The United Arab Emirates will host the prestigious IFI General Assembly and Design Congress 2009 to be 7 - 12 November 2009. The International Federation of Interior Architects and Designers (IFI), the world body of Interior Architecture and Design professionals recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the UAE based Association of Professional Interior Designers (APID), the representative body of the industry, confirming that the United Arab Emirates will host this important biannual event.

The European Commission has opened online public consultation on the working document "Design as a driver of user-centred innovation." Open until 26 June, the results may lead to future joint European action including non-binding cooperation, sharing good practice, and establishing benchmarks.

The 2009 theme for World Interior Day is “Interiors that Last.” The 21st century has seen a constant evolution of change, and this World Interiors Day, we will look at the places and spaces that have stood the test of time. Either by their adaptability or in the high standard of original quality, these places have remained usable or enjoyable as much today as when they were originally designed.  

E’ con grande piacere che Vi invitiamo alla Cerimonia di Premiazione del Concorso, che avrà luogo il 24 aprile p.v. a SUPERSTUDIO PIU’, presso OPEN-SPACE, via Tortona 27, Milano.
Il programma prevede l’apertura dei locali per la Mostra dei progetti partecipanti al Concorso alle ore 12.30, la Cerimonia di Premiazione alle ore 18.00, ed un cocktail party alle ore 20.00. Pensiamo di farVi cosa gradita indicando di seguito come raggiungerci:

Inschrijving als interieurarchitect in het Architectenregister zal in de toekomst alleen nog mogelijk zijn voor afgestudeerden die een Mastergraad op het gebied van de interieurarchitectuur hebben behaald. Op 1 april is het beroepsprofiel voor de interieurarchitect aangeboden aan de rijksbouwmeester Liesbeth van der Pol. Het rapport ‘Ruimte voor Verdieping’, waarin de nieuwe opleidingseisen zijn vastgelegd, is de basis waarop de aanvragen voor de nieuwe Master opleidingen worden ingediend.

Das Ziel dieses Wettbewerbes ist es, 100 interessierte und kreative Gestalter zu finden, welche einen vorgefertigten Taburettli-Rohling nach Lust und Laune und mit allen nur möglichen und unmöglichen Mitteln umgestalten, bearbeiten, und optisch in jeder erdenklichen Art verändern. Mitmachen können und sollen all jene, die Freude am Gestalten und Kreieren haben. Es bestehen keinerlei Teilnahmebeschränkungen.

The Czech Presidency of the EU and European Commission will officially launch the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009 on Wednesday 7 January with the slogan “Imagine. Create. Innovate”. The aim of the Year is to promote creative and innovative approaches in different sectors of human activity and help equip the European Union for the challenges ahead in a globalised world.

Thursday 14 and Friday 15 May 2009
Hosted by the Modern Interiors Research Centre (MIRC) at Kingston University, London

The conference will debate the ways in which time and the effect of social, cultural, political and economic factors shape our understanding and assessment of the interior. The Conference will bring together architectural and design historians and practitioners, curators and policy makers, to examine and debate the theme of the interior as a marker of history. 

The “European Charter Of Interior Architecture Training 2007” is now available in print or as download in 6 languages: English, Spanish, German, French, Italian and Swedish. All versions provide both the original English text, as was adopted by the ECIA Members at the General Assembly in 2007, and the translation. The printed and pdf versions can be purchased directly from the internet. For bulk orders please contact ECIA directly.

We have been informed that after being sincerely ill for more than a year Emmanuel Botte has passed away.
Emmanuel, or Manu as many of us knew him, has been active in ECIA since the start in 1992. From 1992 untill 2004 he served as the Treasurer of the Board, but he was also enthousiasticly active in many of ECIA's programs. As a former president of founding member AinB and as a long time educator and practitioner he brought to ECIA a wealth of knowledge, experience and critical reflection.

Our hearts are with his family and our colleagues in Belgium.

12 May 2008 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today hailed the entry into force of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as “a new dawn in the fight for the well-being of people with disabilities,” at a special commemorative event held in the hall of the United Nations General Assembly.