Demand for interior design services is expected to surge, with an expected Dh53.8 billion ($14.6 billion) in interior design contracts and fit-outs to be spent in the Emirates within this year, it emerged at a design summit held recently in Abu Dhabi.

AlHosn University, a leading Abu Dhabi-based educational institution, gathered leading industry professionals and members of academia to discuss the role of interior design in the UAE during its first annual iDesign Summit that took place at the university’s Male Campus.

Hosted by AlHosn’s department of interior design, i.Design assessed the relationship between industry and academia, the practices and trends affecting the UAE’s rapidly growing interior design market, and the future of the interior design profession.

“The development of public and private spaces in the UAE continues to progress at a rapid pace, and so the question for interior designers is where should the field be heading amidst such growth?” said Dr Seif Khiati, assistant professor and chair of interior design department, AlHosn University.

“There are many policy, practice and academic issues that need to be considered in this regard,” he added.

“i.Design’s goal is to provide a forum for practitioners and stakeholders to start asking critical questions and coming up with viable answers.”

“The summit also enables us to emphasise the importance of establishing closer ties between industry and academia, so that the programs created by educational institutions complement actual workplace requirements,” Dr Khiati concluded.

Representatives from industry and academia also joined a panel discussion on job market conditions; the gender gap in the design fields; the future and significance of interior design as a profession in the UAE and throughout the Middle East; and the nature of interior design and its relation to architecture. – TradeArabia News Service