Interior Design, BA (Hons)

Course summary

Our disciplineThe experience of interior space and its inhabitation by people can be considered both the primary driver and the ultimate test of successful building design. When buildings change from the inside out, the external envelope becomes compliant to the inhabited room and the activities it contains.When we adapt, conserve, re-use and re-appropriate existing buildings, interior designers delicately balance a need to preserve with the desire to renew. They are navigating the blurred boundaries between real and artifice, place and time, from room to city.Key to our discipline is a responsive attitude to the diversity of people’s social issues. This ensures that the interiors created positively impact the lives of those who use and inhabit them.The studioOur programme will introduce you to the study of interior design in our dedicated studio space. Experienced permanent staff are joined by visiting industry experts who will support and challenge you to experiment and take risks as you explore the design process. You will be encouraged to:

• bring your own themes and agendas to the table

• share and learn from our combined diversity

ProjectsA variety of design projects will offer you experience across many sectors including:

• retail and hospitality

• exhibition

• the wider public realm

A focus on human activity and user experience is embedded in each project.We consider the moral obligations of the designer in responding to the diversity of the individual and wider social issues.Conceptual ideas evolve into spatial strategies which are tested through multiple lenses of:

• accessibility and inclusivity

• introducing statutory legislation and technical requirements

• debate and consideration of environmental impact

Our approachYour design education at ECA will include:

• studies in material selection

• interior construction detailing

• lighting design

You will also focus in on the finer details of:

• surfaces

• finishes

• junctions

We encourage thinking through making and a hands-on approach to enhance your understanding of how things go together.An explicit focus on the fabric of the built interior will equip you with specialist technical knowledge and enhanced professional skills, which you will articulate through critical and reflective discourse. This will provide a platform for further intellectual debate.

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