The Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO) and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) will honour long-time ARIDO and IIDA member, Joseph Pettipas, with the prestigious 2009 IIDA Leadership Award of Excellence. The award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the profession of interior design, will be presented at the third annual IIDA Leaders Breakfast on Dec. 4 at the Four Seasons Hotel, Toronto. Edward Burtynsky, one of Canada’s most respected photographers, will deliver the keynote address.
Pettipas has more than two decades of interior design experience in the corporate, hospitality, and retail sectors. He is currently senior vice-president and regional practice leader – Western Canada, for HOK.
“Joe is a true leader in the interior design community,” says Susan Wiggins, executive director of ARIDO. He continuously goes above and beyond, returning year after year, making positive contributions not only to ARIDO but to other organizations within the design profession. Joe is not afraid to challenge old ways of thinking and to forge new ways of doing things. I can’t think of a more appropriate honour for him than this.”
ARIDO president Deborah Rutherford, echoes that sentiment: “The interior design community in this province and elsewhere has benefited immensely from Joe’s energy and enthusiasm. We are all richer for having an individual like Joe among our ranks.”
Pettipas is an ARIDO Fellow and has served three terms as president, in 1993 and 1994, and again in 2003. He is an active member of IIDA, as well as Interior Designers of Canada (IDC), American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and Retail Design Institute (RDI). He has been a member of the board of directors of the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) for the past 13 years, serving as chairman from 2005-08. That organization recently recognized him for his volunteer leadership. He also serves on the board of the Design Exchange (Canada) and was recently appointed president-elect of the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers.
“I am very honoured to receive this award,” says Pettipas. “I feel a responsibility to do what I can to help ensure the continued growth and advancement of the interior design profession – that’s what I am most passionate about. So, to be recognized as a leader for my volunteer work in this area is truly gratifying.”
Pettipas has taught at Ryerson University’s School of Interior Design where he specialized in the study of colour and colour psychology. As an interior designer, he has completed large-scale projects in the United Arab Emirates, Doha, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, China, Indonesia, Mexico, Canada, and the United States. These projects include indoor entertainment and shopping complexes, a five-star hotel addition to an existing shopping mall, and the ground work for a new city of 150,000 inhabitants. AT HOK, he is chiefly responsible for the ongoing relationship between the aesthetics of design and the requirements of producing successful projects on target, on time and on budget.