INT 322mo

This week, I learned about plumbing systems and how important they are to the overall design and function of a building. Before this lesson, I mostly thought of plumbing as the pipes, sinks, and toilets that allow water to move through a building. However, plumbing systems involve much more than that. They include bringing clean water into a building, removing wastewater, and finding ways to use water more efficiently. As interior designers, we need to understand these systems because they directly affect how we plan and design spaces. One of the main topics I learned about was the difference between potable water, black water, and gray water. Potable water is water that is safe to drink. Black water is wastewater that contains sewage, while gray water comes from sources such as sinks, bathtubs, and washing machines. Understanding these differences is important because each type of water has different uses and disposal requirements. I also learned that plumbing systems are connected to...

This week, we learned about electrical systems and lighting and how important they are in interior design. Electricity is provided to buildings through overhead or underground electrical lines and transformers. We also learned about the different parts of electrical systems, including cables, electrical symbols, and energy management devices. Something I found interesting was how much lighting affects the energy use of a building. Using too much lighting can create extra heat, which means the air conditioning has to work harder. This helped me understand why lighting design needs to be both functional and energy efficient. We also learned about different types of lamps, including incandescent, fluorescent, high-intensity discharge (HID), and LED lighting. Incandescent lamps create a warm appearance and can be dimmed, but they are inefficient and give off more heat than light. Fluorescent lighting is more energy efficient, although disposing of these lamps can introduce mercury into lan...

This week, we learned about mechanical systems and how they help make buildings comfortable and functional. HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. These systems control the temperature and air inside a building to create a comfortable environment. There are different types of heating systems, including hydronic systems, electric systems, forced-air furnaces, and wood-burning systems. Hydronic systems use heated water to warm a space, often through radiators. We also learned about cooling systems, such as heat pumps, central systems, split systems, and through-wall units. One important thing I learned is that interior designers need to work closely with mechanical and electrical engineers. Ductwork, light fixtures, sprinkler heads, and ceiling details all need to be coordinated so everything fits together properly. Renewable Energy Source: Solar Energy Solar energy is a renewable energy source that uses sunlight to produce electricity. Solar panels contain cells tha...

This week, I learned that ceilings are a much bigger part of interior design than I originally thought. I usually think of a ceiling as just a finished surface above a room, but there are actually many different types, materials, and designs that can change the entire feeling of a space. Some ceilings expose the structure and mechanical systems, while others hide them behind a finished surface. One of the main types we learned about was cathedral or sloped ceilings. I like these because they can make a room feel much larger and more open. However, they can also make lighting, heating, and cooling more difficult to coordinate. I really like this type of ceiling because the exposed beams become part of the design instead of something that needs to be hidden. It gives the room a warm and more natural feeling. Another ceiling type that stood out to me was the suspended acoustical panel ceiling (SAPC). These are especially common in commercial spaces because they help with noise control and...

This week, we learned about flooring systems and the different materials that can be used in interior spaces. Before this lesson, I mostly thought about flooring as just the finished material that we see and walk on. However, the reading and presentation showed that there is much more to flooring, including the structural system underneath, insulation, installation methods, and how the material affects the overall space. Flooring choices have to consider the use of the space, durability, maintenance, sustainability, and even indoor air quality. The presentation specifically focused on identifying wood, steel, and concrete floor systems and understanding the different types of hard, soft, and resilient flooring materials. One of the first things we learned about was floor framing systems . Wood framing can use either light-frame construction with smaller wood joists or heavy timber construction using larger beams and columns. Light-frame construction uses multiple smaller members to ca...