University of Westminster

Course introduction

The University of Westminster’s Interior Architecture BA Honours course is taught at our Marylebone Campus in the heart of London. We engage leading practitioners in the delivery of our courses, and have developed strong links with the professions and employers, leading to excellent employment prospects for our students. Our interior architecture students have won a range of awards including The Collective Design Award and coming runner-up in the Janine Stone Young Interior Designer of the Year Award.

Interior architecture is a distinct and separate discipline to architecture. Its specific focus is the creation of innovative and exciting interior spaces, primarily through the adaptation and spatial manipulation of existing buildings. The course promotes a critical approach to design, and acknowledges the importance of other closely related areas of three-dimensional design in shaping interiors.

As well as consolidating existing skills you will be exposed to the theories that inform the creation of both utility and beauty, and learn the practical craft and technical dexterity required to fully realise design ideas. The study of light, colour, materials and the more tectonic aspects of design will reinforce your understanding of the processes involved in visualising interior space.

The course provides as wide an exposure to design as possible, enabling you to cultivate your particular interests in a variety of areas. You will gain a unique insight into a range of practices, including interior design, exhibition design, set and lighting design, retail and product design, and interior conservation, as well as multidisciplinary and traditional design practice.

Course content

The design modules promote creativity, aesthetic sensibility and intellectual enquiry, together with the skills needed to work individually and in groups in developing design proposals. Design projects are taught in small groups in Year 1 (Credit Level 4), and students in Years 2 and 3 (Credit Levels 5 and 6) are organised within a studio system which facilitates peer-group learning.

The work produced in the design studios forms the basis of your design portfolio through which you will prepare for practice/employment, or in support of your application for postgraduate study. Technical skills, cultural context, design management and economics, and the commercial aspect of interiors necessary for practice are integrated with design projects.

You will be assessed through your design portfolio, design project work and an academic portfolio, along with visual and oral presentations in the form of individual or group seminars, tutorials and presentations of design project work.

Study visits

London as an international city has a rich range of galleries, museums and cultural venues. Throughout the year there are visits to exhibitions, buildings and events that support and underpin your work within the course. There are also opportunities to study abroad within the University’s exchange arrangements.

Facilities

All our architecture and interior architecture studios are situated at our Marylebone Campus, creating a vibrant academic and creative studio culture. Fully staffed workshops are equipped with CNC, laser-cutting and rapid prototyping equipment, and computers are installed with a wide range of graphics and design software.