

where they can submit course reviews 

and obtain official transcripts 

for their professional development 

activities, allowing IDCEC to easily 

and accurately validate attendance 

and more easily track activity for 

compliance auditing purposes. 

40

Emerging Talent 

Lindy Huling 

2012-13 emerging talent editor 

Virginia Tech 

The Good Food Arena 

Salona Kassen, Greenside Design Center College of Design, 

Johannesburg, South Africa 

The Good Food Arena is a heritage 

building revitalized by the inclusion 

of a sustainable restaurant. It is 

broadly based on the surrounding 

Asian community and the concept 

of communal eating. 

The central concept is based on 

human interaction with food. Fresh 

produce is grown in an indoor vertical 

hydroponics system. The design 

recycles water and plant cuttings 

used in the system and around 

the restaurant. 

An oval hydroponics tower forms 

the shape of the mezzanine. The vegetation 

growth path is designed to 

move around the site so that it is visually 

available from anywhere in the 

space. This maximizes the amount 

of produce that can be grown. The 

double volume space allows for 

the provision of the incorporated 

mezzanine and balustrade design to 

communicate the idea of an arena. 

As an arena, the restaurant creates 

a space where food is the central 

focus. Vegetables harvested from the 

hydroponics are cooked at individual 

tables by the diners themselves. The 

interactive food preparation focuses 

attention on the process of cooking 

and interacting with people around 

you. Diners, in essence, become both 

spectators and active participants 

while the surrounding design exhibits 

food as a sustainable life choice. 

41

Bicycle-friendly restaurant 

Jackie Tan Kong Yew 

Environmental design (interior design) student, University 

of Tasmania School of Architecture & Design Studio 

coordinator, Jacqueline Power; program director, Kirsty Máté 

Stephanie Alexander is a renowned Australian chef and 

prominent promoter of fresh food and healthy eating, 

especially amongst schoolchildren. My idea was to 

design a bicycle-friendly restaurant that that encourages 

and promotes active, healthy, and playful lifestyles. The 

site is between two major bicycle trails in Home Point, 

Launceston, Tasmania. 

Provided in a simple portal-framed building, the restaurant 

includes a self-sufficient source of fresh produce 

from a local community garden tended by children in 

Alexander’s kitchen garden program. 

The restaurant, together with the community garden , 

also serves as a local fresh produce market with a bicycle 

“drive-through,” take-away dining, and a bicycle friendly 

dine-in experience. 

To properly demarcate pedestrian and cyclist routes, 

the bicycle paths are finished with recycled road signs 

throughout the restaurant (Picture 1). Upon reaching 

the entrance, patrons park their bicycles by slotting the 

front wheel into a timber-battened façade that springs up 

from a built-in table, automatically reserving the table for 

them (Picture 2). 

Sustainability considerations: 

• Promote cycling as an alternative, carbon-free form 

of transportation by encouraging diners to ride their 

bicycles into the restaurant 

• Utilize bicycle-related recycled materials, such as bicycle 

parts and seats, into various custom-made furniture 

pieces or interior fittings (Picture 3). Wheels and chains 

become hanging lighting fixtures, bicycle frames serve 

as table legs, and bicycle reflectors are arranged on an 

interior wall to add even more visual interest. 

• An existing levee wall is used as part of the restaurant 

seating (Picture 4). 

After-life considerations: The restaurant is a temporary 

structure lightly attached to an existing levee wall. 

Should the restaurant operators wish to move in the 

future, the exterior fabric can be removed and reconstructed 

elsewhere. The center concrete structure can 

serve as a rain shelter and playground extension to the 

nearby children’s’ playground and skate park. 

Diners may also ride upstairs to a mezzanine on a giant 

ramp that wraps around the center structure after placing 

their order. To add some fun in their dining experience, 

cyclers solve a sliding puzzle built into the tables to see 

the menu. They can also slide from the mezzanine to 

ground level on built-in slides. 

42

Picture 1 

Picture 2 

Picture 3 

Picture 4 

43

Emerging talent spotlight: Professional 

background of new instructor is a 

homerun for his students 

Brandon Jones, High Point University 

A visit to the Goodman Lumber Company, established 

in Salisbury, NC by two brothers in 1907, resulted in 

a project for my INT-3170-02 lighting design/color 

course. After my class toured the company’s millworks, 

current owner Franco Goodman expressed interest in a 

joint project that might take capitalize on the talent of 

young designers and new design tools to modernize his 

four-generation family business. 

My idea was to have junior-level students create a desk 

lamp for a final project after testing, then completing, 

lighting calculations and lighting and switching plans. 

Students used Goodman’s expertise in wood-working 

and his supply of hard-to-find reclaimed hardwoods, 

to consider new, unique ways of incorporating small 

amounts of wood into a compact design. The project required 

them to be innovative about the end form, meaning 

that it would be minimal in construction, energy 

use, and overall amount material but still be efficient and 

aesthetically pleasing. 

The lamp needed to be unassembled for flat-packing 

and shipping, made predominantly of wood, including 

reclaimed wood or wood products, and use low-energy, 

high-efficiency halogens or LED bulbs only. The lamp 

was approximately 7” x7” x 12” in size. The function 

was to provide reading and keyboarding light, keeping 

in mind that desk lamps typically are designed to emit 

light just in and around the range of the desk surface (no 

larger than a 4’ x 7’ area). The philosophy was to merge 

old methods of design and production with a tech-savvy, 

millennial sensibility. 

My background in sculpture, architecture, and interior 

product design has helped me communicate to students 

the importance of completing a design process. Design 

isnot just about drawing a pretty picture and making 

one idea happen; it is about growing from ideation to 

sketches to modeling to production. They were required 

to take notes and create sketches, quickly develop their 

work into digital 3D models, and make a full-scale 

foamcore model. During this process, I worked with 

students individually and addressed the class as whole. 

Helping them sketch in two dimensions while thinking 

about a three-dimensional outcome was key to their 

understanding how the final object would be designed 

and constructed. 

The opportunity to teach design after seven years in the 

professional world of architecture has been an eyeopener! 

I’ve shifted my career path and want to continue 

to teach. The interaction with students has been positive 

and, although my teaching skills are new and evolving, 

my background has enabled me to help inspire and 

encourage students in their work. 

Projects by Brandy Matthews 

and Emily Bell, High Point 

University 

44

Pittsburg State University seniors 

develop an environmentally 

sustainable retirement community 

as a service-learning project. 

Denise Bertoncino and Becky Gray, Pittsburg State University 

Seniors in Pittsburg State University’s 

residential studio course created 

comprehensive construction plans 

for Andel Village, an environmentally 

sustainable retirement community, 

and presented them to the Southeast 

Kansas Community Action 

Program (SEK-CAP) as a servicelearning 

project. 

SEK-CAP, a nonprofit agency dedicated 

to uniting people and creating 

opportunities since 1966, identified 

the need for a sustainable independent 

living community for seniors, 

with disaster-resistant, affordable 

homes, community buildings, and a 

food-producing garden. 

Students provided SEK-CAP with 

a shovel-ready, community development 

project complete with architectural 

drawings, three-dimensional 

model, computer-generated images, 

and bound research manuals, putting 

theories into practice, improving 

their community, and addressing 

critical and current issues. 

The proposed homes range in size 

from 900 to 1,200 square feet and 

reduce the carbon footprint of the 

overall community with a passive 

solar design, natural ventilation, 

landscaping, reflective surfaces, and 

thermo-mass materials. 

The community center is designed 

for not only the residents of the 

planned community but also by residents 

of the surrounding community. 

The sustainably designed building 

contains a living space designed for 

residents to host gatherings, a larger, 

less-private communal living area, 

two classrooms, and a commercialgrade 

kitchen, making the facility 

ideal for community events, educational 

opportunities, and congregate 

meals. A separate building is a senior 

day care, complete with a sleeping 

room, nurse station, and physical 

therapy equipment. 

The gardens not only provide fresh 

produce, but also opportunities for 

exercise and social interaction. Civic 

groups like Four-H Clubs, Future 

Farmers of America, and University 

Extensions can use the gardens, 

creating intergenerational interaction 

opportunities. 

Research was a primary component 

of the project. Students began with 

careful planning and analysis, creating 

a lifecycle assessment using the 

LEED definition of sustainability, 

which “begins at the inception of an 

idea and continues seamlessly until 

the project reaches the end of its life 

and its parts are recycled or reused.” 

Additionally, the following texts 

provided basis for discussion, clarification, 

and implementation of the 

project: Self Leadership and the 

One Minute Manager: Increasing 

Effectiveness through Situational 

Self Leadership; Animal, Vegetable, 

Miracle; Cradle to Cradle; and several 

books about passive solar energy. 

Students operated as a project management 

team, breaking the project 

down into components including 

residences of specific size, community 

center, daycare, and public spaces. 

They made informed group decisions 

for the good of the community, 

knowing the most economic, green/ 

sustainable, yet creative design solution 

would be successful for SEK- 

CAP and the potential residents. 

This collaboration fostered critical 

thinking and synthesis of information 

in each student and encouraged 

teamwork between the students and 

community professionals. It also 

showcases the quality work of PSU’s 

interior design program throughout 

the region. As SEK-CAP continues 

to present Andel Village and works 

to secure construction funding, they 

believe Andel Village could serve as a 

model for national replication. 

A project by Abbey Nelson, senior 

interior design student at PSU 

Photo by Becky Gray, Director of 

Research, Planning, and Grants 

Development at SEK-CAP 

45

Service 

Scott Williams 

2012-13 service 

activity editor 

Oklahoma State University 

Wounded Warriors 

Vibhavari Jani, Kansas State University 

Fort Riley, KS is home to a U.S. army base and the Irwin 

Army Community Hospital (IACH). Many wounded 

military personnel returning from tours of duty in Iraq 

and Afghanistan are treated in the IACH. 

Located near the base, Kansas State University Professor 

Vibhavari Jani and 14 interior architecture and product 

design graduate students decided to challenge their 

understanding of their rehabilitation needs. In a fall 2011 

service-learning studio, the graduate students developed 

innovative, research-based design solutions that could 

assist both psychological and physiological healing and 

patient reconnection with family, friends, and community 

members. 

Collaborating in teams, the students collected evidence 

of spatial, functional, psychological, and spiritual needs 

of patients, family members, and caregivers through 

interviews, literature reviews, and site visits of private and 

military rehabilitation centers. 

Their investigations revealed the impact of light, colors, 

and sounds on these wounded warriors’ mental states 

Balance Garden by Beth Dringenberg 

and the importance of meditation, art, aquatic, aroma, 

equestrian, physical, and other therapies to treat different 

symptoms and disorders. 

Based on their findings, each student prepared an 

evidence-based program and designed a prototype 

rehabilitation facility. They presented their work to Fort 

Riley’s commander in chief, chief of facilities operations, 

and medical staff. The projects were also displayed in 

the hospital’s patient care areas and recognized by local 

papers and television. 

The Manhattan Art Center located in Manhattan, KS 

dedicated a special show to the student work titled “Daring 

to Care for Wounded Warriors” in February 2012. 

46

TURF STUDIO: Design for 

Tomorrow’s URban Farming 

Rebecca Katkin, California College of the Arts 

In response to overwhelming student interest in courses 

that apply design education to problems of sustainability 

and social justice, senior interior design lecturer Rebecca 

Katkin developed a design studio at the California College 

of the Arts focusing on urban agriculture and the 

role of design in its implementation and growth. 

The project began with three core concepts: 1) our 

world’s population is growing and urbanizing rapidly, 2) 

our current food production systems are unsustainable, 

and 3) immense resources are wasted in the transport 

and refrigeration of food. 

signage, or plans for an outdoor kitchen. The first 

group also created an additional children’s tour of the 

farm that includes a scavenger hunt for frogs, worms, 

and native flora. 

Each group project is not only an in-class exercise, but 

also a tangible deliverable for the farm whose volunteers 

served as clients. 

The class investigated vacant and underutilized urban 

landscapes as significant emergent sites of local agricultural 

production that can provide healthy food to 

underserved urban communities. 

With the TURF Studio, a combination of an upper division 

interdisciplinary (atypical design discipline content) 

studio and the “Engage” community partnership (service 

learning) studio, Katkin was able to bring a diverse group 

of advanced design students into the community to learn 

about urban agriculture through hands-on practicum, to 

work with an expert in ecological horticulture, and to use 

their design skills to serve San Francisco’s largest working, 

not-for-profit, community farm, The Alemany Farm. 

After building compost, and cutting down cover crops 

with machetes, and learning about “organic” methods, 

students created a map of their individual experiences 

and understandings of the farm. This exercise evolved 

into one of three final group projects: development of a 

self-guided tour of the farm, interactive communicative 

47

IDEC initiative: 

Making A Difference 

(MAD) project 

Social Responsibility Network Chairs: 

Jeanne Ballard, Coordinator and 

Associate Professor, Appalachian 


Dak Kopec, Assistant Professor, 

Radford University 

Sarah Sherman, Assistant Professor, 

Florida International University 

Can interior 

design students 

use creativity to 

make daily existence 

better for 

their community? 

Inspired by Bryan Bell, founder 

of Design Corps, a non-profit 

organization dedicated to social 

improvement through design, the 

IDEC Make a Difference Project 

demonstrates how interior design 

can contribute to society’s well-being 

through support of health, safety and 

welfare issues. The MAD Project is 

sponsored by IDEC’s Social Responsibility 

Network with Jeanne Ballard, 

Dak Kopec, and Sarah Sherman 

serving as the current tri-chairs. 

The MAD project provides a 

framework for team work, problem 

identification, exposure to nonprofits, 

client interaction. According 

to Jeanne Ballard, the program’s 

mission has been reworked to 

emphasize service activity. Since the 

project’s inception in 2007, over 250 

projects from students of numerous 

institutions with IDEC affiliation 

have been submitted. 157 students 

submitted 57 projects in the MAD 

project’s fifth year representing over 

13 academic institutions. 

The concept is simple: 

• Interior design students find a 

real-life problem in the community 

(encourage them to get off campus) 

that could be made better through a 

design of some kind. 

• They create and install a small, 

meaningful design solution, either 

temporary or permanent. 

• The students then observe 

and record what happens when 

people encounter and use their 

environmental idea. 

The students should photo document 

and summarize their project 

using the MAD project template 

(see link below), and then submit 

it to: http://www.idec.org/events/ 

special_events.php. All projects submitted 

this year will be featured on 

the special events page of the IDEC 

website and will be exhibited at the 

IDEC 2013 Annual Conference. 

“While the MAD project has a long 

and successful tradition with IDEC, 

Sarah, Jeannie, and I have a commitment 

to take the MAD project to the 

next level so that we can show the 

interior design profession’s commitment 

to the most vulnerable portions 

of society as well assisting those with 

means, but without the knowledge 

. . . to enhance their quality of life,” 

relates Dak Kopec. 

A picture gallery of some past Make 

A Difference Project submittals is 

available at: http://www.idec.org/ 

events/MakeADifference2010.php 

For further MAD Project information, 

please go to: 

Project Template: http://www.idec. 

org/networks/SocialResponsibilityntwk.php 

Flyer: http://www.idec.org/events/ 

documents/MADFlyer2012.pdf 

Teaching Tips: http://www.idec. 

org/events/documents/MADTeachingTips2012.pdf 

48

50 

2012 IDEC Leadership 

Staff 

• Jeff Beachum, Executive 

Director, IDEC Office, 

jbeachum@idec.org 

• Rachael Daeger, Marketing 

and Membership 

Communications, IDEC 

Office, rdaeger@idec.org 

• Bethany Hensley, 

Membership & Meetings 

Assistant, IDEC Office, 

bhensley@idec.org 

Board of Directors 

• Lisa Tucker, President, 

Virginia Tech University, 

ltucker@vt.edu 

• Lisa Waxman, 

Past President, Florida 

State University, lwaxman@fsu.edu 

• John Martin-Rutherford, 

Harrington College 

of Design, jmartin-rutherford@interiordesign.edu 

• Migette Kaup, Secretary/Treasurer, 

Kansas 

State University, kaup@ 

ksu.edu 

• Cindy Mohr, Director 

(Teaching), University 

of North Texas, cynthia. 

mohr@unt.edu 

• Jacqui McFarland, 

Director, (Service), Mount 

Royal University, Jacqui. 

mcfarland@gmail.com 

• Doug Seidler, Director 

(Scholarship), Marymount 

University, dseidler@ 

marymount.edu 

• Susan Ray-Degges, 

Director (Regions), 

North Dakota State 

University, susan.ray-degges@ndsu.edu 

Regional Collaborative 

• Susan Ray-Degges, 

Board Liaison, 

North Dakota State University, 

susan.ray-degges@ 

ndsu.edu 

• Sandra Reicis (East 

Chair), Villa Maria College, 

reicis@villa.edu 

• Suining Ding (Midwest 

Chair), Indiana University-Purdue 

University, 

dings@ipfw.edu 

• Denise Homme, (Pacific 

West Chair), Design 

Institute of San Diego, 

DHomme@disd.edu 

• Ruth Beals, (South 

Chair), Converse College, 

ruth.beals@converse.edu 

• Ron Reed (Southwest 

Chair), Texas State 

University, Ron.reed@ 

txstate.edu 

Scholarship 

Collaborative 

• Helen Evans Warren, 

Collaborative Co-Coordinator, 

Mount Royal 

University, hevanswarren@mtroyal.ca 

• Jennifer Web, JID Chair, 

University of Arkansas, 

jwebb@uark.edu 

• Meg Portillo, JID 

Editor-in-Chief, 

University of Florida, 

mportillo@ufl.edu 

• Pam Evans, Proceedings 

Coordinator, Kent 

State University, pevans@ 

kent.edu 

• John Turpin, Abstract 

Review Coordinator, High 

Point University, jturpin@ 

highpoint.edu 

• John Humphries, 

Creative Scholarship 

Co-Coordinator, Miami 

University, humphrjm@ 

muohio.edu 

• Darrin Brooks, Creative 

Scholarship Co-Coordinator, 

Utah State University, 

Darrin.brooks@usu.edu 

• Doug Seidler, Director 

(Scholarship), Marymount 

University, dseidler@ 

marymount.edu 

Teaching Collaborative 

• Rachel Pike, Collaborative 

Coordinator, Wentworth 

Institute of Technology, 

piker@wit.edu 

• Barbara Anderson, 

IDEC Academy Chair, 

Kansas State University, 

Barbara@ksu.edu 

• Vacant Position, Innovative 

Teaching Resources 

• Stephanie Clemons, 

K-12 Task Force/ 

Network, Colorado State 

University, sclemons@ 

cahs.colostate.edu 

• Cindy Mohr, Director 

(Teaching), University 

of North Texas, cynthia. 

mohr@unt.edu 

Service Collaborative 

• Karen Clarke, Collaborative 

Coordinator, Suffolk 

University, kclarke@ 

suffolk.edu 

• Marty Hylton, Grants 

and Awards Committee 

Chair, University of 

Florida, mhylton@ufl.edu 

• Patrick Lucas, IDEC 

Historian, University of 

North Carolina-Greensboro, 

pllucas@uncg.edu 

• Jacqui McFarland, 

IDEC Board Liaison, 

Mount Royal 

University, Jacqui.mcfarland@gmail.com 

IDEC Academy 

• Barbara Anderson, 

Chair, Kansas State University, 

Barbara@ksu.edu 

• Connie Dyar, Administrator, 

Illinois State 

University, cgarberd@ 

ilstu.edu 

• Ron Reed, Member-at- 

Large, Texas State University, 

Ron.reed@txstate.edu 

• Linda Nussbaumer, ID- 

CEC Liaison, S. Dakota 

State University, Linda. 

Nussbaumer@sdstate.edu 

• Vacant Position, Teaching 

Resource Initiative 

• Carolyn Gibbs, Member-at-Large, 

California 

State University-Sacramento, 

carolyng@csus.edu 

• Stephanie Zollinger, 

Member-at-Large, University 

of Minnesota, 

szolling@umn.edu 

Journal of 

Interior Design Board 

• Jennifer Webb, Chair, 

University of Arkansas, 

jwebb@uark.edu

• Meg Portillo, Editorin-Chief, 

University of 

Florida, mportill@ufl.edu 

• Bridget May, Associate 

Editor, Marymount 

University, Bridget.may@ 

marymount.edu 

• Janetta McCoy, Associate 

Editor, Washington 

State University, janettamccoy@wsu.edu 

• Jane Kucko, Member, 

Texas Christian University, 

j.kucko@tcu.edu 

• Joan Dickinson, Member, 

Radford University, 

jidickins@radford.edu 

Communication 

Committee 

• Irina Solovyova, Chair, 

University of Texas, San 

Antonio, Irina.solovyoa@ 

utsa.edu 

• Seunghae Lee, Conference 

Communications 

Chair, Purdue University, 

Lee30@purdue.edu 

• Natalie Mendez, Social 

Networking Chair, Westwood 

College, nataliejmendez@gmail.com 

• Michael Dudek, Blog 

Master, Kansas State University, 

mdudek@ksu.edu 

• John Martin-Rutherford, 

Board Liaison, Harrington 

College of Design, 

jmartin-rutherford@ 

interiordesign.edu 

Newsletter 

Editorial Team 

• Jonathon Anderson, 

Editor-in-Chief, University 

of North Carolina- 

Greensboro, jrander6@ 

uncg.edu 

• Gregory Marinic, 

Research Activities Editor, 

University of Houston, 

arquipelagostudio@gmail. 

com 

• Michelle Belt, Industry 

& Professional Editor, 

Lawrence Technological 

University, mbelt@mtu. 

edu 

• Lindy Balls Huling, 

Emerging Talent Editor, 

Virginia Tech, lballs@ 

vt.edu 

• Robert Reid, International 

Editor, American 

University of Sharjah, 

rreid@ou.edu 

• Scott Williams, Service 

Editor, University of Oklahoma, 

sbw@ou.edu 

• Christina Hoehn, 

Alumni Relations Editor, 

University of Oklahoma, 

choehn@ou.edu 

• Virginia San Fratello, 

Collaboration Editor, 

San Jose State University, 

vasfsf@gmail.com 

Liaisons to 

External Organizations 

• Linda Nussbaumer, ID- 

CEC Liaison, S. Dakota 

State University, Linda. 

Nussbaumer@sdstate.edu 

• Caren Martin, Legislative 

Advisor to the Board, 

University of Minnesota, 

cmartin@umn.edu 

• Carl Matthews, Liaison 

to CIDA, University of 

Texas-Austin, carlmatthews1@mail.utexas.edu 

• Caren Martin, National 

Academy of Environmental 

Design, University of 

Minnesota, cmartin@ 

umn.edu 

Foundation Board 

• Ted Drab, President, 

Oklahoma State University, 

Theo.drab@okstate. 

edu 

• Tim Cozzens, Vice 

President, Columbia College, 

tcozzens@colum.edu 

• Chris Johnson, Treasurer, 

Georgia Southern 

University, Professor.cj@ 

gmail.com 

• Janine King, Secretary, 

Florida International University, 

jking@fiu.edu 

• Olga Kontzia, Member, 

Fairchild Books, olga_ 

kontzias@condenast.com 

• Lisa Waxman, IDEC 

Board Liaison, Florida 

State University, lwaxman@fsu.edu 

Fellows Chair 

• Jane Kucko, Texas Christian 

University, j.kucko@ 

tcu.edu 

Network Chairs 

• Architects Practicing/Education 

Interior 

Design(ers), Paul Black, 

Art Institute of Atlanta, 

pmblack@aii.edu 

• Continuing Education, 

Ron Reed, Texas State 

University, ron.reed@ 

txstate.edu 

• Program Chairs: Ronnie 

Whitman, Art Institute 

of California, rwhitman@aii.edu 

• 2 & 3 Year Programs: 

Diana Ingram, Johnson 

County Comm. College, 

dingham@jccc.edu 

• Emerging Technologies: 

Matt Dunn, Louisiana 

State University, 

Mdunn1@lsu.edu 

• Emerging Technologies: 

Chris Johnson, Georgia 

Southern, professor. 

cj@gmail.com 

• Lighting: Ruth Beals, 

Converse College, ruth. 

beals@converse.edu 

• K-12: Stephanie 

Clemons, Colorado State 

University, sclemons@ 

cahs.colostate.edu 

• Right to Practice: Marilyn 

Whitney, mwhitney@ 

scad.edu 

• International Member 

Assistance: Ryadi Adityavarman, 

SCAD, radityav@ 

scad.edu 

• Social Responsibility: 


International University, 

ssherman@fiu.edu 

• Social Responsibility: 

Dak Kopec, Radford 

University, DakKopec@ 

mac.com 

• Distance Learning: 

Susan Ray-Degges, 

N. Dakota State University, 

susan.ray-degges@ 

ndsu.edu 

• Emerging Faculty: 

Lindsay Tan, Auburn University, 

tan@auburn.edu 

• Diversity: Abi Asojo, 

University of Minnesota, 

aasojo@umn.edu 

• Multidisciplinary Collaboration: 

Hepi Wachter, 

University of Oklahoma, 

hepw@ou.edu 

• Research & Scholarly 

Activity: Tiiu Poldman, 

University of Montreal, 

Tiiu.poldma@umontreal. 

ca 

51

Have an article or news for the next IDEC Exchange? 

Send submissions to newsletter@idec.org 

ADVANCING EDUCATION, 

SCHOLARSHIP AND SERVICE 

INTERIOR DESIGN 

EDUCATORS COUNCIL 

9100 Purdue Road, 

suite 200 

Indianapolis, IN 46268 

Ph 317.328.4437 

Fax 317.280.8527 

www.idec.org 

“Larger-than-Life” is a permanent exhibit at the Greensboro Children’s Museum. Designed 

and built by students in the University of North Carolina Greensboro’s interior 

architecture program under the guidance of assistant professor Jonathon Anderson.

IDEC Exchange - Interior Design Educators Council

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