IDIAMM

Here s the thing, it’s easy to be an interior designer / architect and talk about a visual or a finish or a concept. Think about talking about your space about differently:

1. Wear the Structural engineer hat and give me their approach to the space. Does it need steel supports, removing walls need extra support at high level? Making door openings need bigger lintels? Do I need to brace free standing walls? Where is the structural integrity of the space and how do I support suspended elements, m&e, etc?

2. Wear the acousticians hat. What walls need 50db or more for better acoustics. What walls can I sacrifice at 35db to assist with m&e high level containment runs. Where do I need drop seals to what doors and why

3. Wear the m&e hat. How am I getting power to the desks and why? What’s the approach to heating cooling and fresh air? Do I put a FCU in every room or every other room and branch off and have don’t have individual controls?

4. Wear a commercial hat. Where am I spending money and where do I budget. What’s the tiering principals and why. Where do I  want to VE and why so I can really spend more to be a feature element and that ultimate hero shot?

4. Client hat last but not least. How do I want the customer to experience the space compared to the invisible staff and logistics. How does the space function. Where are the money generators and how can I expand/flex the space to be multi purpose? How can I make the design and more importantly the concept a successful business?

Wear different hats to see different aspects of your design and approach to the concept. Talk about more that just the pretty stuff to stand out. Remember no one expects you to know everything, but learn and think beyond that of just a designer to really show how you can be more than just a designer. Bring something new to the table…