On behalf of the membership of the Virginia Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (VAASLA), I offer the following as an indication of VAASLA’s strong support for the continued certification of Interior Designers. While our professions certainly have their differences in “where” we practice much of our work, we are allied design professionals frequently working and collaborating with each other on multidisciplinary design teams. Through these many and varied relationships, Landscape Architects have learned the value, skills, and expertise Certified Interior Designers bring to building design teams.
Certified Interior Designers not only assist architects and building designers with the visual appearance of buildings, but they frequently lead design conversations on how a building is technically designed and constructed. Often, it is Certified Interior Designers who lend their experience and expertise, regularly leading to more aesthetically pleasing buildings, in addition to buildings that operate at high capacity. Certified Interior Designers regularly use their knowledge to make spaces more functional, systems more efficient (e.g. plumbing, mechanical, electrical, etc.), and coordinate elements such as compliance with building codes and the Americans with Disability Act accessibility requirements. Due to their education and deep understanding of building function and design, Certified Interior Designers work seamlessly with architects and engineers. They use a common language while working through critical design decisions demonstrating their expertise in building systems. In short, their knowledge goes far beyond what many people may think: color and material selections and furniture layout are merely the tip of a very large iceberg.
In addition to the aforementioned points, there are other equally valid reasons as to why Interior Designers should continue to be certified. For example, if voluntary certification is eliminated, Interior Designers may no longer be able to hold leadership positions such as officers, directors, or managers of multidisciplinary firms. Furthermore, Requests for Proposals and Requests for Qualifications issued by Commonwealth and federal agencies typically require an Interior Designer to hold certification. Eliminating the certification of Interior Designers would eliminate these state and federal opportunities for Interior Designers. This would be an avoidable and unnecessary travesty to the many Interior Designers who were educated at Virginia colleges and universities and currently practice in Virginia.
In conclusion, there is no comparing the skills of a Certified Interior Designer with other professions, such as an interior decorator, and often, other licensed design professionals. It is vitally important to the protection of the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the Commonwealth to continue to offer a program of voluntary certification of Interior Designers. VAASLA views the elimination of voluntary certification to be poor public policy and urges the Board of Professional and Occupational Regulation to recommend the continued certification of Interior Designers.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Jason Thomas, PLA, ASLA
President
Virginia Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects
5101 Monument Avenue
Richmond, Virginia 23230