Course content

 

The world of architecture is at a critical tipping point. After centuries of obsessing with the singular focus of ‘the new’, the shift is at last to the remodelling of what exists, and to the creative ecological recycling of existing buildings for new uses. Some might have called this Interior Design. For us, this has always been our realm of Interior Architecture. We led the field and we are still out there.

 

You can find excellent employment in interiors and architectural firms and also in the worlds of exhibition and museum design, furniture, product and theatre design. A few follow the pathways to design journalism, project management, environmental research, design teaching and post grads in design history and theory. The scope is wide; the level of transferable skill, high. The course’s e-mail database of the past 20 years of students acts as a wonderful global employment exchange for students on the course. With this distinct degree in Interior architecture as their bedrock, a small percentage of our students have gone into architecture postgraduate qualifications (after a period in practice).

 

 

As the UK’s first accredited Interior Architecture course (1989), we regard design as a creative but analytical process. You develop a critical response to any challenge. A passion for poetic assembly is encouraged and our focus is on creating distinctive moods for distinctive client groups - we look at the re-modelling of every aspect of existing buildings, not simply the surface decoration and domestic ‘makeovers’ of ‘ Changing Rooms’. We have created an intensive ‘studio’ culture with our staffroom at its hub, to prepare you for a very fast moving industry. There is no ‘hot- desking’. Every student has a studio place. Energy conservation and ecological services design has been a long-standing part of the second year curriculum, balanced by socio-political issues and debates throughout the whole three years.

Year one: An intensive series of conceptual and analytical design exercises in the Winter term is followed by two/three five-week design projects to rattle the cage of what is possible. 19th and 20th century design philosophies are explored along with the fundamentals of materials and making. Foundation skills in CAD visualisation, technical hand-drawing and verbal presentation are delivered. Weekly ‘Issues in Contemporary Design’ theory seminars are held in group seminar formats with three essays delivered in the year.

 

Year two: Several major projects are undertaken - the first exhibition related, the others allowing students to invent their own programmes for a selected series of existing city buildings. The weekly Theory series of video seminars wraps around the delivery of a 3500 word seminar paper and leads to the development of the dissertation outline for

 

Year three: Intense detailing and fabrication knowledge is developed alongside sophisticated presentation skills. Year three: A 10,000 word dissertation is completed with support through one-to-one tutorials; there is a professional practice exam and wo studio projects, one assessed in January and one in June, the latter being the majority of the Degree award, on the final major self-choice project where you select the city the building, the client and the brief. It’s you.

 

Assessment

Progress through the course is based on continuous assessment. Only third year work counts towards the final degree classification.

 

UCAS code

W250

 

Entry qualifications and applications procedures

Please view this page for our advice on how to apply and the entry level for this programme. We have an open mind on the qualifications you bring with you. We simply want to be convinced that you have the commitment to pursue this degree and the skills to make it worthwhile.

 

Further information

Programme Leader: Patrick Hannay - phannay@uwic.ac.uk

 

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