March 31st, 2014

Hello, and welcome to our Open Book!

There I was, sophomore year of high school looking at class options to take for the next year.  AutoCAD and Interior Design….and so it started!

I consider myself very lucky for deciding so early how I wanted to spend the rest of my life.  It was going to be designing spaces, changing people’s lives, finding solutions to the world’s problems, and creating innovative ideas.

The world of Architecture, Interior Design, and Engineering is such a part of your everyday life that you may not even realize how much attention goes into the details.   I cross bridges every day, thankful that they are there, but not spending the time to think about HOW they actually work.  It’s engineers who have the math, the knowledge, and the experience to keep our lives safe as we travel to our loved ones, to work, or wherever the roads may lead.  Structures we are thankful for, design we appreciate.  If mankind is going to make an impact on Mother Earth, let it enhance its surroundings while it serves a purpose. 

Architecture and Engineering is taking on a new trend, lightening the impact they have on Mother Earth.  Architects are incorporating sustainable design into building components, and using research to take advantage of the sun angles and seasons of the specific area the building is in.

Buildings used to be built to create status, hierarchy, and depict specific meaningful symbols and shapes, as well as the known purposes of shelter and protection.  Today in the world of design, some ways of thinking are similar, but most design is backed up from Evidence-based design - the research and studies of Ergonomics, or, how people interact with each other and their environment.  An example of incorporating evidence based design in a facility would be using nature images in a healthcare center.  Research shows that it will help heal patients faster.  Design is also created by using ‘proxemics’, a term created by anthropologist Edward T. Hall.  “Proxemics deals with the issues of spacing between people, territoriality, and organization of space and positioning of people in space all relative to the culture of which they are a part”. (Ballast).  

Using an Architect and Interior Designer on your project will greatly enhance the way your building and spaces function and the way your employees work and interact.  There is specific knowledge that goes into the details to help create a building and space that increases productivity and brand appearance.  After all, the building and interior should be a reflection of you, or your business, because it is the first impression that your clients receive when they walk in your front door.

Closing the book for now,

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Jessica L. Folmar
Interior Designer
Hurst-Rosche Engineers, Inc.
Design Architects, Inc.

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Ballast, David Kent.  Interior Design Reference Manual. Belmont, California: Professional Publications, Inc.  2010.