KSA Presents "Visual Discovery" at VANHA

KSA Interiors Presents "Visual Discovery: Creating a Meaningful Vocabulary for Your Next Design Project" at the VANHA Annual Conference May 21st-24th.

A design team from KSA Interiors, led by Cameron Stiles, CID, FASID, LEED AP; will be leading an interactive presentation at the VANHA Annual Conference in Hot Springs, Virginia. This collaborative and fun Design Thinking exercise will engage conference attendees in a mock design session where they explore Visual Discovery techniques and engage in role-playing collaboration scenarios. Participants will work with the KSA team to define design priorities and vision for the administrators, residents, and staff of the fictional “Heron Bay Retirement Community!”

Promoting Wellness at Work - Yoga, Dogs & Active Feet.

 

Sometimes many small efforts manage to come together and turn into something much larger and far more impactful than originally intended or anticipated. This is how KSA Interiors discovered that we had tremendous influence as a company on how well our employees and team members live their lives through promoting wellness.

Wellness for us began as something we did not entirely realize we were doing, at least not in an organized fashion. It simply began with an awareness of how much harm a sedentary - sitting at your desk - lifestyle can cause. Slowly, awareness blossomed into a full-fledged effort to eat better, work better and live better.

This week on Tuesday, February 12th, KSA Interiors will be recognized by Sports Backers as an "Active RVA Certified" Employer.

We appreciate the accolade, but far more important is what this means for our team and how it impacts our daily lives.

In 2009 KSA's CEO Kim Schoenadel asked if there were any way we could bring exercise into the daily routine at KSA. We soon hired a Yoga instructor, Sonia Stoeckli from Spiritual Flow Yoga, to lead our team in an after-hours yoga session each Thursday. Bringing Sonia into the office spurred a revolution at KSA of various team members becoming champions for wellness in the workplace.

One of our former team members, Joanna Yates, took a deep interest in Yoga, becoming an instructor on her own and leading our team through "Yoga Breaks" intended to get us out from behind our desks.

Yoga, was soon followed by weekly wellness updates lead by Gillian Bowman, who took the lead in helping to internally promote healthy eating and daily habits. Afternoon walking groups soon formed, as did "Daily Health Checklist" competitions, and weekly Zumba classes held within our offices.

In our second year of the checklist competition, Gillian noted that many of our team have commented to her on the benefits of the program - whether it is related to better sleep, healthier eating, or the occasional better fitting pair of pants!

By 2013, we had not only incorporated an active healthy lifestyle into our corporate culture, we also incorporated it into the way we do business.  In January 2013 our workspace was renovated to change the way we collaborate, interact and work. Wellness and ergonomics were prime factors in developing our new work styles. Standing height work tables replaced conference tables, and sit-to-stand adjustable height desks replaced cockpit style cubicles. 

Sara Lasseter incorporated this aspect of wellness into the design solution she championed for our offices "We are always told the risk of living sedentary lives while being seated all day in the office. Having the flexibility to adjust the desk heights for periods of time not only changes my posture but I am often more apt to move and stretch while still being connected to my task".

 

Wellness of course does not stop with the challenge to improve our physical selves and environments. After reading several studies on the emotional and mental benefits found from inviting pets to the work environment, KSA embarked on a "Dog Days" program where we invite our furry pals to the office the first Friday of every month.

"We all look forward to Dog Days" states Heather Croy. "Whether it’s your dog or someone else’s, having them around creates a happy buzz around the studio".

The best component of our wellness program however is the way it galvanizes our team around supportive goals and camaraderie. Whether we are engaged in personal challenges to lose weight, training for a race, or engaging our competitive spirit, we have found that the shared experience with our co-workers sits at the root of our success.

KSA is proud to join the list of companies working to build a more healthful workplace, and hope our experience will encourage others to do the same. Here is to good health, and shared wellness with all our friends in the greater Richmond community.

Perhaps we will see some of you on one of our lunch time walks, or at the next Innsbrook Corporate 4 Miler? Feel free to join us as well in our Daily Health Checklist competition. You can contact us at info@ksainteriors.com for more info!

One Constitution Square - Mobility, Efficiency, Wellness.

In the summer of 2011 KSA Interiors was selected by the General Services Administration to help lead their organization in adopting a new model for the collaborative workplace. In keeping with President Obama's Executive Order 13514 and the GSA's Agency Sustainability Plan - KSA helped develop mobile work environments that compressed physical real estate, promoted improved use of space, flattened corporate hierarchy, and maintained the organization's Zero Environmental Footprint Goal.

Primary goals for our team were to reconfigure existing furniture and to compress the traditional working environment to better align with the growing needs of telework and cross-organization communication.

Long term cost savings were a major factor in all project decisions as the life-span of all products and furnishings identified in this project were intended to outlive their proposed location in the One Constitution Square facility. This requirement established a key challenge as all furnishings and materials would need to work not only here at One Constitution Square, but also work seamlessly at the GSA headquarters facility – the final home for these solutions and departments. 

Programming sessions with the various departments within the organization identified a variety of specific needs and requirements for each unique group - with several key themes that were consistent throughout the organization, including:

Compressing and maximizing the use of existing physical space.

Supporting the needs and culture of telework.

Providing increased opportunity for collaboration.

Addressing privacy as a function of specific tasks as opposed to a measure of status.

Promoting individual and organizational wellness.

To meet these challenges, open work spaces were reconfigured and compressed using "benching" and collaborative open plan systems to increase cross pollination of ideas and to provide appropriate space for telework. Hard walled spaces formerly used for private offices were converted into areas for multi-media collaboration, team meetings, and private interactions. Open collaborative areas which adjoin the open office workspace created areas to improve team communication and also encouraged team members to move throughout the facility. Movement throughout the day was one of the final initiatives in promoting a more healthy work environment and team.

The success of these solutions will assist the GSA in adopting a more effective and efficient work environment - reducing the need for physical real estate and improving the productivity, corporate culture, and well being of it's staff.

Legislative Update: Closer to success in protecting the welfare of the public!

A major success was handed to those fighting to protect Certification for Interior Designers in Virginia, and those working to ensure the safety and welfare of the public. Saturday (March 10th) the General Assembly agreed to conference amendments which either remove deregulation or maintain its absence from both the resolutions and bills introduced in this session. The issue now goes before the Governor for final approval. We hope that Governor McDonnell will agree with the sensible decisions put forth by the General Assembly and sign this legislation without ammendment.

Angie Bezik and Ann Flandermeyer Kirwin
of Principle Advantage, Ltd.

Many thanks for the leadership of the Council for Certified Virginia Interior Designers (CCVID) and our lobbying team of Principle Advantage. As well, we wish to thank all the hard work and effort of CID's across Virginia and the support of the Virginia chapters of ASID and IIDA.

Most importantly, we also extend our thanks to the legislators in the House and Senate who were willing to stand up to protect small business and the health, saftey, and welfare of the public.

HJ 49
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?121+sum+HJ49

SJ66
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?121+sum+SJ66

HB 1291
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?121+sum+HB1291

SB 678
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?121+sum+SJ66

Legislative Update - Cautious Optimism

Tuesday the Virginia House General Laws Committee - Special Sub Committee #5 amended House Bill HB1291. Deregulation of Certified Interior Designers was removed from the bill. The special subcomittee meets again today (February 2nd), and the full General Laws committee will hear HB1291 on Tuesday February 7th, sending the bill to it's final stage.

Monday February 6th, the State Senate will hear Senate Bill 678 for the first time (deregulation of CID's was removed from thsi bill in the resolution phase of the process).

With cautious optimism, we expect that the final conformed version of this bill which reaches the Governor’s desk will not include deregulation.

Our success to date could not have been achieved without the hard work and grass roots efforts of Certified Interior Designers. Individual letters, calls to legislators, and visits to the general assembly made our case and raised awareness of our industry.

We will continue to monitor progress of these bills to ensure that protections for the health, safety and welfare of the public remain in place.

*DPOR is self funded by Certified Interior Designer Fees.
http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/dporweb/public_records_faq.pdf

**Three state universities ranked in the top ten in the nation by Design Intelligence.
Virginia Tech (8th)
Virginia Commonwealth University (10th)
Radford University (10th 2011)
http://www.di.net/news/archive/3735/

***2002 Economic Census Data:
54141 NACIS Code / Interior Design Services - 325 Establishments, $155,573,000 Revenue.

**** How Interior Designers Protect the Public.
http://ncidq.org/AboutUs/AboutInteriorDesign/HowInteriorDesignersProtectthePublic.aspx

***** Eliminates reciprocity with states and other jurisdictions.
http://www.asisvcs.com/publications/pdf/660949.pdf 

***** Eliminates the ability to stamp and seal drawings

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+reg+18VAC10-20-760

 

******* Eliminates voting rights in professional corporations.

http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/dporweb/forms/ape/04pcreg.pdf

*******Reduces the interior designer's scope of work.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+54.1-400
http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/StateBuildingCodesandRegulations/PDFs/2009/Related%20Laws%20Package.pdf
 

Legislative Update - Interior Design Decertification in Virginia

The effort to protect the interior designer's right to practice is reaching a critical stage. With successes in the Virginia State Senate, and some setbacks in the Virginia House of Delegates, now is the time for all supporters of Interior Design Certification to reach out to their legislators.

This week the two houses will meet to establish subcommittees in efforts to reconcile the differences between the two resolutions passed on Friday. A Senate resolution which does not include decertification, and a House resolution which does.

The following outline (below) provides some background on Friday's caucus session and insight on the House of Delegates, specifically how members voted and which members are likely to compose the final subcommittee.

Now is the time to take action. Contact your legislator now!

http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform


___________________________________________________

Friday, January 20, 2012 both SJ 66 and HJ 49, Executive Reorganization Plan submitted by the Governor, were heard during floor session.  SJ66 ultimately passed as amended, (with the provision for decertification removed from the resolution), passed the Senate 22 – 17.  

YEAS--Black, Blevins, Carrico, Colgan, Garrett, Hanger, Martin, McDougle, McWaters, Newman, Norment, Obenshain, Petersen, Reeves, Ruff, Smith, Stanley, Stosch, Stuart, Vogel, Wagner, Watkins--22.

NAYS--Barker, Deeds, Ebbin, Favola, Herring, Howell, Locke, Lucas, Marsden, Marsh, McEachin, Miller, J.C., Miller, Y.B., Northam, Puckett, Puller, Saslaw--17.

 

RULE 36--0.

HJ49 ultimately passed 69 – 27 (with 4 not voting) with one technical amendment by Delegate Gilbert that allowed for the provisions passed in the resolution to be placed in the enactment legislation, which will be forthcoming.  As of this morning (Saturday), it has not been placed on the system.  (We did have a floor amendment lined up to remove the paragraph affecting us, but the political situation did not allow for that to move forward.)

AMENDMENT: 

1. Line 31, introduced, after approved insert

, subject to the enactment of a bill by the 2012 Session of the General Assembly

YEAS--Albo, Anderson, Bell, Richard P., Bell, Robert B., Byron, Cline, Cole, Comstock, Cosgrove, Cox, J.A., Cox, M.K., Crockett-Stark, Dudenhefer, Edmunds, Fariss, Farrell, Garrett, Gilbert, Greason, Habeeb, Head, Helsel, Hodges, Hugo, Iaquinto, Ingram, Joannou, Johnson, Jones, Kilgore, Knight, Landes, LeMunyon, Lingamfelter, Loupassi, Marshall, D.W., Marshall, R.G., Massie, May, Merricks, Miller, Minchew, Morefield, Morris, O'Bannon, O'Quinn, Orrock, Peace, Pogge, Poindexter, Purkey, Putney, Ramadan, Ransone, Robinson, Rush, Rust, Scott, E.T., Sherwood, Stolle, Tata, Ware, R.L., Watson, Webert, Wilt, Wright, Yancey, Yost, Mr. Speaker--69.

NAYS--Alexander, BaCote, Brink, Bulova, Carr, Dance, Englin, Filler-Corn, Herring, Hope, Howell, A.T., James, Keam, Kory, Lewis, Lopez, McClellan, McQuinn, Morrissey, Plum, Scott, J.M., Sickles, Surovell, Toscano, Tyler, Ward, Watts--27.

ABSTENTIONS--0.

NOT VOTING--Spruill, Torian, Villanueva, Ware, O.--4.

The House will place their bill in a special subcommittee that will include Delegates Jones, Albo, Carr, Gilbert and one other, who I will confirm for you later.  We will work the subcommittee to have it removed from the bill.

Leave Virginia's Protection for Competition, Business, and the Public in Place. Fight Interior Design Deregulation

Governor Robert F. McDonnell has proposed the deregulation of interior design as part of his Reorganization Plan which is geared toward creating a more efficient, responsive, and cost effective state government.
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/mgmedia/file/449/mcdonnells-government-reorganization-plan/ (see pg. 18)

This action will have a negative impact on the health, safety, and welfare of the public, reduce free market competition between architecture and interior design firms, and create barriers to business.

The following is a list of actions you can take, and resources you can utilize to assist in the effort to fight Interior Design decertification in Virginia.

1. See the list of talking points below to learn the facts of ID decertification in VA.

2. Write a clear and brief letter to your state and local legislators.

3. Utilize social media to spread the message. Twitter users can use the hashtag #VACID


Find your legislators:
http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform



Talking points & facts.

1. Interior design decertification does NOT save the state money. The Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) which regulates architects, engineers and interior designers is self-funded by dues and fees.

http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/dporweb/public_records_faq.pdf



2. Interior design decertification harms the public. Interior designers have a significant positive impact on the health, safety, and welfare of the public, and may have the greatest impact on fire and life safety in terms of interior content within buildings.

http://njcidl.org/MG_Setser.pdf

http://ncidq.org/AboutUs/AboutInteriorDesign/HowInteriorDesignersProtectthePublic.aspx

http://www.asid.org/NR/rdonlyres/572C5A0B-D931-4763-A703-4D00E156D162/0/ASID_Legislative101web.pdf




3. Interior design decertification harms the public by removing enforcement of standards of professional conduct for interior designers, and by eliminating recourse for the public to file potential complaints. No other private or government entity provides this assurance to the public.

http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/dporweb/dpormainwelcome.cfm

http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/dporweb/enfocomp.cfm



4. Interior design decertification creates barriers to business as it will impact the voting rights of interior designers who serve on the boards of professional corporations. This is a common business structure for many architecture firms which employ interior designers.

http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/dporweb/forms/ape/04pcreg.pdf (see Regulation 18 VAC 10-20-530.C)

 

5. Interior design decertification creates barriers to business as it will eliminate the ability of Certified Interior Designers to stamp and seal drawings.

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+reg+18VAC10-20-760

6. Interior design decertification creates barriers to business by eliminating opportunities for reciprocity with other states which require regulation.
For example, within the District of Columbia where many Virginia CID’s practice.

http://www.asisvcs.com/publications/pdf/660949.pdf (See section 3204)



7. Interior design decertification creates barriers to business by placing greater burden upon local jurisdictions in regards to permitting for interior design projects. Additionally decertification increases ambiguity regarding the submission of drawings for permit within the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code and Related Laws Package.

http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/StateBuildingCodesandRegulations/PDFs/2009/Code%20-%20VCC.pdf (see pg. 10-15 & Section 108.4)

http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/StateBuildingCodesandRegulations/PDFs/2009/Related%20Laws%20Package.pdf (See pg. 61-67)

http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?000+cod+TOC5401000 (see sections 54.1-100 thru 54.1-415)



8. Interior design decertification creates barriers to business by creating ambiguity and reducing the interior designers scope of work. Interior designers will have to subcontract with architects leading to increased costs for projects.

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+54.1-400

http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/StateBuildingCodesandRegulations/PDFs/2009/Related%20Laws%20Package.pdf (See pg. 61-67)



9. Interior design decertification creates barriers to business by conflicting with state requirements such as those by DGS requiring the hire of “Certified Interior Designers”.

http://dgs.virginia.gov/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=SLCGwc7ZrNQ%3d&tabid=403&mid=1125 (Sections 202.2, 602.2, 803.10.3, 1017.2)



10. Interior design CERTIFICATION does NOT create barriers to business. Certification in Virginia is regulated under a “Title Act” which protects the use of the term “Certified Interior Designer”. An interior designer does not have to become “Certified” in order to practice in Virginia.

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+54.1-412



11. Virginia is home to four public universities with Accredited Interior Design programs.
Three of these schools have been identified as being within the TOP TEN programs in the nation.

Virginia Tech (8th-2012, 6th-2011, 9th -2009)
Virginia Commonwealth University (10th-2012, Tied for 10th 2011)
Radford University (Tied for 10th-2011)
http://www.di.net/news/archive/3735/

KSA on Health, Safety and Welfare:

Quakes, Snakes and Irene

After the stress of last few weeks for all of us on the East Coast, I was struck by an important thought. Even though I am an interior designer, and a George Nelson Coconut Chair excites me almost more than anything else, what I want most of the spaces where I live and work are for them to keep me safe. 

As I was huddled under my work surface during the 5.9 earthquake; the floor bouncing, light fixtures shaking, the building rumbling and “cube bling” (slang for all the quirky mementos we designers collect) falling off the shelves, I was fearful that I would be left under a mass of rubble, waiting for rescue dogs to sniff me out.  Fortunately that wasn’t necessary and I was able to text many of my friends and family that all was well.  Our building proved strong enough to withstand the earth’s torrential movement. 

Fast forward four days as we meet Hurricane Irene.  A witch by all accounts, Irene stormed through our beaches, towns and countryside showing us her wrath by tossing down trees, power lines and blowing debris.  Most of us found refuge in our homes; the places that protect us from cold, heat, snow, intruders (namely the many snakes in my neighborhood) and all sorts of environmental monsters.  For some Irene showed that her ability to toss trees was stronger than our roofs could withstand.  Fortunately most inhabitants weren’t injured, but the storm demonstrated that our homes aren’t as strong as they should be.

The people who design and build our structures, including interior designers, are required to be knowledgeable about construction materials and techniques that make built environments reasonably safe from whatever the earth and Mother Nature throw at us.  Not only does the structure have to withstand the stresses of the environment, but the interior design must also provide safety for those living inside; no obstacles blocking our exit routes, no furniture falling on us, no materials that can easily become ablaze. 

Natural disasters offer us the opportunity to review and to assess, and our wrecked homes and buildings become the research labs of structural engineers, designers and code officials.  The experiences of this past week will be used to learn how to make the built environment more safe, so that maybe our new roofs can withstand the weight of falling trees and our spaces can endure quakes, snakes and Irene. 

Beth Dickerson, CID, ASID, LEED AP