UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

An evaluation of the use of sustainable

material databases within the interior

design profession Senior Capstone Project

Alicia Cargo

January 1st 2013

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Abstract

Sustainable practices are currently making their way into a majority of today’s professional

fields, and there has been a growing concern to find a place for sustainability within the interior

design profession. A new sector of interior design, which has come to the forefront in recent

years, is known as environmental interior design. It focuses on improving the health and

wellness of building occupants while reducing the negative impacts that the building industry

traditional places on the natural environment. Environmental interior design is beginning to

become more prevalent within the field, but it is clear that challenges and barriers are preventing

interior design professionals from completely converting to this new design practice.

The principal concentration of environmental interior design is associated with material

and product selection; however its practice so far appears to be suboptimal. The objective of this

study was to examine the knowledge, values and behaviors of current interior design

practitioners in order to make conclusions about the current trends of usage in environmental

material selection databases. To find the factors that contribute to the use of these databases a

survey was created, and distributed to a wide audience of practicing interior designers. The

questions asked in the survey were divided into four distinct sections; these sections were:

knowledge of sustainable materials, value of sustainability, guiding principles in your practice

and personal background. The research participants were chosen based on contact information

that was available through various media outlet including: personal websites, magazine articles

and the American Society of Interior Designers database.

The survey analysis showed that the factors affecting the usage of material selection

databases are: education, awareness and motivation. This is significant to the interior design field

because environmental interior design is the future of design, and with this knowledge changes

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can be made to improve use of existing and upcoming sustainable material selection databases,

which should result in an increase in interior designer engagement with environmental interior

design practices.

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Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4

Environmental interior design ..................................................................................................... 4

The importance of environmental interior design ....................................................................... 7

The underlying issue ................................................................................................................... 9

Literature Review.......................................................................................................................... 12

The process of materials selection ............................................................................................ 12

Overview of material selection tools ......................................................................................... 15

Method .......................................................................................................................................... 23

Participants ................................................................................................................................ 23

Instruments ................................................................................................................................ 24

Data collection procedures ........................................................................................................ 26

Data analysis procedures ........................................................................................................... 27

Limitations ................................................................................................................................ 28

Findings......................................................................................................................................... 29

Knowledge of sustainability ...................................................................................................... 29

Value of sustainability ............................................................................................................... 30

Guiding principles in your practice ........................................................................................... 31

Personal background ................................................................................................................. 34

Conclusion and Discussion ....................................................................................................... 36

Knowledge of sustainability ...................................................................................................... 37

Value of sustainability ............................................................................................................... 38

Guiding principles in your practice ........................................................................................... 38

Personal background ................................................................................................................. 39

Who this impacts ....................................................................................................................... 40

The final answer ........................................................................................................................ 41

References ..................................................................................................................................... 44

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Introduction

Environmental interior design

Traditionally the interior design profession has primarily concerned itself with a one

dimension practice outcome, and that was to provide aesthetic enhancements to an interior space

for a client. However, over the past 25 years the interior design profession has seen a dramatic

shift in the design stratagem that now centers on the primary concern to provide a healthful and

sustainable environment for individuals to live, work and play (Bonda & Sosnowchik, 2007, p.

vii). Our culture is beginning to understand importance that each individual plays in the overall

environmental scheme, and the interior design profession is one that responds to individuals’

lifestyle change (Mazarella, 2011). Individuals not only understand their role and impact on the

environment, but they are now beginning to seek interior environments that demonstrate

environmental responsibility. This interest in environmental responsibility is what has sparked

the context and need for environmental interior design (Jones, 2008, p.2). According to Kang

and Guerin the definition of environmental interior design is “interior design in which all

systems and materials are designed with an emphasis on integration into a whole for the purpose

of minimizing negative impacts on the environment and occupants and maximizing positive

impacts on environmental, economic and social systems over the life cycle of a building” (2009,

p. 180).

There are several terms that are being used to bolster interest in the sustainability

movement within the interior design profession; two of the most frequently used terms are

“sustainable design” and “green design.” Louise Jones, a leader in research on the topic of

environmental interior design discusses the definitions of “sustainable design” and “green

design” that are most frequently used among practitioners: Sustainable design, a macro

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prospective, has been defined as a design practice that “addresses the health and well-being of

the global ecosystems that support life for both current and future generations” (Jones, 2008, p.

4).Green design, a micro prospective, often focuses on individual’s health, safety and well-being

as the foundation of the design concept (Jones, 2006, p. 4). Sustainable design and green design

are two different practices that when implemented together create the overall concept for

environmental interior design.

Cathy Steig in The Sustainability Gap, voiced her perspective of the difficult practice of

environmental interior design. From Steig’s perspective there are five distinct phases of

engagement in environmental interior design- connection, knowledge, process, practice and

commitment; all designers fit into these categories differently based on their own personal

association to sustainability (Steig, 2006 p. ix). Environmental connection is the first phase of

understanding environmental interior design practices being used by practitioners; this

connection is both intellectual and emotional, so it will vary with each practitioner. This leads

back to the Hannover Principles, created by architect William A McDonough, which state that

there is a need to recognize the interdependence between humans and the natural world (Bonda

& Sosnowchik, 2007, p. 14). This phase cannot to be taught to practitioners; it has to be

developed from within the designers through their personal drive to protect the natural

environment. The second and third phase described by Steig, knowledge and process, are the

phases current research is showing as the biggest disconnect within the profession of interior

design, and these phases will be heavily stressed in this research study. Knowledge is the

“understanding of how information can be used to come to conclusions and take actions,”

whereas, process is taking the knowledge that one has learned and integrating into the design

practice (Steig, 2006, p. x). It has not been until recent years that sustainable principles have

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been incorporated into design school curriculum, but now that more and more courses are being

taught specifically on the topic of sustainability. In 2006 the Council of Interior Design

Accreditation (CIDA) tightened its requirements of accredited design schools to implement

sustainable courses into the mandatory coursework for students; this was due to the lack of

knowledge and process reported by the then interior design practitioners (Bonda & Sosnowchik,

2007, p. 18). CIDA increased the educational requirements in hopes of gaining interest and

motivation amongst young designers to practice environmental interior design.

An important role that an interior designer holds is to be an educator; interior designers

“directly influenced the actions of individuals and communities, changed attitudes and values,

and shaped society in surprisingly fundamental ways" (Stegall, 2006, p. 57). Interior designers

often times need to act as the driving force of influence for clients to live a more sustainable life,

and without the basic knowledge of environmental interior design and the ability to process this

information into a design they are unable to provide this service to their clients. The area that

interior designers need to primarily focus is material and product selection; interior designers

need have a basic knowledge of sustainability in order to specify what materials are most

efficient, least toxic, are made from renewable content, optimize indoor air quality, have high

durability and longevity and the drive to determine how to process this information; process is

about taking knowledge one step further to impact individual’s lifestyles (Foster, 2007, p. 59).

The third phase, practice, is not relating to the action of practice like one would think in the

interior design profession, but it focuses on practicing implementing sustainable practices daily

for the purpose of continuing education on the topics. Information and techniques regarding

environmental interior design are always changing, and practitioners need to be continually

practicing these methods to stay up-to-date on new developments and new products. The final

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phase is commitment, as already stated an interior designer has the power to influence change in

their clients lives. Interior design practitioners need to continue their commitment to their client

and the natural environment through every design decision made, starting with the selection and

implementation of sustainable materials and products in the design process. Environmental

interior design- a combination of connection, knowledge, process, practice and commitment-

provides a safe and healthy space for a client to enjoy while reducing the impact that traditional

design places on the natural environment.

The importance of environmental interior design

The negative impacts that building construction and traditional interior design leave on

the natural environment are overwhelming and in most cause leave a lingering effect long after

the buildings lifecycle is complete. In the United States the built environment consumes 71

percent of our electric energy, accounts for 30 percent of all raw materials and generates 30

percent of waste outputs (Montoya, 2011, p. 6). The building industry is a large contributor of

the environmental problems- such as global warming, heat island effects and elevates air and

water pollution- mainly due to a lack of initiative to build sustainably; this is where interior

designers can play a significant role. Each year three billion tons of raw materials are used for

foundations, walls, and building finishes causing the natural environment to suffer tremendously,

if interior designers would dedicate their time and practice to expanding their knowledge of

sustainable materials and products this statistic could dramatically decrease (Foster, 2007, p. 9).

Reduce, reuse and recycle is a simple principle that has been tagged with the sustainability

movement, and it strongly applies to the built environment. This principle encourages a

reduction in creating new materials through the use of reusing existing interior materials and

materials with recycled content. The process of designing environmental interiors may require a

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few extra steps and precaution, but the outcome is a healthy, safe space for building occupants

with a serve reduction in negative impacts on the natural environment.

Traditional construction and interior design practices not only leave lasting negative

impressions on the natural environment, but also on the occupants that use the buildings created

in this manner. About 30 percent of existing buildings to do not use healthy materials and lack in

providing proper ventilation are known as “sick buildings;” this problem is most often caused by

poor design decisions relating to material selection and indoor air quality (Montoya, 2011, p. 99).

A vast amount of research has been conducted relating to the health impacts that are caused by

indoor environments. A recent study conducted by the American Lung Association states, “air

pollution contributes to lung disease, respiratory tract infections, asthma and lung cancer. Poor

indoor air quality can cause or contribute to the development of chronic diseases…” (Foster,

2007, p. 13). Statistics show that humans spend 90 percent or more of our time indoors; coupling

these two factors is the major concern drawing so much attention to the need to design

environmental interior spaces.

Improving indoor air quality has been made fairly simple due to the resources that are

available to interior designers today. By paying close attention to the materials that are selected

for a space an interior designer can greatly impact the lives of the occupants; selecting materials

and products with low volatile organic compounds can reduce the harmful chemicals that are

found in buildings. Materials and products that often times contain high VOCs are cabinets,

countertops, furniture, adhesives and sealants, paints and coatings and carpeting and composition

flooring (Montoya, 2011, p. 104). Many manufacturers are beginning to understand the

importance of sustainability in their sector of the design field; manufacturers that are practicing

sustainability are now providing research materials and documentation to support their materials

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and products as truly sustainable. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are developed by

manufactures to provide information regarding the safety and health effects of a product (Foster,

2007, p. 83); this is a way to help interior designers identify what products are truly reducing

environmental impacts. In recent years manufacturers have become more approachable to the

design professionals because they understand the impact that their materials and products have

within the design scheme. A general level of inquiry about the sustainable product criteria is

often times able to be answered by product manufactures when desired by a design professional

to assist in the shift from traditional design to environmental interior design (Foster, 2007, p. 75).

By taking the necessary steps to research materials and products used in a space an interior

designer can play an active role in reducing the amount of health risks associated with the built

environment.

The underlying issue

There is clearly a need for interior designers to take the responsibility of reducing

negative impacts to the natural environment and individuals, however, there currently is a

disconnect in the values and practices of interior designers. "In a 1999 survey of 100

nonresidential designers 83 percent believed they had a moral obligation to offer

environmentally responsible solutions to their clients; only 37 percent actually did so” (Jones,

2008, p.85). This disconnect is alarming and it poses the question of where do the barriers exist

that are preventing the practice of environmental interior design. Within the practice of interior

design the sector that lends itself most to sustainability comes through the selection, placement

and usage of materials and products. Sorting out the properties and sustainability attributes of

materials and product is a complex task; in recent research interior designers have expressed the

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barriers that they feel exist that prevent them from practicing environmental interior design. The

practitioners most frequent response to this question centered on the idea that there is a lack of

information about sustainable materials or efforts to gain knowledge about sustainable materials

and products is too time consuming for the pressures of the designers’ schedules (Kang &

Guerin, 2009, p. 185). Other reasons that have been documented to contribute to disconnect

between value and practice of environmental interior design are cost, practical reasons/

convenience, or personal views (Jones, 2008, p. 85).

In order to design environmental interior spaces interior designers need to have the

necessary motivation, knowledge and tools to help them in the material selection process.

Motivation related to the environmental values of the interior designer; in this study the New

Environmental Paradigm Scale is referenced to evaluate the motivation/value of sustainability

held by each designer. It is an important aspect of this study to evaluate the values of the

participating sample rather than using information relating to a past research sample. Knowledge

has been stated as one of the major factors correlating the implementation of environmental

interior design in the professional field. A certain degree of this knowledge is required by both

CIDA and NCIDQ; most undergraduate and graduate programs are implementing sustainable

courses into their programs due to requirements by certifying third parties. However, additional

research is required by the interior designers on each specific product to choose materials and

products that fit the needs of a particular space. In the last ten years resources have become more

prevalent to assist designers in the complex task of choosing green materials. As stated above

manufactures are becoming more flexible, and are providing information regarding their

materials and products to design professionals. In addition to the general information available

there are certification programs, such as LEED, that have been developed to help interior

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designers in creating environmental interior designs. LEED supplies an interior designer with the

tools and checklists that aid in guiding design decisions; when designers use the LEED

certification system and all of its associated tools they are assuring that their designs are reducing

environmental impacts and improving the health of the occupants. Taking this one step further

sustainable material databases are making their way into more and more interior design firms due

to the necessity for interior designers to access accurate and speedy information at materials and

furnishings. For example, one of the so called interior design “giants,” Perkins+Will, has seen

the need for a materials database, and as a result they have created a program called

Transparency. Transparency is free for interior designers to use and can be used a guiding source

for determining the health and sustainable factors of a material or product. Two resources that

are available to professionals that have a wider scope of materials and products are Green Spec

and Todl Green; these two databases do their diligence by thoroughly researching manufacturers

and materials to ensure the designers are receiving the most accurate information about a

sustainable product. Research tools are available for interior designers to use to gain knowledge

and information about sustainable materials and products that could be used within their projects.

This is where the overlying issue resides- these resource tools are currently being

underutilized by the interior design profession. The awareness and concern for implementing

sustainability into the interior design profession is present and the first steps have been made to

create an easy method for gathering information about materials and products. Now

understanding what level of knowledge, value and usage practitioners have of these materials

databases needs be evaluated. Within this document knowledge of sustainable materials, value

of sustainability and usage of sustainable materials and material selection tools, will be gathered

through surveying currently employed interior design practitioners. The goal of this research

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study is to uncover which are the factors underlying the use of sustainable material databases in

the interior design practice?

Literature Review

The process of materials selection

When choosing materials and products for a design project interior designers have a wide

variety of resources that they may rely on for gathering basic information such as product

specifications and pricing. This information is generally easy to access through directly

contacting the manufacturer or the company showroom. However, when transitioning from

traditional design to environmental interior design designers often times find that the material

selection process becomes much more involved and complex due to the strong focus on choosing

materials and products that not only reduce environmental impacts, but also reduce potential

occupant health hazards. In comparison to traditional design practices where designers are

primarily focused on meeting the clients aesthetic and functional needs, environmental interior

design focuses on the materials’ intended application, aesthetic qualities, environmental and

health impacts, availability, ease of installment and maintenance, and initial and lifecycle costs.

Interior designers must first evaluate, compare and rank potential materials and products based

on each individual project before providing sample options to the client (Jones 2008 p. 289). An

important factor in environmental interior design is the necessity to select materials and products

on a case-by-case evaluation based on the complex criteria that needs to be met in order to

provide the best outcome to the client (Jones, 2008, p. 290). Once the materials and products

criteria has been established for the project a designer must then begin a full investigation of

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materials that will meet of the project constraints. Most often this is the most difficult portion of

designing environmentally. There is a greater need for interior designers to be educated in the

factors that make a material or product sustainable, as well as to have the ability and motivation

to research new sustainable materials and products. Additionally as with any other field,

technology and products are constantly changing, and the interior design field is not exempt from

this evolution. Fortunately there are resources and tools available to interior designers to assist in

the complex task of selecting sustainable materials and products.

Over the past ten years environmental interior design has been brought into the spot light

in the interior design profession, and with this attention has come much research regarding the

topic. Private research companies have found that there is a need create lists and databases to aid

interior designers in the material selection process. These private research companies create them

in hopes that interior designers will implement environmental criteria into their everyday

practices if the tedious identification and selection process were made simpler. One of the first

resources to come along in the interior design profession was product red lists. Red lists inform

interior designers of the chemical hazards associated with a particular substance; they were

created in order to identify and eliminate the worst chemicals found in many materials and

products. One of the most popular and extensive red lists available to interior designers, known

as Transparency has been created by leading interior design firm Perkins+ Will. This red list was

designed by designers for designers, and goes well beyond average red lists in terms of the

information provided about specific materials and products (Atlee, 2011). Figure 1 provides a

visual diagram that shows just how complex and extensive the Transparency list truly is.

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Figure 1. This Venn Diagram illustrates the red lists that are encompassed within the Perkins+ Will Transparency List

While red lists are an easy way for interior designers to learn about hazardous materials

and products they lack in providing information about alternative environmentally friendly

solutions. This is where material databases can play a role in the material selection process for

interior designers. Material databases are resources available to interior designers in an online

format to aid in selecting materials and products that are environmentally responsible. These

databases most often provide information about the material and its potential usage, as well as

manufacturer contact information. Three of the most developed and utilized material databases

are Green Spec, Material ConneXion and Todl Green. These databases are constantly being

updated with new materials and products and design ideas for interior designers to make use of

to assist in the complex task of selecting environmentally responsible products. Table 1 below

briefly describes the four material selection resources—Green Spec, Material ConneXion, Todl

Green and Transparency—which will be analyzed in depth.

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Table 1. Overview of the material selection tools researched in this study

Material Selection

Tool

General Information Material Update Accessibility

Green Spec GreenSpec includes key

insights on the green

attributes of each product

and the most critical

green issues for each

product category

Green Spec product

listings are updated

weekly

Architects and Interior

Designers

Material ConneXion Online users get

unlimited access to

images, detailed material

descriptions, usage

characteristics, and

manufacturer and

distributor contact

information. The only to

have global network

libraries

Between 50 and 60 new

materials are

independently juried into

the library every month

Design professionals and

current design students

Todl Green Free membership

includes access to a

private studio page,

project folders, advance

product search tools,

trade service locator and

an inspiration gallery

TODL adds thousands of

products every month

from manufacturers

Designers with a current

trade license and

partnering universities

Transparency Consists of three lists:

precautionary list, asthma

triggers and asthamgens

list and flame retardant

list

Documents that will be

updated as new relevant

data emerges

All design professionals

and the general public

Overview of material selection tools

With the environmental movement increasing in popularity within the interior design

profession an overwhelming amount of guidance tools have come from public and private

institutions to persuade designers to practice sustainability. Resources and tools are becoming

more abundant, and with them the problem of determining the validity of the information

provided. While reviewing the literature there was a pattern in the resources and tools that were

most frequently referenced: Green Spec, Material ConneXion, Todl Green and Transparency.

As such, these resources were identified as the focus of this study.

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Green Spec. An online product guide created by BuildingGreen, Green Spec is an

independent materials database offered to those who purchase a monthly or yearly membership.

These memberships are available to 10-person teams, firms and academic campuses. Green Spec

is a resource tool that helps design professions quickly access information regarding

environmental materials and products to help meet certifications, LEED credits and other

specific sustainable criteria. Each material database that was examined touted one particular

aspect that they offered that other databases did not; the one aspect that Green Spec prides itself

on is the strict materials selection process that a manufacture must go through in order to be

placed in the database. A statement from the company itself states that, “Green Spec uses five

high-level environmental performance criteria to determine which building products rack among

the greenest 10% of all products in their categories” (Building materials, 2006, p. 1). This

rigorous process is to ensure that the materials recommended in the Green Spec database are the

result of the most detailed assessment of each material and product. Members are able to create

their own individual portfolios on the Green Spec website that allows members to save their

research and design ideas and share their ideas with other project team members. While Green

Spec is one of the more basic material databases in terms of structure it is known as one of the

most reliable in resource information.

Material ConneXion. Material ConneXion is one of the most unique material selection

tools available to interior designers at this time. Its mission is to provide sustainable material

research to busy design professionals and companies in order to increase excitement for

environmental interior design and architecture. This mission is carried out by an international

team of multidisciplinary experts including academically trained material scientists and

specialists who aim to create new opportunities for product development and optimization. When

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an interior designer commits to the annual subscription of $250 they receive a variety of services.

One of these services is access to the largest existing online material library; online users receive

unlimited access to “images, detailed material descriptions, usage characteristics and

manufacturer and distributor contact information” (Materials Library, 2011). The second, and the

most unique feature of this material selection tool, are the onsite material libraries created and

operated by Material ConneXion. Design professionals holding a membership are able to visit

any of the global material libraries that house over 7,000 cutting edge materials and products;

this is a new revolution in material selection databases allows interior designers to have a hands-

on experience and thus to become greatly inspired for new design ideas. Material ConneXion

strives to provide a full overview of today’s new materials and product ideas, as well as new

developments and untapped technologies; when design professional choose to utilize this service

they are assured that the information they gather there is the most accurate, as well as the most

cutting edge. Just by glancing at Material ConneXion’s diverse and well known client base—to

name a few: Disney, BMW, Giorgio Armani, Hasbro, Starbucks, Nieman Marcus and Whole

Foods—designers can see that Material ConneXion has an upstanding reputation within the

design community (Who we’ve helped, 2011).

Todl Green. Todl Green, a material selection database created specifically for trade-only

licensed design professionals, provides instant access to sustainable materials and products, as

well as direct contact links to their associated manufacturer. The primary mission of Todl Green

is to

“provide the ideal platform for designers, architects, facility managers, and other

specifiers to have a single place to find the products they need for their projects

and a venue for manufacturers to get their products seen at the moment of

research and specification” (TODL’s listed products, 2013).

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Todl Green is able to succeed in its mission due to its ever expanding database of manufacturers,

vendor representatives and partners desiring to be featured within the materials library. With

over 300,000 materials and products features on the website and thousands added each month

Todl Green is an ideal research forum for interior design professionals.

One unique feature of Todl Green is the project folders that allow interior designers to

specify design jobs more efficiently; when researching new environmental materials a design

must be able to easily find new cutting edge materials and products, and bookmark them for the

duration of a project. Each individual current client is able to have their own organized folder

with materials and product images, the accompanying environmental information and

manufacturer connection. Another feature that is special to the Todl Green database is their

inspiration gallery. While most material selection tools have image galleries for interior design

professionals to utilize, the Todl Green inspiration gallery can be used to inspire and direct

clients during the schematic design phase (How TODL works, 2013). Providing clients with a

visualization presentation can aid in showing that environmental interior design not only lessens

the impacts on the nature, but can also meet the aesthetic desires as well. Todl Green provides

design professions with a materials research outlet, an organization method and an inspiration

channel, and is supported by a variety of the world’s top design firms.

Transparency. While these material databases are multifaceted and provide a wide array

of information to designers sometimes this research forum can be overwhelming; some designers

prefer a simpler method of research such as the Transparency. Perkins+Will saw that there is a

growing interest forming around the green movement and its relationship between humans and

the built environment, but identified that there was a need to make known the hazardous

chemicals that exist within a myriad of materials and products used in buildings (Frequently

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asked questions, 2013). Transparency consists of three individual lists that aim to create a greater

transparency into the building industry in terms of choosing healthy design materials. These

three lists are the Precautionary List, Asthma Triggers + Asthmagens and Flame Retardants;

these lists are simple to use, but provide valuable information for both designers and consumers.

Within each of these lists is a detailed description of each hazardous substance; its commonly

found location, health effects, alternative materials and additional regulatory information are

provided for each substance (What can I find here?, 2013). An important piece of information

that interior designers can take advantage of is the green building credits corresponding to

avoidance of the substance. When an interior designer is trying to design environmentally

knowing the credits that can be earned toward green building certification is essential and often

time reduces the amount of additional research required. Due to the simple nature of

Transparency both design professionals and the general public can benefit from the information

provided. Being aware of the hazardous substances found within materials and products is the

first step to eliminating unhealthy environments.

Challenges and opportunities for selecting green materialsThese particular material selection

databases have one clear goal: to make the material selection process simpler for interior

designers in order to encourage a more wide spread usage of environmental interior design

practices. These tools encompass all of the necessary information that an interior design

professional would need to design environmental, so it would be difficult for a design

professional to defend that the material selection process is still too overwhelming to practice.

However, the existence of these tools does not necessarily mean that they are being used.

Research has shown that material databases are currently being underutilized, but as of now there

is no clear indication of how often, by whom and to what capacity are they being used. In order

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to accurately determine the current usage of these material databases it is important to research

all of the possible factors that could be impacting the utilization or underutilization of these tools.

Awareness, motivation and education are the hypothesized factors impacting the use of

environmental material selection databases.

Generating awareness for environmental interior design as whole and encouraging

interior designers to embrace new practices into their designs possessed many challenges and

opportunities within the design community; however, it is clear that there has been a greater

expectance of environmental practices over time. This does not appear to be the case with the

utilization of the material selection databases available to interior design professionals. Based on

literature there seems to be a lack of awareness in relation to the existences of material selection

databases. Interior designer professionals are still referencing the complex nature of selection

environmental materials and products as their reason for not implementing environmental

interior design into their daily practice. However, it is apparent that these material selection

databases aim to take the complexity out of the selection process, so where does disconnect

occur. From analyzing these specific material selection databases it appears that the companies

are following all of the steps to foster sustainable behavior and still a small amount of interior

designers are utilizing these services regularly. According to Doug McKenzie-Mohr, author the

Fostering Sustainable Behavior, properly “framing” a sustainable message, in this case properly

advertising the material selection databases, is one of the most important aspects of having

positive acceptance within a given profession (2011, p 42). Material selection databases are

currently being advertised, or “framed,” in journals, articles and internet videos; however,

advertising in this manner does not appear to be reaching the target audience- interior design

professionals. Interior designers are not using these particular sources to research new ways to

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find innovative sustainable materials and products. The companies operating these material

selection databases are taking the necessary steps by making their message specific, easy to

remember, a model for sustainable behavior and a forum for communication to foster sustainable

behavior amongst interior design professionals and regular utilization is still not occurring.

Researchers studying sustainable topics have seen a trend the acceptance of new sustainable

technologies or information. Cathy Stieg, a leading researcher in the field of interior design and

sustainability, has identified that there is a gap present between resource and tool use and the

awareness of these resources (Stieg, 2006, p.viii). Doug McKenzie-Mohr and Cathy Stieg both

state that the existence and advertisement of sustainable resources and tools is not the only factor

in creating awareness for sustainability. Interior design professionals must be willing to accept

the message that is being presented and take advantage of the resources to their fullest potential.

Educating the interior design profession on the resources and tools that are available to them is

an important aspect and one opportunity to increase the usage of the material selection databases.

Enhancing motivation surrounding environmental design practices throughout the interior

design profession is one challenge that currently exists. Interior designers must have a certain

level of personal motivation to research sustainable materials and products, and at this time this

motivation is not present (Stieg, 2006, p. xx). As of now interior designers are able to see the

importance of designing sustainability and they hold some level of value to it, but they are not

motivated enough to take the next steps to change their practices. Having knowledge of

environmental interior design practices or a place value on protecting the environment does not

necessarily mean that a direct change or sustainable action will occur (Stieg, 2006, p. xiv).

Environmental interior design is not a skill that can be gained because the technology and

materials are ever changing. This means that interior designers must always be learning about the

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newest materials and products they can offer to their clients. There are a vast amount of

sustainable materials and products on the market today each one serving a specific purpose and

meeting a different criteria for each project an interior design will encounter, and utilizing the

material selection databases is the most accurate and convenient method of gathering information

about sustainable materials. Material selection databases eliminate a lot of the extra research that

is needed when designing environmentally; yet interior designers are unaware of these resources

due to their lack of motivation to investigate the resources available to them. The manufacturing

and research industries have responded to the transition from traditional design practices to

environmental interior design now it is time for interior designers to motivate themselves and

their peers to begin to utilize the material selection databases and design environmentally

friendly interior spaces.

The third factor that is dictating the usage of the material selection databases is the level

of education of interior designers. “The role of the designer requires broader knowledge of the

design industry than is perhaps learned in the undergraduate design curriculum, as well as better

communication and collaboration skills than those currently taught. This is one potential

sustainability gap that occurs in practice” (Stieg, 2006, p. xviii). It was stated earlier that research

has shown that within the interior design profession there a lack of education surrounding

sustainability and more specifically relating to the topics of material and product selection.

Throughout literature interior designers are stating barriers that they believe are prohibiting them

from using sustainable materials and products on a more regular basis, however, based on the

information that has been gathered for this particular study these factors are truly

misconceptions. A few of these misconceptions are: clients do not desire environmentally

friendly spaces, sustainable materials and products cost too much money, there are not a variety

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of sustainable materials and products available on the market, the quality and style of sustainable

materials are not to the same standard as traditional products, and researching new materials and

products is too time-consuming (Jones, 2008, p. 85). All of these misconceptions could be

clarified by utilizing the material selection databases, but it is difficult to motivate interior

designers to learn about these resources. Education is a key factor in environmental interior

design, and the material selection databases provide this service to interior designers if they

would allow for this opportunity. These are the hypothesized factors influencing the usage of

material selection databases based on the opinions of researchers, but there is still a need to

conduct research and explore the barriers and incentives that may exist to utilizing these tools.

Method

Participants

The population considered toward this study consisted of interior design practitioners in a

professional design organization in the United States. Both architecture and interior design firms

were considered. Each individual contributing to the sample had to be a currently employed

interior design practitioner, including self-employed designers. The sample of participants was

chosen based on information that was found from internet or magazine references, and no

specific factors—such as gender, age, design specialization or geographic region—played a role

in selecting the research participants. To ensure against bias, a wide variety of sources were used

to gather contact information; personal websites, magazine articles and the American Society of

Interior Designers database were the most prevalent sources used. Over 1,200 interior designers

were contacted about participating in this research opportunity. Sixty participants began the

survey and 29 participants completed the entire survey.

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Instruments

Information was gathered about the current state of sustainable practices in the interior

design profession. This information reflected that more research needs to be conducted about the

alignment of values and implementation of sustainable practices by professional interior

designers. Further information about tools currently available to interior designers for the

purpose of researching information about sustainable materials and products was collected to

help gain insight on the current usage of sustainable tools. Uncovering the factors leading to the

low number of designers that take advantage of these material resources was the underlying goal

of this study. The best way to determine this was to create a short, twenty-seven question

survey. The short survey was sent to an approving body at the University of Florida using the

Behavioral/ NonMedical IRB (IRB02) form; this approval ensured that the survey participants

were aware of the survey’s purpose and voluntarily consented to answering the selected

questions. Once the survey had been approved by the research board the survey was generated

into an online format; this generation allowed the survey and consent form to be accessed easily

by the participants.

The survey instrument included four parts which were titled: Knowledge of

Sustainability, Value of Sustainability, Guiding Principles in your Practice, and Personal

Background. The first section of the survey, Knowledge of Sustainability, allowed for the

measurement of the amount of background information and education each interior designer

currently had regarding issues of sustainability. From the information that was gathered prior to

creating the survey it was clear that a lack of knowledge regarding sustainable issues was a major

factor preventing the interior design professionals in practicing environmental interior design.

Questions were taken from the LEED Green Associate standardized test’s study guide. All of

25

the questions asked were directly related the environmental material selection and indoor air

quality. This short section, ten questions, helped to determine the level of environmental design

education of the participants. The second section, Value of Sustainability, was developed based

on the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) authored by Dunlap and Van Liere and is described

further below. The third section, Guiding Principles in your Practice, was strongly based off the

information that was gathered through an in-depth literature review. The operational questions in

this sections allowed for the participants to rate their own level of sustainability within their

design practice. Different sustainability techniques are mentioned in this eight question section,

with a strong emphasis on green material selection and the usage of the material resources and

tools available to practitioners. Finally, the fourth section, Personal Background, focused on

demographic information about the participants. The seven questions in this section indicate

experience within the field, specialization and education levels and preferences.

The survey consisted of six different question types. The first question type that is seen

on the survey is a simple true/false format; this particular question type is used only in the

knowledge of sustainability section of the survey. The second question type that participants are

introduced to allows for the participant to select all of the following choices that fit specifically

to the respondent and to fill in any other answer they feel is needed. The third type of question

that the participants answered was 5-point Likert-type scale, used only for questions regarding

the NEP. Another type of rating system is used on the survey, but it allows participants to rate

the answer selections on a scale of 1-7. The fifth type question is a simple multiple choice

question. When questions could not be given specific answer choices we left an open response

box, the fourth question type, for respondents to openly express their answer. The final type of

question was an open response box that allowed to participants to answer in sentence format.

26

The variety of questions allowed for the most thorough amount of information to be gathered

about the specific topic; with the brevity of this survey, containing only 27 questions, it was

important to ensure that all of the necessary information was gathered. This method, of creating

varying question types, allowed for this process to produce the best possible outcome.

New Ecological Paradigm

To document the levels of environmental value and concern for this study the New

Ecological Paradigm Scale (NEP), created by Dunlap and Van Liere, was used to evaluate the

participants. The NEP consists of 15 statements that focus on discerning a respondent’s

ecological worldviews; these statements are thought to accurately measure the respondent’s

fundamental views by focusing on the “beliefs about humanity’s ability to upset the balance of

nature, the existence of limits to growth for human societies, and humanity’s right to rule over

the rest of nature;” for particular use we were using the NEP to measure the “environmental

attitudes, beliefs and even values” (Dunlap, Van Liere, Mertig & Jones, 2000, p. 427).

The selection and usage of The New Ecological Paradigm Scale was based on the

information that was gathered that touted the NEP as the most widely used and accurate method

of gathering environmental attitudes and values. “As theoretical models of the sources of

environmental attitudes and behaviors that assign a key role to the NEP are developed, tested and

confirmed, evidence of the NEP Scale’s construct validity should increase” (Dunlap, Van Liere,

Mertig & Jones, 2000, p. 430).

Data collection procedures

The survey protocol consisted of two distinct parts: a participation consent form and the

survey. The consent form was displayed as the first page of the survey, and without

27

acknowledgment of this consent form, an electronic signature, the participant could not continue

with the survey. This consent form is imperative to the study because it informs the participants

about the research that is being conducted and the overall purpose of the study; also this consent

form allows for the result to be displayed the results within this document. The survey contains

written instructions above each question type to help guide the participants. The survey was

distributed using a well-known online survey generation system. Once all of the questions had

been inputted into the system a link is generated allowing for the distribution of the survey with

ease. Each participant was contacted via e-mail and provided with the link to the survey. All

questions are anonymous and were used for research purposes only.

Data analysis procedures

The online survey generation program was selected because of its ease of distribution via

e-mail to the participants; another benefit of using this particular program was the statistics and

percentages that it produces for each individual operational question. The data in each section

was analyzed based on the type of question asked. For the first section, true/false or multiple

choice, participants answered ten questions based on factual data found in the Materials and

Resources USGBC LEED rating system literature. An answer key was created and each

participant was graded based on their selected answers.

Throughout the survey answers to multiple choice questions were analyzed in terms of

most frequent answers; open-ended questions were subject to a content analysis to Answers to

the statements of the New Ecological Paradigm were compared with the results in the original

Dunlap and Van Liere study. This suggested whether our participants’ attitudes and concerns

about the environment were similar or different to those in the original study. A final collective

28

assessment of the most frequent responses to each of the question groups allowed to draw

conclusions and generate an answer to the study question.

Limitations

This study examined the knowledge, values and practices of interior design practitioners,

and like all studies there were limitations presented while conducting research. The first

limitation encountered was the short time span from beginning to end of the study, a three-month

window of opportunity to research the issue, create the survey, distribute the survey, collect the

results and the analyze the findings. Limiting the amount of time given to conduct the research

and report findings limited the number of survey participants, which could have an effect on the

overall results.

Since the format of this study incorporated a survey the participants were self-selected

which can lead to haphazard results. There is no method that allows for complete assurance that

the participants’ answers are one hundred percent accurate, but the assumption is present due to

their willingness to contribute their time and information to the study. Survey format allows for

researchers to reach a larger audience in a given time—thus the reason this format was chosen—

but it can result in misleading results due to the fact the respondents most likely have some

interest in the topic leading to their participation. Another issue that was beyond the researcher’s

control was the participant’s interpretation of the survey answers. Although each question was

reviewed and revised to ensure complete clarity there is no method of controlling personal

interpretation.

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Findings

Knowledge of sustainability

As indicated above, questions in this section tested for sustainability knowledge and were

extracted from the LEED Green Associate standardized test sections related to materials and

resource use and indoor environmental quality. The table below shows the survey question,

answer and percentage of the participants that answered the question correct.

Table 2. Results of the sustainable knowledge survey section

Survey Question Answer Percent

Correct

Designers should involve the builder early in the

material selection process to get input on cost,

quality, durability, and availability of recycled

materials

True 93.1%

Many standard building products contain recycled

content including

Acoustical ceilings, drywall and steel 60.7%

The following materials generally contain VOCs and

should be evaluated prior to use

Adhesives and paints, carpeting and

composition flooring, composite

wood products, paints and coatings

3.4%

Average new construction projects traditionally

generate about 4 pounds of waste per square foot of

building are

True 67.9%

Many of the materials used during construction are

odorous, irritating and/or harmful to the health of

the construction worker and building occupants

True 86.2%

Some good procedures to follow during construction

to reduce the amount of air pollution generated by

construction activities

Protecting porous materials from air

contamination, using a vacuum with

high efficiency filter to clean-up,

using a wetting agent to control dust

48.3%

The Forest Stewardship Council is an organization

that has established criteria for environmentally

responsible wood harvesting

True 88.9%

Separating recyclable construction waste on-site Can save the cost of a fee required by

disposal facilities, guarantees that all

of the appropriate waste is recycled

79.3%

Material waste production from new construction,

renunciation and demolition comprises ___% of the total

waste produced each year in the United States.

25-30 44.4%

30

According to this information as an entire group that participants only scored at 63.5%- on a

scale of 100%- on the sustainable quiz. A tenth question in this section was used to measure each

participant’s personal outlook on their moral obligation as an interior designer. The statement

read “how strongly so you agree with the following statement? As an interior designer I have a

moral obligation to provide a health and sustainable interior environment to all of my clients.”

The answer choices and responses were: strongly disagree- 6.9%-, disagree- 0%-, neutral- 3.4%-,

agree-48.3%-, and strongly agree-41.4%.

Value of sustainability

As described above, the NEP survey is a set of fourteen statements used to measure an

individual’s held value of sustainability. The participants were asked these fifteen statements and

instructed to rank each on a scale from one to five- one being “strongly disagree” and five being

“strongly agree.” Table 3 below displays the results for each statement and the corresponding

ranking given by the participants. This table shows that the participants place a high value on

environmental concerns. The majority of the participants placed their values on the two far ends

of the scale- either strongly agree or strongly disagree. Based on this information the participants

understand that if humans continue on the path that we currently are on the natural environment

will severely suffer.

31

Table 3. The New Ecological Paradigm statements and survey answers

Survey Question 1 2 3 4 5

We are approaching the limit of the number of

people the earth can support.

3 3 8 7 8

Humans have the right to modify the natural

environment to suit their needs.

3 11 7 4 4

When humans interfere with nature it often

produces disastrous consequence.

1 8 6 5 9

Human ingenuity will insure that we do NOT

make the earth unlivable.

5 4 4 7 4

Humans are severely abusing the environment. 1 4 8 4 8

The earth has plenty of natural resources if we

just learn how to develop them.

1 7 9 2 5

Plants and animals have as much right as humans

to exist.

1 5 6 3 11

The balance of nature is strong enough to cope

with the impacts of modern industrial nations.

8 10 6 0 2

Despite our special abilities humans are still

subject to the laws of nature.

0 3 5 5 14

The so-called “ecological crisis” facing

humankind has been greatly exaggerated.

10 3 6 5 2

The earth is like a spaceship with very limited

room and resources.

2 5 4 4 9

Humans were meant to rule over the rest of

nature.

9 4 4 4 5

The balance of nature is very delicate and easily

upset.

1 4 8 4 7

Humans will eventually learn enough about how

nature works to be able to control it.

10 6 9 2 1

If things continue on their present course, we will

soon experience a major ecological catastrophe.

3 4 5 8 8

Guiding principles in your practice

This section evaluated the factors that influence each interior design professional’s

personal practice decisions. Based on the literature, engagement in environmental interior design

has five distinct phases; it was important to determine where in these particular phases interior

design professionals situated themselves. The participants were asked to assess the five phases

based on importance to them; the ranking scale is one “not important” to seven “very important,”

and the number in each columns state that number of individuals that indicated that answer.

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Table 4. Results of the assessment on engagement with environmental interior design

Survey Question 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Feeling a connection to the environment 1 2 4 5 4 3 6

Having knowledge of sustainable

principles

0 0 1 3 3 12 6

Following an integrated process in your

projects

0 2 2 4 9 6 3

Using sustainable materials and

increasing indoor air quality in your

projects

0 0 2 4 2 7 10

Committing to living sustainably and

practicing sustainability everyday

0 1 3 5 2 10 7

The next aspect that needed to be evaluated was the factors that the participants found to

be the most important when selecting materials for their projects. The literature suggests a

ranking from most important to least important as follows: appearance of the product/style,

quality of the material, cost of material, recycled content, material reusability, recyclability,

manufacturing process, place of origin, and if it is a rapidly renewable material. Questions

attempted to test whether this ranking held true among the sample population. Two following

questions requested information regarding opportunities and challenges to implement

environmental interior design into the practitioner’s daily practice. The participants were asked

how their firm could help increase their use of sustainable practices on a regular basis; the top

three most frequent responses are as follows: Nine out of the nineteen responses, 47%, stated that

there is a greater need for both their clients and themselves to be educated on the importance of

environmental interior design. Seven of the nineteen responses stated that continually

researching new products and practices- more specifically finding a source or means to reduce

the tedious process of finding new materials. The third most frequent response was the need for

their company or their client to invest greater amounts of money in the research and process

33

phases of environmental interior design. Though the participants stated a variety of opportunities

for their firm to encourage environmental interior design there are still an overwhelming amount

of barriers that they see present in implementing environmental interior design.

Table 5. Barriers identified by participants for implementing sustainable materials in their projects.

The graph above shows the question regarding the barriers that prevent the practitioners from

using sustainable materials. It is evident the interior design professionals recognize the barriers

that are preventing the implementation, and would like to encourage their firms to take action to

reduce these barriers.

The final three questions related directly to the use of the sustainable material database

resource usage. The first of these three questions aimed to determine the percentage of

individuals that utilize material selection tools in their design decisions. More than half, 66.7%,

stated that they do not use any material selection tools to aid in their design decisions. With this

information the second question asked how often the individuals use the following design tools

0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%80.0%

Sustainable

interior design

requires additional

indoor

environmental

systems

Efforts to gain

knowledge is too

time-consuming

for the pressures

of schedules

It is difficult to

encourage clients

to adopt these

practices.

The more

sustainable

materials are

costly

None

Are there any barriers that prevent you from using sustainable

materials more extensively or more frequently? (Select all that

apply).

34

in their practice, and the corresponding responses are displayed in the table below; the ranking

scale is one “regularly” to seven “never.”

Table 6 Reported frequency of use of select material selection tools

Answer Options 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Energy Star Appliances 10 3 1 1 2 3 7

Guidance from published red lists 1 4 3 3 3 4 6

LEED point system 2 7 4 4 1 3 4

Life Cycle Assessments 0 1 10 6 2 1 2

Green Resource Databases such as:

Transparency by Perkins + Will,

Green Spec , or Material Connexion

4 1 2 8 5 1 6

Finally, it was important to determine the effectiveness of these material selection tools; the

answer options were: I do not use these tools, 55.2%, the tools are effective as I need them to be,

44.8%, and an option to openly state recommendations for improvement, no participants

indicated any recommendations.

Personal background

The participant sample was asked a series of questions that related specifically to their

background as an interior design professional. In order to ensure that all of the information

regarding the participant’s and their firm’s identification the questions had to be chosen

carefully; five of the seven background questions related only to the participant themselves and

the other two questions related to the firm they currently were employed by. Of the twenty-nine

individuals that completed the survey 79.3%, or 23 individuals, reported that they have worked

in the interior design profession for over eleven years; 10.3%, 3 individuals, have been working

for six to ten years; the final 3 individuals have been in the interior design profession for less

than five years. Three of the seven background questions directly related to the educational

35

background of each participant. Questions one and two of the personal background section

determined whether the participant earned their degree from a CIDA accredited program and if

they have taken the NCIDQ examination. Fifteen of the twenty-nine participants did not earn

their degree from and CIDA accredited program meaning that the remaining fourteen

participants did earn their degree from a CIDA accredited program. NCIDQ examination is an

important part of becoming a licensed interior design professional; 55.2%, 16 individuals, stated

that they have taken the NCIDQ examination, the remaining 44.8%, 13 individuals, have not

taken the examination. The third education question asked how often the individual participated

in sustainability related continuing education courses; over half, 64.5% stated that they attend a

course once a year and 25% attend one every six months. The final question directed toward the

participant as an individual asks what specialization the participant practices. The following

graph shows the specializations of each individual-participant were able to check as many

specializations as applied to their practice.

Table 7. Participants’ area of specialization

0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%80.0%90.0%

100.0%

Chil

d C

are

(Pre

-K-…

Corp

ora

te/

Off

ice

Ed

uca

tion

al

Fac

ilit

ies

(K-…

Fin

anci

al

Inst

itu

tio

ns

Go

ver

nm

ent/

Inst

itu

tio

nal

Hea

lth C

are

Ho

spit

alit

y/

En

tert

ain

men

t

Rec

reat

ion

al

Rel

igio

us

Res

iden

tial

Ret

ail

What specialty do you practice within the interior design

profession? Check as many as needed

36

The final two questions in the personal background section reference the firm that the

participant is currently employed by. The first aims to determine the general size of the firm that

the participant works for; 69% of the participants currently work in small one to two person

firms, 20.7% on the individuals work with two to five other individuals, and the remaining

10.3% work in medium to large firms with six or more employees. Determining how important

sustainability currently is within these firms was an important factor to measure, and it was

primarily done so by asking how many of the employees at each of these firms are LEED

accredited professionals. Twenty-one of the twenty nine participants stated that not one

employee in their firm is a LEED accredited professional, seven participants reported that one to

three employees are currently LEED accredited professionals, and one participant stated that

over eight of the employees are their firm are LEED accredited. This information shed a light on

who the participants were and their education and work backgrounds.

Conclusion and Discussion

Based on the information gathered in the literature review process it is evident that there

is a need for environmental interior design to become the standard design practice in the interior

design profession, however the responses gathered from the survey participants show that there

is still a disconnect between values and practices in turns of sustainable practices. The gap

between values and practices still exist as 89.4 percent of the participants stated that as an

interior designer they have a moral obligation to provide healthy and sustainable interior

environments to their clients, and only 44.8 percent actually do so. These findings suggest that

there are still a vast amount of barriers still existing—even with the presence of all of the

37

resources available—preventing interior designers from implementing environmental practices

on an everyday basis.

Knowledge of sustainability

The results of the questions taken from the LEED examination preparation guide varied

dramatically. When all of the question averages are combined together and the overall mean is

found the participants, as a group, only scored a 63.5 percent on a scale of 100 percent. A basic

knowledge of sustainable design practices is not present in this particular sample of interior

design professionals, which leads to the recommendation for an increase of education on

sustainable topics, with an emphasis on material selection and improving indoor air quality. As

stated in the literature review previous research has shown that a lack of education is the number

one barrier preventing environmental interior design from being more widely practiced, and

based on this research study this static remains the same. In order to improve the quality of

indoor environments and reduce the impact to the natural environment a stronger emphasis needs

to be placed on education. About 80 percent of the survey participants have been working in the

interior design profession for over eleven years, meaning that during their time as a student

environmental practices were not as heavily stressed as they are today in the undergraduate and

graduate education programs; however, this does not mean that there are no means of learning

about environmental design practices. Interior design firms should be requiring that their

employees and designers be as up-to-date on environmental practices as possible by participating

in education seminars or continuing educational courses. Based on information gathered in the

“personal background” section of the survey the majority of the participants, 64.3 percent, only

participate in an educational course once every year. This is clearly not enough. Environmental

interior design is the future of the interior design profession, and have the proper knowledge of

38

sustainable topics is a necessity. These designers that state that they strongly feel the obligation

to provide healthy and sustainable environments to their clients are unable to do so if they lack

the proper education needed.

Value of sustainability

Using the New Ecological Paradigm to determine the value that each individual

participant places on environmental concerns was central to this research study. Based on the

data collected in this section it can be concluded that the individuals participating in this survey

understand the impact that humans are having on the environment, and they indicated there is a

need for change. The interior design professionals that participated in this survey appear to hold

strong values for protecting the nature environment from further harm, however, when asked

about their current behaviors in their practices they indicate that they are not staying true to their

values by designing in a sustainable manner. If interior design professionals designed interior

spaces based on their values as an individual than environmental interior design would be more

widely practiced, but seeing as this is not the case it is clear that there are barriers and challenges

preventing designers from designing in the manner that they feel is best for the environment. The

fundamental views and values on sustainability is present; the next step is display these values

through changing the way interior designers make daily design decisions.

Guiding principles in your practice

The information that was gathered in this section reflects that the majority of the

participants still center their design practice on traditional design techniques. Interior design

professionals are still primarily concerned with the appearance and style, quality and cost of a

material or product and place a small emphasis on the environmental aspects such as: material

39

reusability, place of origin and recycled content. The participants also indicated that they knew

little about the variety of environmental materials and products that are available for their use

because 65 percent of the individuals sited that sustainable materials are too costly to be used on

a regular basis. Another factor that the participants indicated as a reason they do not use

sustainable materials was their perceived lack of variety of sustainable materials and products.

All of these statements are inaccurate based on the information that was gathered about the

services provided by material selection databases. These are not truly valid reasons for an

interior designer to not design sustainably based on the resources that are available. In fact, all of

the material selection databases analyzed in this study—Green Spec, Material ConneXion, Todl

Green and Transparency—address each and every one of these concerns, and it is clear that

designers are not using these resources to their full potential or even at all. It is evident that the

guiding principles within the interior design profession remain the same as they did ten years

ago; even though there is a vast amount of technique and resources available to interior design

professionals to aid and encourage designing in a more environmental fashion.

Personal background

No direct conclusions were drawn from this section; however, the information in this

section did allow for connections to be made amongst other sections of the survey. For example,

knowing the amount of time that the participants have been practicing in the interior design field

allows for conclusions to be made about the education that the received as an undergraduate or

graduate student. At the time that the majority of these individuals were gaining their education

on interior design sustainability was not as heavily stressed as it is in today’s curricula and this is

important to assessing the knowledge of this sample. Also, the majority of the respondents, over

44, claim that they mostly practice residential interior design, which is not as heavily regulated

40

as commercial interior design. This may account for their lesser interest in environmental interior

design, and certainly explains the gap present in their education. Schools that cater to residential

design often put more emphasis on aesthetics and less on the construction process.

Who this impacts

This information is valuable to a variety of different parties. As an interior design firm it

is important to understand which might be the areas of improvement amongst staff, and this

survey indicates undoubtedly that there is a need for a greater focus to be placed on continuing

education courses within interior design firms. Interior design firms should be concentrating on

the future of design and the newest resources available to them, and it is apparent that this is a

weakness within the interior design field, and employers should be searching for ways to

improve upon this. As an interior design this material is beyond valuable; a vast amount of

resources are available to aid in the process of material selection, and based on this research

these resources are being underutilized. Being knowledgeable of the most cutting edge materials

and reducing the amount of time and energy that has to be spent on researching these materials

makes the overall process of practicing environmental interior design much easier. Once interior

designers begin to utilize these resources and tools they will be able to better meet the needs of

their clients by creating healthy and sustainable environments with the same ease as designing

traditionally. From the client’s viewpoint, knowing that there are resources available to

themselves and their interior designers to ensure that their interior environments are a healthy

and safe as possible is valuable. Clients are able to access the Transparency list with ease and can

easily verify that the materials and products used within their interior environments are truly

hazard free. Finally, as a third party research channel, the material selection database operators,

41

this information shows that there is a need to greater display and advertise the services that a

design firm can offer. The services that are being provided are of tremendous help to the interior

designers that are taking advantage of them, but it is evident that most interior design

professionals are not utilizing these services. This could be resolved by increasing the amount of

advertisement and outreach that the company does within the interior design field. Each of these

individual parties are affected by this information is different ways, however, all of the parties

respond positively the transition from traditional interior design to environmental interior design

could be dramatically impacted.

The final answer

By conducting this research a few conclusions can be made about the factors underlying

the use of sustainable material databases in interior design practice. Education, awareness and

motivation are the driving forces preventing the use of material databases. As stated above there

is a general lack of education relating the sustainability within the interior design profession, and

due to this factor interior designers are unable to provide their clients the advantages of

environmentally designed interiors. Not only appear interior designers uneducated on the general

questions relating the sustainable materials and indoor air quality, but they also seem to be

unaware of the general desires sought out by their clients. There needs to be better

communication between the desires and needs of the current client base—environmental

practices being high on their list of desires—and the practices of interior designers (Jones, 2008,

p.85). Seventy-six percent of the interior designers in the survey stated that the biggest barrier to

designing environmentally was the difficult nature of encouraging clients to adopt sustainable

materials and products; little do they know that most clients are currently seeking environmental

interior spaces to live, work and play (Jones, 2008, p.85). If interior designers remain uneducated

42

and ignorant to the fact that their clients want an environmentally designed space than

environmental interior design will remain at a standstill.

There are several facets of environmental interior design that are still unknown to interior

design professionals. One of these is the existence of the resources that are available to aid in the

material selection process. Material selection databases are being underutilized primarily because

of a lack of awareness of sustainable resources. The interior design professionals indicated that

they place a high value on sustainability and feel strong moral obligation to provide

environmental interior spaces to clients, but are not acting on these values due to their lack of

awareness of the material selection databases that aid in reducing the majority of the complexity

from designing environmentally. Seven of eighteen open responses mentioned that there is a

need for a greater awareness relating to sources that provide environmental materials and

products. Combining these statements with the statistic that was indicated that 56 percent of the

participants do not use any green material selection resource in their design process would point

to the conclusion that most of the interior design professionals are unaware of the resources

available to them. The material selection databases help to reduce that amount of time that an

interior designer has to spend researching new materials and manufacturer contact information,

yet 35 percent of the participants stated that efforts to gain knowledge about sustainable products

is too time consuming. This shows that disconnect is occurring within the interior design

profession, and a stronger emphasis should be placed on presenting and advertising material

selection databases available to practitioners.

The interior design professional requires an individual to be highly self-motivated.

Practicing environmental interior design requires interior designers to draw upon this personal

characteristic because of the need to constantly be researching new information about materials

43

and products. Based on the statements made by the survey participants there is an overwhelming

percentage of interior designers that rely strictly on vendor or showroom knowledge as their

source for material and product research. While vendors and showrooms can offer data about

their materials or product this information is very basic and has restrictions. The sole job of a

vendor is to sell their product, so they are unlikely to tell a designer of the harmful or hazardous

aspects of the material or product. By using a third party source—such as Green Spec, Material

ConneXion, Todl Green or Transparency—interior designers can gain a larger scope of

information, as well as, a diverse selection of materials and products to compare to one another.

This lack of motivation amongst interior designers to research new sustainable materials and

products is causing the existing material selection databases to be underutilized. The foundation

has been put into place to fully transition from traditional design practices to environmental

design practices, but these barriers preventing the use of material selection databases need to be

addressed in order to take full advantage of all of the sustainable materials and products offered

within the interior design profession.

44

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