Lighting Design Certification Effort Launches Survey
The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) convened a credentialing task force to assess the prospective domains of practice and qualifications for a new, voluntary international architectural lighting design certification program. This assessment will be conducted via online survey, and is a key component of the task force’s efforts.
The survey launches 1 March 2012 and tests the validity of the task force’s work. Outreach to date has included a broad group of stakeholders: IALD and Professional Lighting Designers’ Association (PLDA) members, members of other lighting associations, and related building and design industry professionals from around the world.
Building and design professionals who are familiar with the scope of work associated with architectural lighting design are asked to weigh in by taking the 10-minute survey, located online at iald.me/AhlC8X (please note that this link is case sensitive).
“The task force studying the viability of a global credential has observed that if the architectural lighting design community doesn’t define the areas in which we practice and measure competency against a validated standard, there is the very real danger that others will force regulations on us or determine our destiny without our control,” says David Becker, Assoc. IALD and Credentialing Task Force chair. “The alternative is that we make a proactive, unified effort as a global profession to define ourselves by determining the domains of practice and core competencies in which highly sophisticated lighting designers must excel in order to be eligible for certification.”
The threat of outside regulation is not an unrealized fear. On several occasions the IALD has mobilized its members against legislation limiting the practice of architectural lighting designers due to policymakers’ lack of awareness.
“Legislative and code-making bodies around the world have made it clear they are looking for a statement of validity for practitioners of architectural lighting design, and a lighting design credential will provide that statement of legitimacy,” says IALD President Kevin Theobald. “Thus, it is imperative that we receive feedback from the entire spectrum of building and design professionals via this survey in order to complete the due diligence the international certification industry requires of new certifications.”
For more information about the IALD Credentialing Task Force’s ongoing work to develop an architectural lighting design certification, refer to the IALD certification mini-site at iald.me/xGhcSL (please note that this link is case sensitive). The site contains frequently asked questions about certification, an organizational update detailing current actions of the task force, and a series of resources on credentialing.
Those interested in learning more about the work of the task force, or the survey outreach to evaluate potential domains of practice and core competencies, should email credentialing@iald.org or call the IALD headquarters office at +1 312 527 3677.
Source: www.iald.org