A recent publication of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) contains statements that are critical of architects and questions the ability of architects to provide quality interior work. Among other things, the ASID publication The Interior Design Profession, Facts and Figures claims that the call for interior design regulation originated because architects lacked the training to provide adequate interior design services, objects to the use of the term “interior architecture,” and says that interior designers must “take hold of our legislative future and define our profession and professional standards in our own terms…We must identify what standards suit our profession regardless of what other allied professions try to dictate.”

Regarding the historical emergence of the interior design profession, the publication says that “health and safety concerns, such as injury prevention and indoor air quality, along with human rights issues related to age and accessibility, reinforced by increased federal regulation via the ADA and OSHA, were creating a demand for professionals trained in ergonomics, universal design, and related areas. As the needed services and expertise were not typically addressed as part [of] the architectural curriculum, interior designers rushed in to fill the void and developed a measurable scope of services.”

The publication also articulates objections to the term “interior architecture” as an attempt to “[blur] the line between the scope of services appropriate to the architect and those appropriate to the designer.” The author further writes “the use of the term ‘interior architecture' implies a hierarchy within the professions and creates a misleading perception of the role of interiors and interior designers within the built environment.”

Copies of the document are available for purchase by non-ASID members for $25. More information is available on the ASID Web site at http://www.asid.org.

Comment: AIA has a public policy that outlines specific elements for interior design regulation that were agreed to in the late 1980s by the AIA and national interior design organizations, including the ASID. The ASID and other interior design organizations no longer abide by these provisions. For more information, contact the AIA Government Advocacy Team at 202-626-7507 or govaffs@aia.org.