Interior architects plan, adapt and furnish interior spaces in shops and restaurants, domestic interiors or more impersonal spaces in office buildings, stands for trade fairs and exhibitions. People should feel comfortable and safe and experience the atmosphere the designer is attempting to create.
Interior architects decide on the functions and image of a space together with their clients. Besides the physical construction, safety, manageability and hygiene aspects are becoming increasingly important. Cultural differences must also be taken into account.
Interior architects often work in interdisciplinary teams. Your contribution is your understanding of and feeling for three-dimensional space and for the 'spatial' significance of form, colour and light. You must be able to anticipate human behaviour, to incorporate relevant data and to take requirements into account.
This course is organised in the form of project-based teaching with themes taken from contemporary design practice. Examples from previous years include: living/working space, a ‘flagship store’ for new work, a 'long-stay hotel' on a Rotterdam industrial estate and a funeral home in the centre of Rotterdam. Part of the programme involves supportive courses in spatial analysis, the application of materials, light/colour/texture and subject-oriented theory.
You can specialise with your choice of minor. Products & Concepts focuses on product design and Spatial Communication on retail and presentation. Various other options for broadening your studies are also available. During the project weeks, you will work together with students taking other courses. You can gain international experience by taking part in the exchange programme with partner institutions in for instance Barcelona, Glasgow or Helsinki. After successfully completing your studies, you can further specialise, for example, by taking our PZI Master Interior Architecture & Retail Design cours or a Master's degree at the Academie van Bouwkunst Rotterdam (Rotterdam Academy of Architecture).
