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INTRODUCTION
Sustainability has become a very common concept in the modern world. In every sector of the economy, people and even the government are advocating for people to ensure sustainable development. Initially, sustainability was associated with the green concept and the concept of recycling. They thought that sustainability would be brought about by recycling the materials used other than throwing them away or releasing waste into the waterways. However, this is not true. Sustainability is all about improvement in the quality of life, well-being, and health while ensuring that the resources are used in a manner that they will be available even for future generations. The purpose of this write-up is to analyze research on sustainable design practices in the interior design’s field.
BODY
Environmentally sustainable interior design helps to minimize negative impacts on both the occupant and the environment while increasing the positive impacts. It is defined in terms of three dimensions which are interior materials, indoor environmental quality, and global sustainable interior design. Let us consider the material section which is an important aspect of ensuring environmental sustainability of interior design practices. Usually, materials needed for interior designs of different places are different. The materials are suited for the kind of place as well as the use of the facility. For instance, the materials used for interior designing of shopping malls are different from those used in hospitals or schools. The most important thing to do is to ensure that the materials are used to their maximum potential. It should also be ensured that the material selected will last long to reduce instances of often use of more resources to replace the old or worn-out ones.
It is important to check the kind of material being used for interior design to ensure that they are sustainable. The best materials, to be selected are ones with recycling possibilities. Once used, there should be the possibility to reuse these materials. For instance, the waste that results from construction may be used for another purpose. It may also be collected, separated, and then remanufactured to function as it originally was. Doing so ensures no product goes to waste. In the process of producing building materials, energy is consumed. The more the energy consumed, the more the pollution released to the environment through fumes or other waste products. Interior designers should thus aim to use natural materials such as timber and stone as less energy is consumed in their production and thus less pollution. Materials such as timber are also in plenty, and they supply can be increased by planting more trees. Such material should be considered other than using materials which once can be easily depleted.
A carbon footprint is another aspect that is important to consider in the case of ensuring sustainable development. To calculate the carbon footprint of materials, their entire life cycle should be considered. It includes where and how the product is produced, how it is used, how long it lasts, as well as how it is disposed of. An important factor to consider while dealing with the carbon footprint is the emission of toxic gases. Designers should ensure that they use products that emit a low level of toxic gases into the environment. Among the common environmental toxic gases is carbon dioxide.
Research that was conducted among American Society Interior Designers regarding their view on environmental sustainable interior design practices. For the study, a random sample was drawn from these members to represent the rest as they were too many to participate in the test. Among the three factors of environmental sustainability in interior design, the designers were requested to rate three dimensions. They were to rate the frequency of application of the sustainable practices, importance of the application of the practices to the designer, and the importance of the sustainable practices to the designer. The respondents were to be honest and provide the true answers to the analysis to avoid providing information that was misleading (Kang & Guerin, 2009).
According to the outcome of the survey, all the designers were aware of the importance and the need to use environmentally sustainable interior design practices. They were also aware that they needed to apply the sustainable practices in their job. However, the results were shocking when it came to the application part. According to the findings, despite the fact that the respondents were aware of the need to use practices in interior design that were environmentally sustainable, they did not apply what they knew. Most of them indicated that they did not apply the practices they knew were important (Kang & Guerin, 2009).
Another finding was that most companies which the interior designers either worked for or worked with found those practices to be important. They advised their designers to employ the environmentally sustainable interior design practices as they were necessary for the maintenance of the environment. The practices were also important to ensure that the natural resources which were used in the process of construction were used in a sustainable manner. Doing so would ensure that the people could use the resources to fully satisfy their needs today without compromising their availability to the future generations. The research also indicated that the designers found the need to employ the environmentally sustainable interior design practices important. They believed that they ought to employ these practices in their day to day work. For instance, they found it important to use sustainable materials (Kang & Guerin, 2009).
CONCLUSION
Despite the fact that interior designers are aware of the need to engage in environmentally sustainable interior design practices, their level of application does not reflect the said importance. Most of the designers acknowledged that the practice is important, yet they do not practice it. The use of materials in interior design which are sustainable was even rated lower in comparison to other factor of sustainability, such as the comfort of the human beings and indoor air quality. However, most designers considered the reduced material sustainability characteristics, but mainly because it led to reduction of input other than because it was a sustainable practice. In output management, the designers considered waste disposal and reduction, which is a sustainable practice. They also considered using materials which were durable as compared to those which were not. It was a sustainable practice as it allowed the use of materials just once over a long time other than keeping on using more materials to replace the old or worn-out.
References
Australian Center for Craft and Design. (2013). Sustainable Design. Concepts And Practices.
Ayalp, N. (2014). Enviromental Sustainability In Interior Design Elements. Environmental and Geological Sciences, 163-167.
Kang, M., & Guerin, D. (2009). The State of Environmentally Sustainable Interior Design Practice. American Journal of Environmental Sciences 5 (2), 179-186. Retrieved from http://thescipub.com/PDF/ajessp.2009.179.1 on March 7 2016
