ASID and the University of Minnesota Announce First Contributors to Design Research Clearinghouse

Furniture World Magazine

The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the University of Minnesota announced Vista Window Film and the Sherwin-Williams Company have signed on as founding contributors to the clearinghouse for design and human behavior research - a ground-breaking step in applied design research for the interior design profession and other design disciplines. An educational collaboration between the Society and the University, the mission of the Internet-based clearinghouse is to facilitate the use of current research as a decision-making tool in the design process, improving the overall quality of design solutions, and enhancing public health safety and welfare. The clearinghouse is scheduled to go live via its own site on the Web in fall 2002. "Becoming a contributor to the ASID/University of Minnesota clearinghouse for design and human behavior research will help deliver valuable research on human behavior to the design community and ultimately the consumer," said Virginia L. Kubler, marketing director, Vista Window Film, CPFilms, Inc. "Solar control window film plays an important role in interior environments, and, as such, Vista is proud to support the ASID/University of Minnesota research project that will enhance the health, safety and welfare of the public's interior environment." "ASID is thrilled that Vista Window Film and Sherwin-Williams have realized the value of partnering in this endeavor to create the first, and only, centralized, searchable database of research findings connecting design and human behavioral factors," said ASID President Barbara Nugent, FASID. "The Society encourages other companies - practitioner or industry - that serve the built environment to also become a vital part of this revolutionary program." "As a company so directly involved with the commercial and residential design markets and so acutely aware of their needs and concerns, Sherwin-Williams is pleased to be a part of this initiative, and to support its very worthwhile objectives and goals," said Terry Makowski, manager, Wholesale Marketing, the Sherwin-Williams Company. ASID and the University of Minnesota's Department of Design, Housing and Apparel joined forces after realizing that no comprehensive, user-friendly source about the relationship between design and human behavior existed. The clearinghouse's focus is on identifying design issues, research results and findings, and transforming them into interpreted research-based design criteria, which will make the information meaningful and applicable for the practitioner. The project also will encourage further development of this body of knowledge. A team of researchers from the University of Minnesota is currently evaluating existing research from design specialties and related disciplines for inclusion in the database. Once the research is accumulated and analyzed, it will be translated into a practitioner-friendly research summary for dissemination via a searchable database on the Internet. In addition, the clearinghouse will provide a myriad of other services, including, but not limited to, a source for potential collaborative research opportunities, interactive communication among users, a monthly newsletter and a calendar of upcoming research events. The future Web site will be accessible at no cost, and useful to a wide range of audiences, not limited to members of the design community. Any manufacturer, architecture or design firm or other company interested in learning more about the many benefits of becoming contributors, should contact ASID Industry Partners at (202) 546-3480. ASID is the largest professional association representing the interests of interior designers. Its mission is to advance the interior design profession through knowledge generation and sharing, advocacy of interior designers' right to practice, professional and public education, and expansion of interior design markets. The Society supports its more than 31,500 members - comprised of practicing interior designers from all design specialties, design students and industry representatives - through a variety of programs and services and a network of 48 local chapters throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more information on ASID, visit www.asid.org. The University of Minnesota ranks third among the nation's public research universities and enrolls 54,000 students system-wide. The clearinghouse is based in the College of Human Ecology whose mission is to "...engage in the scholarship of teaching, discovery, and outreach to address the human needs of people in Minnesota and beyond..." For more information on the University of Minnesota, visit www.che.umn.edu. Vista Window Film, manufactured by CPFilms, Inc., the largest manufacturer of window film in the world. The company manufacturers professionally installed films for solar and fade control, ultraviolet and glare reduction, safety and security improvements and decorative applications. For more information on Vista, please visit their Web site at www.vista-films.com. For 130 years, Sherwin-Williams has satisfied the coating and color needs of architects, designers, specifiers, painting contractors, property managers and builders. Sherwin-Williams provides fast, flexible, responsive local service and personalized, expert advice. More than 2,500 stores and 1,000 sales representatives make Sherwin-Williams North America's larges single-source supplier o high-quality paints, stains, masonry coatings and brand-name wall and floorcoverings. Visit Sherwin-Williams on the World Wide Web at www.sherwin-williams.com.