New Master of Science course

The Architecture of the Interior is a new Master of Science course offered by the Chair of Architectural Design/ Interiors. It is concerned with the study of very large, complex interiors: the spaces that represent our time and are central to the experience of the contemporary public realm. These are the spaces we all know, but, as architects, have rarely addressed. It is particularly relevant to do so now, given the changes to our society and the increasing interiorisation of public and private life. There is a real and growing need for architects who can understand and address these spaces. The aim of this course is to make these architects, who will have special skills and use special types of research concerning the user, culture, the public realm, design, technology, and the makers of complex interiors.

The Architecture of the Interior focuses on those interior spaces whose scale, complexity, positions and uses within the extended urban environment render them part of the public realm. These spaces can be made for the benefit of a conscious, self-aware public and society, and furthermore, can be sustainable, well functioning, user-oriented and beautiful. The course will consider spatial qualities, contextual conditions, historical and social meanings in detail; it will study users, their needs, desires and behaviour; it will provide education regarding the processes and involvement of the many varied disciplines, agents and partners who make a complex interior architectural project.

An architect with expertise in the interior is increasingly important in the making of complex building projects, given the characteristics of the economy, the emergence of new building programmes and the need to adapt existing structures. You will be trained in understanding essential aspects of complex interior environments, and made familiar with the diverse issues, agents and strategies that enable a pivotal role in their making. Your knowledge will find broad application in fields associated with construction and transformation, locally and internationally. Students can follow two years of the Master of Science course, addressing these issues in the MSc1 and MSc2 courses in the first year and in greater depth and complexity in the MSc3 and MSc4 graduation studio in the second year. Studios are supported by courses in history, design analysis, technical studies and research studies that provide knowledge and experience of technical issues, research methods and skills of practical implementation.

The Very Large, Complex Interior