d+a | Issue 123 • 2022

/ FEATURE / 20 “We have to say no to free design and make sure the public is informed properly about the services and level of work involved in creating an outstanding space.” Elaborating on her point, Shaw adds, “We need to educate everyone on what we as an industry can offer and how we enhance people’s lives through the spaces we create; also, cheapest is not always the best.” On its part, the industry should ensure professions would undertake work without payment of fees – yet we consistently do free work and under-price the actual cost of our services. “To survive and reinvest in our future, we need this practice to stop,” he says, speaking from a vantage point of having worked as an architect and interior designer for four decades around the world. Picanco agrees, “We all need to agree on pricing and terms of business in order to regulate the industry as professionals and make sure we are not undervaluing ourselves. STEVEN SHAW, EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL, AEDAS