Capitol Day: A Student's Perspective

Before attending Capitol Day with IDC-Oregon, I didn’t know what to expect. More importantly, I could never have comprehended the impact this event would have on me. Perhaps this is because I am a new Interior Design student, and just learning about the profession, nonetheless the surrounding legislation.

I first heard of IDC-Oregon when my university was going through the process of becoming reaccredited. We met with members of the board, and was appalled to discover that commercial Interior Designers need no license to practice in Oregon. As a student among many who are dedicated to learning the profession, I was worried what this would mean for my career. More importantly, I became overwhelmingly worried about the protection and welfare of Oregonians. From then on, I became committed to IDC-Oregon.

Before Capitol Day, I researched and prepared myself so I could become acquainted with a few concepts:

• IDC-Oregon is an organization of professionals, students, and educators dedicated to enact licensure for commercial Interior Designers
• IDC-Oregon is committed to protecting and promoting the health, safety, and welfare of Oregonians by being dedicated to enact licensure that will hold commercial Interior Designers accountable.
• Commercial Interior Design licensure would eliminate exclusivity among Oregon building professionals by establishing equitable licensure.

Attending Capitol Day was exciting and new territory for me. When meeting with legislators, I mainly listened to other IDC members and their professional experiences. I realized it was just as important to attend Capitol Day to meet with legislators as it was to meet fellow IDC members.

As the day came to a close, I realized how much more I learned about the Interior Design profession and goals of IDC-Oregon:

• Commercial Interior Designers have an incredible broad scope of work that includes approximately 90% of the interior of a building; including space planning, egresses and exits, while extensively abiding by fire, building, and ADA code.
• Commercial Interior Designers have a great and significant responsibility to the public. After investigation of fires and other building disasters, many injuries and deaths have resulted from improper designs, finishes, and fixtures by Interior Designers that were not knowledgeable of fire, building, or ADA code. This is a tragedy that cannot continue. For any designer or building professional, it is our greatest duty to protect and serve all who enter commercial Oregon spaces.
• Oregon will continue to commit to a greener future by utilizing licensed Interior Designers who are trained in sustainable, energy-efficient practices.

This is an exciting time for commercial Interior Designers. I encourage anyone and everyone to become involved with IDC. Licensure for commercial Interior Designers is a promise to ourselves and Oregonians that there is a future of sustainable spaces which protect the health and safety of our citizens, and are designed by a team of equitably licensed professionals.

My name is Molly McDonald and I support IDC-Oregon for the future of Interior Design licensing.

Membership: IT'S FREE!

IDC-Oregon is excited to announce a change in membership pricing: FREE, LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP! Join us and sign up now!

Annual membership dues are no longer required. Though membership is without charge, we highly encourage you to sign up for recurring donations to support the ongoing effort to pass commercial interior design licensing for the Oregon profession.

Existing Members:
As a result of this change, you may have received an email from PayPal about your recurring payment cancellation. Your membership has not been cancelled, only your annual membership dues. If you have further concerns about your PayPal account, contact PayPal Customer Support toll-free at 1-888-221-1161.

Please contact info@idc-oregon.org if you have any questions regarding the membership fee update.

Summer Splash Annual Member's Meeting

Kick-off summer with IDC-Oregon!
Register: http://idcsummersplash.eventbrite.com

Building Safety Month: Energy & Green Building

Week 4: Energy & Green Building Safety

Americans typically spend 90% of their time indoors and indoor air quality on average is 9x worse than outdoor air quality. Every interior design project, whether it involves space planning and construction or new carpet, furniture and a fresh coat of paint, may affect the health of building occupants.

A Qualified Interior Designer…

• Creates design solutions that offer occupants access to day light and views, impacting comfort and increased productivity.
• Specifies and evaluates products that are compliant with US EPA air quality standards that limit formaldehyde or other unhealthy volatile organic compounds (VOCs) often found in carpet, wall covering adhesives, cabinet construction and othe building materials.
• Understands a building's environmental control system as it relates to the health and welfare of the occupants and ensures good indoor air quality by referencing guidelines such as the SMACNA IAQ Guidelines for Occupied Buildings Under Construction.

Support registration of Interior Designers to ensure consumer safety. Work with a Registered Interior Designer to go green, save energy, and improve your indoor environmental quality.

Spring Fling Mixer & Annual Fundraiser

Join in on the fun! Celebrate spring and help raise money for our lobbying efforts.

RSVP: http://idcfundraiser.eventbrite.com

Building Safety Month: Backyard & Pool Safety

As the weather heats up, IDC-Oregon encourages you to stay safe in your backyard this summer.

Week 3: Backyard & Pool Safety

Every year, accidents take place in unsafe backyards, accounting for 350 children under five years old drowning in swimming pools, 800 reported injuries and more than 20 deaths resulting from deck collapses (according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission). While everyone needs to be aware of the potential dangers of barbeques and grills, lawn equipment and toys, homeowners can trust a qualified interior designer to design safe outdoor spaces for their enjoyment.

A qualified interior designer…

• Evaluates the site and existing conditions to design a deck that maximizes views, minimizes negative environmental conditions, complements the architecture, and specifies slip-resistant, durable, weather-resistant, and sustainable materials.
• Provides efficient and effective space planning to support the desired functions of the outdoor space while improving the connection between interior and exterior spaces.
• Ensures that all users, including children and the elderly, can safely navigate the deck by integrating code requirements, designing railings that minimize falling and stairs with wide treads and comfortable risers, and specifying flooring surfaces that prevent tripping.

Photo credit: Lovinger Robertson Landscape Architects of Eugene, OR

Building Safety Month: Disaster Safety and Mitigation

It was a big week for building safety across the nation. President Barack Obmama signed a proclamation last week declaring May as Building Safety Month. "Robust codes and standards for our buildings play an important role in keeping us safe," the President states in the proclamation. Read the article here.

Week 2: Disaster Safety and Mitigation

Hurricanes and tornadoes, wildfires and floods, oh my! With extremes of heat and cold increasing in intensity and frequency, the demand for a better house is on the rise that limits the destructive effects of natural disasters while keeping occupants safe and comfortable. When designing for both disaster mitigation and energy efficiency, some measures can work on two levels; protecting the building and its occupants while also increasing energy efficiency. Find out more about disaster preparedness and safety at the ICC Building Safety Month website. (Adapted from Home Energy)

A Qualified Interior Designer…

• Specifies fire code compliant finishes to prevent flames and smoke from spreading.
• Creates design solutions in building or retrofitting areas of refuge to ensure the highest level of occupant protection in the likelihood of severe weather.
• Assists occupants with safety by developing a space planning design for an evacuation strategy in exiting a building when such circumstances arise.

Building Safety Month: Fire Safety and Awareness

This week kicks off Building Safety Month 2013! Stay tuned for the next week's blog on Disaster Safety and Mitigation.

Week 1: Fire Safety and Awareness

Fire protection is more than judicious space planning for safe escape routes through egress, signage, and emergency lighting building code requirements. The U.S. Fire Administration's National Fire Incident Reporting System reports that smoke and carbon monoxide are two equally important life safety risks. Inhalation of toxic smoke kills more people in building fires than structural collapse or heat and high levels of carbon monoxide can cause fatal poisoning within minutes.

A Qualified Interior Designer…

• Provides code knowledge of the Oregon Fire Code 2010 for correct placement of key fire detection and signaling devices for emergency control functions such as elevator recall.
• Limits highly combustible and toxic smoke sources found in some finishes and upholstery by specifying materials evaluated by ASTM E-84 Class A, B, and C flame spread ratings.
• Designs public spaces with smoke confinements, safe egress, fire code compliant interior building materials, suppression and exhaust systems that work together limiting smoke and flame movement so occupants can exit the building safely.

Support registration of Interior Designers to ensure consumer safety. Work with a Registered Interior Designer to prevent injuries and protect property values through your designed spaces.

Success in Salem: Capitol Day 2013

Capitol Day 2013 was an enormous success! This year’s efforts were effective and focused, helping to move toward our goal of obtaining commercial interior design licensing.

On February 22nd, a group of over 20 professionals, students, and educators met with a number of legislators to state their case and gather information from legislators about any concerns or ideas on moving the effort forward. Many legislators voiced support, others requested additional information regarding fiscal and economic impacts and where interested in the changes to the bill from years past.

IDC-Oregon President, Ingrid Hoffman, said the day was about building relationships with legislators, garnering support, listening to concerns, and using the information to inform the next revision of the bill for the 2014 session. Attendees reported that legislators understand the difference between interior designers and decorators, noting the technical nature of commercial interior design work. Student attendees were pleased to be part of the legislative process. One Marylhurst student said, “I was so happy that legislators were so gracious, willing and open in talking to us about this important movement.”

Capitol Day attendees took time to write letters to their legislators urging supporting and retelling their personal stories about their connection with interior design licensing. Other designers proudly held up signs around the Capitol proclaiming, "I am an Interior Designer" and explaining their passion for the profession.

Senator Shields, Chair of the General Government, Consumer and Small Business Protection Committee, stated, “I was really happy to give the interior design community a hearing in the 2012 session and would encourage all the members of the community to meet with their own representatives and senators to make the case for the bill in 2013.” Senator Shields is supportive and hoping the legislature can come to agreement to move the idea forward.

We're taking our Capitol Day momentum and hitting the ground running. We can't wait to see what the 2014 legislative session holds.

Check out more photos on our Facebook page!

Thank you contributing bloggers and IDC members: Sermin Yesilada, Linda Coffeen & Ashley Nored

Exculsive Tour of Vestas Wind Systems & Gerding Edlen Offices

Experience the LEED Platinum Meier & Frank Delivery Depot and learn about Vestas' wind turbines!

Register @ http://vestastour.eventbrite.com

Revit Workshop in May

Join us and learn the basics of Revit!

Register at: http://revitworkshop-eorg.eventbrite.com/

Presidents, Past and Future

IDC-Oregon is excited to welcome our new interim President, Ingrid Hoffman. Thank you, Alicia, for the past two years of hard work, dedication and success!

President's Message, Ingrid Hoffman

I am honored to be serving as the new interim IDC-Oregon President. The collaborative’s legislative cause is particularly important to me as a sole proprietor of an interior design practice. Commercial interior design is a continually emerging profession and professional registration legislation is an important step toward true professional recognition. My goals as IDC-Oregon president are to better represent and support Oregon Interior Design professionals, to help educate the public regarding the importance of the work we do, and to achieve registration for the many qualified design professionals working in the state of Oregon.

Past President's Message, Alicia Snyder-Carlson

Thank you IDC-Oregon members for allowing me to serve as IDC-Oregon’s President over the past two years. It has been an extremely rewarding experience and I am proud to be part of such a fantastic organization and interior design community. We’ve made great strides at the legislature, learned valuable lessons, and gained a ton of momentum to lead us into future legislative session. Although I have fulfilled my tenure as President, I will remain on the board as an active participant. I have joined the ASID Oregon Board and currently serve as an ASID Liaison to the IDC-Oregon Board. I’m very excited to have Ingrid Hoffman join the board as interim President and looking forward to see what we will accomplish in the next two years.

ASID Legislative Symposium 2013 Recap

This past February, National and State leaders from ASID, IIDA, and various State Coalitions from all across the country came together for the 2013 ASID National Legislative Symposium in Dallas, Texas. The Symposium helps participants effectively communicate with legislators and enhance their State legislative efforts on behalf of the Interior Design profession. As leaders on National and State efforts, participants of the symposium are honored to represent the voice of the profession to ensure Interior Designers are acknowledged in the building industry for our work in a code based environment.    

IDC-Oregon was able to have two participants in attendance, Interim President, Ingrid Hoffman, and Past President, Alicia Snyder-Carlson.  Among the informative sessions, Ingrid and Alicia, had the opportunity to meet with Texas legislators that support the interior design profession, gained strategies on how to enhance our fundraising efforts, obtained the latest updates from the current NCIDQ President and President-elect, and practiced our advocacy skills in several active learning sessions.

In addition to those valuable lessons, the two biggest takeaways were: 1) to try to build bridges with our opposition and, 2) similar to past years, we all need to build better relationships with our legislators. 

1) Build bridges with our opposition 
In order to be successful at the legislature, we need to find ways to communicate better with opposition groups and demonstrate that design legislation does not pose a threat to professionals within our profession or other building professions. One approach is to “build bridges” on like-topics and provide economic impact data.  For example, there are just over 500 Interior Designers in Oregon and about 300 of those Designers work in Architecture firms.  IDC-Oregon will be looking into bills that AIA Oregon might be supporting to see if we can also support their cause, thereby building a positive relationship on a legislative level and potentially creating a bridge to draw them over to support Interior Design Licensing.

2) Build better relationships with our legislators 
To achieve further success, one way we can support other legislative efforts is by talking to our legislators. IDC-Oregon’s Capitol Day was at the end of February and a huge success.  Practicing professionals, students, and professors were in attendance and had the opportunity to meet with their legislators. While some members had some initial nervousness, many participants expressed their surprise at the enthusiasm of the legislators to meet with us.  Most legislators are just like us, meaning they have day jobs, community responsibilities, and legislative duties but they love hearing what’s important to you.  As Designers and voting constituents, we have a civil duty to communicate to our legislators why interior design legislation is important to us or they simply won’t know.

The 2013 ASID National Legislative Symposium not only provided information imperative to our efforts but helped inspire new ideas and reminded us of the passion we have to see this process all the way through.  A bill typically takes more than three to five legislative sessions to get passed.  IDC-Oregon is preparing for session and we need your voice to help pass the bill!

IDC-Oregon encourages you to be an advocate for the Interior Design profession and active participant in our legislative efforts, for the future of the profession depends on all of us.  When a capitol day or bill hearing is scheduled, we need you, your clients, your friends and your family to be present and involved to be successful.  We can’t do it without you, join us in passing the bill! 

Have 5 minutes?

Use one of our quick and easy templates at www.idc-oregon.org!

Save the Date! Capitol Day is February 22nd

Join us!

RSVP to Capitol Day: http://capitolday2013.blogspot.com

Town Hall Gathering

You're Invited!

RSVP to the Town Hall Gathering: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2810354847