20 Years of Interiors
Aug 1, 2010 12:00 PM
We asked design professionals featured in this issue a few questions about how interior design has changed over the past 20 years—and what the future holds.
Gallo Herbert Lebolo: Diana Herbert, LEED AP Director of Interior Design
What are the biggest changes in educational interiors over the past 20 years?
The most significant change over the past 20 years in educational interiors is that the target user has changed. The spaces created for students today must reflect their vision of the world, their insistence on sustainability and the changes on how student study and interact. Previously educational interiors focused more on functional aspects while design took a secondary role. Today these spaces are expected to stimulate the senses of this new breed of students through dramatic spaces, bold design and technical innovation.
What do you see as the future of the interior education space in the next few years?
I see the future of the interior educational design as being more interactive and having the ability to adapt to the student users needs. The use of technology will play a major role in how these interior spaces will be used and experienced. With the rate technology advancement spaces will need to be designed with these advancements in mind and will need to be programmed to be able to adapt as new technologies are achieved.
How has the emergence of green/sustainability changed the interior space, and how will it continue to affect the way interiors are designed?
The emergence of green/sustainability design and construction has helped to shape both the interior special environment as well as perception of the educational institution as a whole. Students today not only expect but demand these sustainable aspects within schools and to some extent base their enrollment decisions upon an institutions commitment to sustainability. These aspects should be defined and taken advantage of within the design of new interior spaces by showcasing proper sustainable design and construction. The design intent will become an opportunity for further educating these and future students about the importance of the environment. Furthermore with the increased use of sustainable design professionals are becoming more cognoscente of the importance of material selections both from a sustainability point of view and from a healthy living environment point of view.
- Return to the 2010 Educational Interiors Showcase 20 Years of Interiors main page to view more responses.
