MODULE 4: FUNCTIONAL NEEDS OF INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT

Interior Design
The Difference between Interior Decoration and Design
 Interior Decoration – the process of arranging a room so that its component parts are independent
of each other and the relationships is maintained only with the use of color harmony and coordinated
arrangement of furniture and decorative objects.
 Interior Design – shaping and conditioning of space for the optimum physiological and psychological
environment that affects the users of the interior.

General Categories by which Concerns and Issues may be addressed in Design:

1. Functional Zoning – the need for adjacency
2. Architectural Space – a concretization of man’s existential space
a. Space is the most influential aspect of design problem solving.
b. The designer must know what activities, conditions and people he is planning for
3. Circulation and Building Form – circulation may be conceived as the perceptual together.
Buildings are the conceived as structures.
4. Response to Context – depending on the environment and the meaning of the structure in that
environment.
5. Building Envelope – the imaginary shape of a building indicating its maximum volume

Architectural Space
 The geometric elements of point, line, plane and volume can be arranged to articulate and define
space. At the scale of architecture, these fundamentals become linear columns and beams, planar
walls, floors and roofs.
 A column makes a point in space and makes it visible.
 Two columns define a spatial membrane through which we can pass.
 Supporting a beam, the columns delineate the edges of a transparent plane.
 A wall, an opaque plane, marks off a portion of amorphous space and separate here from there.
 A floor defines a field of space with territorial boundaries
 A roof provides shelter for the volume of space beneath it.
 In Architectural design, these elements are organized to give a building form, differentiate between
inside and outside, and define the boundaries of interior space.

Interior Space
 Interior spaces are formed first by a building’s structure system, further defined by walls and ceiling
planes, and related to other spaces by windows and doorways. Every building has a recognizable
pattern of these elements and systems. Each pattern has an inherent geometry which molds or
carves out a volume of space to its likeness.

Structuring Space with Interior Design

 Although a building’s structural system sets up the basic form and pattern of its Interior spaces, these
spaces are ultimately structured by the elements of interior design.
 “Structure” refers to the selection of arrangement of interior elements such that their visual
relationships define and organize the interior space of a room.
Designing Interior Spaces
 Interior Design necessarily goes beyond the architectural definition of space. In planning the layout,
finishing and enrichment of space, the Interior Design should be highly aware of its architectural
character as well as its potential for modification and enhancement.
 The design of interior spaces, therefore, requires an understanding of how they are formed by the
building systems of structure and enclosure. With this understanding, the Interior Designer can
effectively choose to work with, continue or even offer a counterpoint to the essential qualities of a
interior space.

Interior Design Services (According to UAP Doc. 203-A)

1. Prescribes the furniture and interior finishes appropriate for different activities and spaces; prepares
the furniture and furnishing layout.
2. Prepares the design and schedule of furniture giving their dimensions, specifications, locations, etc.
3. Assist the client in conducting bids and negotiations with furniture fabricators and other suppliers.
4. Checks and approves samples of materials and shop drawing of furniture, fixture and décor items.
5. Conduct final inspection and approval of furniture and other items.

Possible Roles of a Designer that may play in a Project

1. The decision-maker
2. A specifier of products and designs
3. An authority figure helping the client makes correct choices
4. A combination of any of these