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NCIDQ Board Approves New Definition of Interior Design

Definition assists U.S. jurisdictions and Canadian provinces.

Peter Halsey Sherwood -- Interior Design, 9/14/2004 12:00:00 AM

The Board of Directors of the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) has approved a new definition of interior design. The definition will assist U.S. jurisdictions and Canadian provinces in regulating the practice and protecting the health, life safety and welfare of the public, while simultaneously helping the public and allied design professionals more clearly understand today’s interior design practice.

The profession of interior design has grown as technology and the environment have evolved. A new definition was needed to better reflect the changes taking place in the profession. A task force of interior designers from the United States and Canada developed the new definition and presented it for review and comment by all NCIDQ member boards and members of the major interior design organizations and associations.

“As the practice of interior design becomes more complex, it’s essential to have a common definition that the public, legislators and other design professionals can use when understanding what interior designers may do in the course of their practice,” says Derrell Parker, NCIDQ President. “We will incorporate this language into our model legislative documents, and we encourage jurisdictions to review these documents to see how they align.”

The complete definition, as approved by the NCIDQ Board, is below, and the NCIDQ exam application may be found at www.ncidq.org.

NCIDQ DEFINITION OF INTERIOR DESIGN

Interior design is a multi-faceted profession in which creative and technical solutions are applied within a structure to achieve a built interior environment. These solutions are functional, enhance the quality of life and culture of the occupants, and are aesthetically attractive. Designs are created in response to and coordinated with the building shell, and acknowledge the physical location and social context of the project. Designs must adhere to code and regulatory requirements, and encourage the principles of environmental sustainability. The interior design process follows a systematic and coordinated methodology, including research, analysis and integration of knowledge into the creative process, whereby the needs and resources of the client are satisfied to produce an interior space that fulfills the project goals. Interior design includes a scope of services performed by a professional design practitioner, qualified by means of education, experience, and examination, to protect and enhance the health, life safety and welfare of the public. These services may include any or all of the following tasks:

Research and analysis of the client's goals and requirements; and development of documents, drawings and diagrams that outline those needs;
Formulation of preliminary space plans and two and three dimensional design concept studies and sketches that integrate the client's program needs and are based on knowledge of the principles of interior design and theories of human behavior;
Confirmation that preliminary space plans and design concepts are safe, functional, aesthetically appropriate, and meet all public health, life safety and welfare requirements, including code, accessibility, environmental, and sustainability guidelines;
Selection of colors, materials and finishes to appropriately convey the design concept, and to meet socio-psychological, functional, maintenance, life-cycle performance, environmental, and safety requirements;
Selection and specification of furniture, fixtures, equipment and millwork, including layout drawings and detailed product description; and provision of contract documentation to facilitate pricing, procurement and installation of furniture;
Provision of project management services, including preparation of project budgets and schedules;
Preparation of construction documents, consisting of plans, elevations, details and specifications, to illustrate non-structural and/or non-seismic partition layouts; power and communications locations; reflected ceiling plans and lighting designs; materials and finishes; and furniture layouts;
Preparation of construction documents to adhere to regional building and fire codes, municipal codes, and any other jurisdictional statutes, regulations and guidelines applicable to the interior space;
Coordination and collaboration with other allied design professionals who may be retained to provide consulting services, including but not limited to architects; structural, mechanical and electrical engineers, and various specialty consultants;
Confirmation that construction documents for non-structural and/or non-seismic construction are signed and sealed by the responsible interior designer, as applicable to jurisdictional requirements for filing with code enforcement officials;
Administration of contract documents, bids and negotiations as the client's agent;
Observation and reporting on the implementation of projects while in progress and upon completion, as a representative of and on behalf of the client; and conducting post-occupancy evaluation reports.