The Interior Design Profession's Body of Knowledge

Does interior design help people lead healthier, happier lives? There is a growing body of evidence that supports clear links between interior design and public health, safety and welfare. In fact, this knowledge lies at the very heart of interior design practice.

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What Is a Body of Knowledge?

A profession's body of knowledge is the abstract knowledge needed by practitioners to perform the profession's work. Abstract knowledge is what an interior design practitioner knows and applies to a design project. This is not to be confused with the skills designers need to practice or tasks designers are required to perform.

Why Document the Interior Design Body of Knowlege?

Once we identify the profession's abstract knowledge, we can communicate within and beyond our profession about our work. We also can determine if the knowledge areas identified represent interior design practice today. By knowing where the profession is today, based on our body of knowledge, we can determine where the profession wants to be in the future and the path to get there.

Recent Interior Design Research

Low Carbon vs Traditional Interior Design
The results of this contrast study show that low-carbon technology in all aspects of interior design is much better than the traditional design. Further research on this kind of design may help support the need for sustainable design.

Office Design for 21st-Century Workers
This study of an office redesign for a major pharmaceutical company found workers’ satisfaction with their workspace almost doubled, associated capital costs were nearly cut in half, and the amount of time lost to distractions, waiting, looking for meeting rooms, and the like decreased by 16%.”