Deborah Schneiderman | Pratt Institute (original) (raw)

Books by Deborah Schneiderman

Interiors Beyond Architecture, 2018

Interiors Beyond Architecture proposes an expanded impact for interior design that transcends the... more Interiors Beyond Architecture proposes an expanded impact for interior design that transcends the inside of buildings, analysing significant interiors that engage space outside of the disciplinary boundaries of architecture. It presents contemporary case studies from a historically nuanced and theoretically informed perspective, presenting a series of often-radical propositions about the nature of the interior itself. Internationally renowned contributors from the UK, USA and New Zealand present ten typologically specific chapters including: Interiors Formed with Nature, Adaptively Reused Structures, Mobile Interiors, Inhabitable art, Interiors for Display and On Display, Film Sets, Infrastructural Interiors, Interiors for Extreme Environments, Interior Landscapes, and Exterior Interiors.

Appropriated Interiors, 2021

The book addresses the broad cultural, historical, and theoretical implications of interiors beyo... more The book addresses the broad cultural, historical, and theoretical implications of interiors beyond their conventionally defined architectural boundaries. With provocative contributions from leading and emerging historians, theorists, and design practitioners, the book is rooted in new scholarship that expands traditional relationships between architecture and interiors and that reflects the latest theoretical developments in the fields of interior design history and practice.

Textile Technology and Design addresses the critical role of the interior at the intersection of ... more Textile Technology and Design addresses the critical role of the interior at the intersection of design and technology, with a range of interdisciplinary arguments by a wide range of contributors: from design practitioners to researchers and scholars to aerospace engineers. Chapters examine the way in which textiles and technology – while seemingly distinct – continually inform each other through their persistent overlapping of interests, and eventually coalesce in the practice of interior design.

Covering all kinds of interiors from domestic (prefabricated kitchens and 3D wallpaper) to extreme (underwater habitats and space stations), it features a variety of critical aspects including pattern and ornament, domestic technologies, craft and the imperfect, gender issues, sound and smart textiles. This book is essential reading for students of textile technology, textile and interior design.

As an inherently sustainable and affordable building method, prefabrication has enjoyed a revival... more As an inherently sustainable and affordable building method, prefabrication has enjoyed a revival in recent years, attracting clients and architects alike. Low construction costs, efficiency, and sustainability make prefabrication an attractive solution for contemporary interior designers. Off-site production for interior design elements has been the norm for centuries, from the first Asian paper screens to the packaged kitchens of the mid-twentieth century, but it has rarely been the topic of serious discussion. In Inside Prefab, author Deborah Schneiderman offers a fascinating history of prefabricated interior design, followed by twenty-four contemporary case studies. The richly illustrated examples in this book range from interior walls, kitchens, bathrooms, furniture, and offices to complete prefabricated house interiors. This first book-length discussion and showcase of the prefabricated interior environment includes projects by established architects such as Shigeru Ban, Atelier Tekuto, and Greg Lynn, as well as up-and-coming firms.

This congenial graphic architectural history examines the significance of the prefab bathroom in ... more This congenial graphic architectural history examines the significance of the prefab bathroom in the history of prefabricated technologies in the built environment. The cultural aspects of ritual and sanitary necessities of hygiene have added to complexities in bathroom design, and driven the development of various alternative construction methods, specifically prefabrication.

First introduced with Buckminister Fuller’s 1936 Dymaxion Bathroom, and subsequently revisited by many architects and designers, the prefab model has expanded to “pod” and “plug-in” concepts on the building- and city-scale.

Book Chapters by Deborah Schneiderman

Interiors, 2018

A set of interiors can comprise a networked infrastructural system. Typically, infrastructure is ... more A set of interiors can comprise a networked infrastructural system. Typically, infrastructure is understood as transportation, communication or utilities. Recently, infrastructure has been defined to include replicable building models that maintain an organization or information network. As individual buildings become reproducible products engineered for function they can be defined as a networked infrastructure. Likewise, a reproducible interior element can transcend its architecture and produce a networked infrastructural interior. This Hypothesis is analyzed though interior conditions without architecture (though various subway system conditions), within a non-architectured sites (the parking garage), and as a part of a systematically networked interior condition (Library/disaster relief and Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS)).An expanding investigation into the interior requires an examination of interiority beyond quotidian occupation. Infrastructure is typically considered as physical or data driven interconnectivity, for example transportation, communication or utilities. Recently, infrastructure has expanded to include replicable building models that maintain an organization or information network. As individual buildings become reproducible products, no longer uniquely designed by architects but rather engineered for function, they can be defined as infrastructure (Easterling 2014). Likewise, a reproducible interior element set within an architecture can transcend that architecture and become a networked infrastructural interior condition. Infrastructural interiors can exist either without architecture at all, within a structure that is not typically considered an inhabitable architecture (or non-architectured), or where the functionality of the interior is networked.

Interiors Beyond Architecture, 2018

Textile Technology and Design, 2016

The Interior Architecture Theory Reader, 2018

In the Interior Architecture Theory Reader, ed Gregory Marinic. The investigation into modern pre... more In the Interior Architecture Theory Reader, ed Gregory Marinic. The investigation into modern prefabrication has enjoyed much attention in the architecture community for over a century, but until very recently, the literature documenting its significance has contained a notable omission. The techniques and applications of prefabrication of the interior have been evident for thousands of years. Prefabrication in the built environment owes much of its advancement to concepts investigated in terms of interior architectural elements and components, and thus it deserves closer examination. The evolution of the prefab house decidedly includes the development of ideas and integration of prefabricated interior components. The notion of prefabrication, and particularly the prefabricated dwelling, receives continued attention by architects and designers for reasons of efficiency and affordability of construction coupled with a current shift toward, or return to, sustainable technologies, designs, and environments

Appropriated Interiors, 2021

Textile Technology and Design, 2016

Interiors Beyond Architecture, 2018

Appropriated Interiors, 2021

Interiors, 2018

Interiors Beyond Architecture, 2018

Textile Technology and Design, 2016

The Interior Architecture Theory Reader, 2018

Appropriated Interiors, 2021

Textile Technology and Design, 2016

Interiors Beyond Architecture, 2018

Informality and the City, 2022

Man built most nobly when limitations were at their greatest.-Frank Lloyd Wright A critical chall... more Man built most nobly when limitations were at their greatest.-Frank Lloyd Wright A critical challenge for the interior designer is to consider not only the typical scenario of design for building interiors but also to consider emerging specialties within and beyond the discipline.

The Productive Drapery project is a multidisciplinary investigation intended to correct architect... more The Productive Drapery project is a multidisciplinary investigation intended to correct architecture and create better interiors. Historically drapery has been utilized to block and filter light, provide privacy, and mend construction to minimize drafts.1 Picture windows, popular in American mid-century tract homes, caused drapery to be utilized to further “right” architecture. They were situated for exterior symmetry, but generated difficult to inhabit imbalanced interiors, wall to wall curtaining was implemented as a correction.2 Contemporary urban glass towers, with floor to ceiling glazing, have further exacerbated this problem. The task of Productive Drapery, unlike Petra Blaisse’s spatial curtaining for the site-specific and spectacle,3 is to address and rectify quotidian interior issues in multiple conditions. Those caused by large expanses of glass as well as obstructions created by HVAC elements found in more typical construction. We continue to develop a taxonomy of condit...

Design Principles and Practices: An International Journal—Annual Review, 2011

Though much attention has been given to the prefabrication of architecture, little has been devot... more Though much attention has been given to the prefabrication of architecture, little has been devoted to the discussion of the prefabricated interior environment. The significance of the unit or module is inherent in the prefabrication of architecture, but it is equally critical in its role in the prefabrication of Interior Space. The element of the module in furniture transcends the notion of furniture as object, placing it more expansively into the realm of place-maker. The advent and purpose of modular furniture are not only interconnected with the greater concepts of prefabrication in the built environment but are also inherently interconnected with the development of the modern house. The ability to mass-produce furniture and the concept of the module as a generative place-maker transformed the role of modular furniture into that of defining space or prefabricating environments.

The International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic, and Social Sustainability: Annual Review, 2009

The International Journal of Designed Objects, 2013

The International Journal of Learning: Annual Review, 2008

International Journal of Art & Design Education, 2013

This article examines the integration of prefabrication into an interior design studio. A review ... more This article examines the integration of prefabrication into an interior design studio. A review of the literature revealed that while there is a paucity of categorical research focused on this subject, the subject is historically significant with an abundance of evidence regarding the prefabrication of the interior environment dating back thousands of years. The studio began with a research report, which uncovered a lack of specific topical historical evidence correlating prefabrication with interior design. Next, a series of lectures defined the topic ‘Prefabricated Interior Design’ and introduced sustainable strategies in prefabrication. Finally, students were instructed to create and assemble three separate prefabricated design studies. At the end of the instructional semester students were questioned about their education, attitudes, and professional objectives toward Prefabricated Interior Design. The survey uncovered that students feel Prefabricated Interior Design is ‘unrepresented’ in historical content and professional practice. The survey also revealed that students' initial awareness of prefabrication in interior design is weak, however, with the implementation of the topic into a studio-based course their attitudes and perceptions toward prefabrication heightened.

Journal of Interior Design, 2014

I have found that it is generally assumedwhen I initially speak about the prefabricated interior,... more I have found that it is generally assumedwhen I initially speak about the prefabricated interior, and students are no exception, that it is just another conversation on prefabricated architecture. However, the topic is, in fact, a reconsideration of prefabrication from the interior perspective (Schneiderman 2012). In their exploration of the prefabricated interior, my students have found inspiration from the limitations assumed when discussing prefab. Prefabrication is typically understood as mass produced and fixed, designed without a specific user in mind, and therefore not customized to the individual. Within the prefabricated interior, however, the ability to combine widely available and varied mass-produced and prefabricated elements of the interior have increased the possibility of individualization.

Handbook of Research on Pedagogical Innovations for Sustainable Development

This chapter addresses the integration of sustainable practice into the interior design studio th... more This chapter addresses the integration of sustainable practice into the interior design studio through the investigation of a grant-sponsored adaptive reuse project. A fourth-year Interior Design studio project afforded the opportunity for exchanged conceptual ideas between students and a sponsoring industry client. The project provided students the opportunity to adapt and reuse a formerly unremarkable bank building, converting it into an innovative office space that meets LEED Silver certification standards. As participants in a sponsored project, the students were provided a unique opportunity to work with, and to be funded by, the client. Evaluations and completed projects indicate that students in the studio learned sustainable values and strategies through this integrated studio approach. The real-world project provided the students experiential knowledge through the implementation of innovative client-centered design and enforced the significance of adaptive reuse as a critic...

Interiors: Design, Architecture and Culture, 2011

... Many architects and designers have revisited the design of the prefabricated bathroom unit, i... more ... Many architects and designers have revisited the design of the prefabricated bathroom unit, including Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand, but most notably Buckminster Fuller is frequently credited with the design of the first prefabricated bathroom for his design of the ...

Home Cultures, 2010

... increasing efficiency and flexibility, and remaking the way we construct the built environmen... more ... increasing efficiency and flexibility, and remaking the way we construct the built environment (Kieran and ... of the kitchen have included not only a focus on efficiency and ergonomics but also ... The design is closely related to the tight and efficient commercial kitchens that could be ...

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2012

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the integration of Okala curriculum into Interi... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the integration of Okala curriculum into Interior Design coursework. Okala, as a teaching package, is utilized extensively in industrial design education. However, this study examines the expansion and insertion of Okala modules in an existing interior design curriculum. The Okala modules included were: broad ecological information, eco‐design history, and strategies and processes for ecological design implementation. To interpret if the integration was effective, an online survey was developed and distributed to students enrolled in the course.Design/methodology/approach – The survey was administered at the end of the spring 2009 semester. To evaluate the effectiveness of Okala modules and the perceived perceptions of the students' awareness toward the environment – ecologically, economically and sustainably – the researchers used the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) questionnaire. Developed by Dunlap and Van Liere in 1978, the NEP has been a reliable instru...

While the potential for designers to affect positive change is significant and widely acknowledge... more While the potential for designers to affect positive change is significant and widely acknowledged, this has remained largely untapped both within industry and education. Although some new educational curricula with environmental emphasis have begun to be developed and implemented. But this is barely a beginning and the new generation of designers still needs to be more educated in sustainability. Current design education have been rarely recognized as a relevant factor in the sustainability discourse. Furthermore, the educational practices are mostly related to eco-design strategies (e.g. energy efficiency, dematerialization, longevity, use of recycled materials, recycling). But Design for Sustainability (DfS) goes beyond the eco-design. DfS integrates social, economic, environmental and institutional aspects. Hence, it is necessary to expand the scope of design education and practice beyond style, fashion or limited trends of environmental concerns to include behavioral, social, institutional issues. Accordingly, an educational experiment is undertaken by the industrial design students of the Art University of Isfahan, Iran which provides a more coherent framework for sustainable design education. Students have the responsibility to not only include ecodesign strategies but also establish Design for Sustainability which promote socially responsible behavior among people. The paper contributes to the knowledge and experience on how integration of sustainability issues in regular product design courses can be accomplished the design activity in order to positively and effectively contribute to the radical change required by the transition towards a sustainable society.

I have found that it is generally assumed when I initially speak about the prefabricated interior... more I have found that it is generally assumed when I initially speak about the prefabricated interior, and students are no exception, that it is just another conversation on prefabricated architecture. However, the topic is, in fact, a reconsideration of prefabrication from the interior perspective (Schneiderman 2012). In their exploration of the prefabricated interior, my students have found inspiration from the limitations assumed when discussing prefab. Prefabrication is typically understood as mass produced and fixed, designed without a specific user in mind, and therefore not customized to the individual. Within the prefabricated interior, however, the ability to combine widely available and varied mass-produced and prefabricated elements of the interior have increased the possibility of individualization.

Though much attention has been centered on the prefabrication of architecture there has been virt... more Though much attention has been centered on the prefabrication of architecture there has been virtually no pointed discussion on the influence and importance of prefabrication within the interior environment. A review of the literature revealed that whereas a paucity of explicit research has focused on this subject, there is however an abundance of evidence regarding the prefabrication of the interior environment dating back thousands of years and most significantly from the late nineteenth century to the present. As such, the historical topic of prefabricated interior design does, in fact, exist and merits directed exploration. This article defines the topic and develops the historical context of prefabricated interior design with the critical discussion addressing its development from the late nineteenth century to the present. In the prefabrication of the interior, one can look to distinct elements or prefabricated wholes.

Though much attention has been given to the architecture of the prefabricated house, little has b... more Though much attention has been given to the architecture of the prefabricated house, little has been devoted to the discussion of the prefabricated interior environment. Many discussions have centered on the notion of the house as a "machine for living," but it is the kitchen, a room that epitomizes the profession of interior design, that stakes the greatest claim to such automation. The prefabrication of the kitchen arose from the ever-present desire to attain effi ciency and accommodate individual user needs, requirements, and preferences. Driven by the need for effi ciency and within the context of continued industrialized inventionincluding every conceivable element for making the processing of food easier, such as, for example, computerization-the kitchen historically has served as an ideal laboratory for the investigation into interior prefabrication.

International. Journal. of Envi., Cul. Econ. & …, 2008

To educate the next generation that sustainability is not a method, but standard practice, it is ... more To educate the next generation that sustainability is not a method, but standard practice, it is critical that we consider teaching practices that incorporate in depth understanding of sustainable practice. The sustainable envelope proposes the use of a pre-fabricated steel site as both a pedagogical decision in designing within an unarticulated shelland as instigator in the process of conceiving a sustainable interior design. The investigation of sustainability in Interior Design necessitates the exploration of sustainability beyond the specification of materials to incorporate an appreciation for the limitations of the environment (Caimen and Olson 8). This paper will discuss a design studio project that addresses sustainability through an environmentally based research focus. Students begin the project with a research component, interpreting the efficacy of steel as a sustainable material and the sustainable implications in the process of pre-fabrication. The process of recycling steel is controversial, steel is manufactured from as much as 94% recycled material (Structural Steel Contributions 3) but, the process of recycling steel that is coated with paints and polymers reduces the strength of the steel and releases dioxins into the environment, a process which . This dichotomy is meant to create a discourse in determining the sustainable qualities of a material. Material is integral to the palette of interior design. In this problem the students investigate material as a catalyst for encouraging environmental and sustainable research beyond material itself. The Sustainable envelope as site instigates the consideration of sustainability both within and through the structure. This paper will discuss how the Sustainable Envelope as a research base facilitates a broadening in the knowledge of, appreciation for, and approach to consideration of sustainability beyond the specification of material in Interior Design.