December 2020

Gold masi Award recipient | Institutional & Health Care | Dedre Toker of Lemay for Centennial Planetarium Renovation

President's Message

The forthcoming end of 2020 has me feeling a bit pensive – and searching for meaning to be found in such a challenging year.

Along with the rest of the world, the interior design profession has had to pivot over the past nine months, adjusting to uncertainty in employment, personal financial circumstances, family schedules including schooling and child care – not to mention the overall anxiety and isolation created by the COVID pandemic. It is truly an accomplishment to have made it through this year with your hope and sense of humour intact… and I would like to offer my compassion and support to every one of you who continues to make it all work.

For post-secondary students across our province, this time is particularly bittersweet, as they are nearing the end of their first fully online semester – and staring down the prospect of another semester of learning from home. I am fortunate to teach in the Interior Design degree program at Mount Royal University, and delivering online programs has been a huge adjustment for students and instructors alike.

The things that are lost through online learning are pretty easy to identify, particularly in a studio-based program like ours. Our students have told us that they miss each other, the shared problem-solving and in-person interaction, the ability to see what their classmates are working on, the hands-on nature of our work – and that they quickly grow tired of staring at faces on a screen.

However, we instructors have been blown away by the resilience and commitment of our students, and are seeing some benefits emerge. To streamline and simplify for online delivery, our teaching team reduced the number of assignments in favour of fewer, deeper projects. We have noticed that as a result, the students are pushing themselves further in their explorations, imbuing their solutions with more thoughtfulness and meaning. The online format has also allowed a couple of students to attend from other cities and provinces. And I have personally grown much more efficient in using online collaboration tools such as Google Jamboard, Zoom Meetings and others.

Interior Design students weren’t the only ones to have their learning goals interrupted by COVID; anyone studying for the NCIDQ exam had to adjust their plans and professional goals for this year after the April exams were postponed. As a result, we had a higher number of candidates than ever throughout Alberta during the Fall sitting in October and November. I congratulate every one of you who persevered and wish you the best of luck with your results!

Thank you, thank you, thank you – for continuing to be a part of your professional association, for lifting up our fellow designers, and for set a high bar for our industry. Whether you are a student or a working professional – I wish you all the peace and hope that the holiday season has to offer. I look forward to seeing you in 2021.

Kerri Peyton
President

Kerri Peyton

IDA President

Member Matters

IDA MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL

For your convenience your 2021 IDA renewal invoices have been issued and are due by January 31, 2021

Member Portal

Invoices can be accessed via your IDA Member Portal.

The IDA recognizes that resources are tight and with this in mind we have implemented a payment plan for 2021 that allows fees to be paid in three equal instalments.

Instalment information can be found here

Instalment Payment Plan

Membership dues are payable by January 31, 2021. A 10% late renewal fee will apply after this date. Any dues not paid by March 31, 2021, will result in membership cancellation.

Late fees are not applicable if the payment plan option is selected by January 31, 2021.

Please be aware that if you choose to not renew your membership and later decide to rejoin, you will need to qualify under the current membership standards that may or may not be more rigorous than when you were originally accepted as a member and that may result in a change of membership classification.

WELCOME TO ALL OUR NEW

2020 MEMBERS

Jillian Bartell | Student

Bianka Bergeron | Intern

Janelle Carlson | Intern

Zsanelle Dabu | Student

Amanda Elfar | Student

Kathryn Falk | Student

Megan Gamble | Student

Cassidy Gawalko | Student

Natalia Godinez-Valencia | Student

Nick Kennedy | Intern

Ciara Leibel |Student

Clare Mackey | Registered

Andrew Nowicki | Student

Maddi Podborski | Student

Megan Russo | Intern

Anna Rybak | Intern

Janelle Stonehosue | Student

Nina Sullivan | Student

Kaylee Tait | Student

Arie te Stroete | Intern

Céline Therriault | Intern

Courtney Vincent | Intern

Kelly Watkins | Student

SHIQI YIN | Student

IDA Winter Educational Series | Building Codes

Members | $60.00 per session

Non-Member | $85.00 per session

This CEU is registered with the International Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC) for continuing education credits.

Mezzanines and Interconnected Floor Spaces

January 13, 2021 | 12:00 – 14:00

This is a 2 hour, intermediate to advanced level seminar. It is recommended that participants have a good working knowledge of the Building Code to get the most out of this session. This seminar is also accompanied by practical examples using a mezzanine flow chart.

This seminar includes the following topics:

How to classify a storey vs. a mezzanine,
Fire separation requirements & waivers for mezzanines,
Egress and exiting from mezzanines,
Special protection requirements for interconnected floors, and
Exemptions to special protection for interconnected floors.

REGISTER

Fire-Resistance Ratings

February 10, 2021 | 12:00 – 14:00

This seminar is 2 hours in length and is an intermediate to advanced level session. This seminar will include a review of the following topics from the National Building Code – 2019 Alberta Edition:

Appendix D – Fire-Performance Ratings:
- Discuss Appendix D fire ratings versus a ULC listed fire rated assembly,
- Review component additive method for determining fire-resistance ratings of wood and steel framed walls, floors and roofs,
- Review fire-resistance ratings using ceiling membranes,
  Brief overview of fire-resistance ratings of concrete,
- Understand how to calculate gypsum board thickness for fire-resistance ratings of steel columns.
Part 9 – Fire and Sound Resistance Tables
- Overview and applicability of Tables,
- Review various fire rated wall and floor designs,
- Review and understand key stipulations, permissions and conditions to the Tables.

In Discussion With Those Who Have Successfully Navigated The Grey

March 10, 2021 | 12:00 – 14:00

A panel discussion with various consultants and designers on different case studies of unique building code applications

REGISTER

IDA Member Project Feature

#idalbertainteriors

We would love to showcase the work of our members on our social media platforms. Simply use the hashtag: #idalbertainteriors for a chance to be featured OR email us at info@idalberta.ca. Our next feature will be in August, providing plenty of time to get those projects photographed!