IDIAMM

Want to stand out in an interview or make an impression on a potential employer? Talk about coordination.

As an interior design / interior architect, you can never think of your work, be it a wall, a piece of joinery or a door as being a stand alone piece. You always have to think about how it is coordinated with other elements to function.

Let’s take something as simple as a meeting room plasterboard wall. A simple plasterboard 35db wall. 70mm floor and head track, c shaped studs at 600mm centre from RAF to slab. 50mm rockwool insulation, 2x 12.5mm square edge plasterboard either side. Skimmed, rubbed down ready for painting…. A simple install for a single ceiling and partition tradesman….Right? Wrong.

I need a TV on that wall. So I need M&E input to allow for internal conduit/containment for power and data running from under the RAF up to the TV location. I need to make sure the containment is running in that area. If it penetrates the wall I need an acoustician detail to confirm the wall still retain 50Db.

The TV will need patressing set out at 600 centres via my C&P contractor but I need to coordinate where my power sockets and hdmi socket is going? I need my AV consultant to confirm the bracket to suit the TV size and make sure the sockets aren’t impacted but still accessible.

The TV needs to be coordinated with a floor box under the main mtg room table so this continent from the TV will need to be aligned with other under RAF routes not to clash.

The floor box will need to be coordinated with the furniture so it’s doesn’t impede the leg desk, chair locations don’t infringe it too.

The wall will also have a glazed inset screen and door frame so I need to consider there critical install dims for from structural opening to be built by the C&P contractor plus other M&E installations re AC controls, cleaners socket etc so again C&P input, M&E input avoiding 600mm studs.

Then there is the RCP grid and tile setting out so lighting is suitable via M&E to the correct LUX levels, table location and not glare off the TV, with fire alarm location, smoke detection, PIR sensors, speakers connected to the TV, etc….

I could go on… A simple wall in a room needs coordination with so many aspects of design beyond the obvious and many other trades and input to get it built correctly. As a designer always think about how something is built, what needs to go into it and why. You need to consider and coordinate all of the above information by communicating with other trades to make sure it works, is buildable and satisfying to the clients needs with detailing to suit and designing with an understanding of what goes where and why…

Demonstrate this mindset and you are industry ready and people will take note…(Remember this just a simple wall being built…)