Investigate. Adapt. Improve.

Our design-led, studio based Interior Architecture course, is a member of Interior Educators, the National Learned Society for the subject, and provides you with the practical skills and specialist knowledge to work as an interior architectural specialist.

Through live and directed design projects, you will develop creative, intelligent and meaningful design proposals for existing buildings through investigation of the site. You will learn to control the relationship between the existing context and your proposed interior adaptation, supported by studies in design, communication, history and theory, construction technology, environment and management. You will take part in site visits within live projects and a European study trip to help contextualise and expand your learning.

How will I gain skills during my degree?

At the end of year 2, you can choose the option of an additional study abroad year, or complete the course as originally intended; all of which are designed to enrich your experience as a subject specialist and as a global citizen. You will develop a creative portfolio of directed and self-directed design project work which will allow you to fully explore your interests within interior architecture and building adaptation, while fully expressing your ability as a designer and a future professional.

You will showcase your final project work at an exhibition here in Newcastle and as part of Interior Educators in London, to maximize your reach to industry. Successful graduates can progress onto our one semester Postgraduate Certificate in Interior Architecture course, which is professionally accredited and allows you to satisfy the ARB Part I criteria, when combined with undergraduate Interior Architecture study and Northumbria. This is the only course of its type and allows our graduates to achieve Part I status, as specialists in building adaptation and creative reuse.

Why study BA Interior Architecture at Northumbria?

• Top University - Architecture at Northumbria is ranked Top 25 in the UK by the Complete University Guide for 2024.
• A Research Powerhouse - Architecture, Built Environment and Planning is ranked 11th in the UK for research power out of 38 submissions (REF, 2021). This is a rise of 13 places compared to 2014 – the joint highest rise in the sector.
  
• Student Rated - Over 94% of students studying Architecture at Northumbria thought staff were good at explaining things and that their assessment feedback was often on time (NSS, 2023).

How will I learn on this Interior Architecture BA course?

Our research-informed teaching methods, design studio culture and student-centred learning and support have led to unmatched levels of student satisfaction and employability. We use live projects and regional sites to enrich your learning as you develop your specific and transferable skills and knowledge towards employability as we work together as co-creators of knowledge. We have regional partnerships with national bodies, such as the National Trust, that allow us to authenticate your learning through partnership projects on the creative reuse of historic structures.

Your learning will be centred on project work, all within our dedicated studio facilities. Studio space is provided for each student, within a large environment that is shared with students from all three year groups to ensure you learn as much from each other as you do from the highly experienced staff. Our CAD resources, model-making workshops and rapid prototyping facilities are state-of-the-art, allowing you to maximize your potential and explore your design ideas in full.

The skills you will develop through this course embed the key transferrable skills of autonomous learning, analytical methods, critical curiosity, social responsibility and communications skills into the curriculum.

Who will teach me during my degree?

An acclaimed academic team will teach you, comprising of architects, designers and subject specialists who have created award-winning projects nationally and internationally, as well as staff who have published research around the world.

This unique team will provide you with authentic, exemplary and supportive guidance to help you shape your personal identity, your specialist interior architecture knowledge and for a career path within the subject, the wider architecture and design professions and beyond. You will be assessed through regular feedback within each module, to provide ongoing constructive guidance and confirmation of your learning; all within dedicated design studios.  Design tutorials will help you discuss, develop and improve your ideas and assessment for learning will help you progress and achieve

Where will I study during my time at Northumbria?

Whatever your aspirations in interior architecture, you will find the latest technologies to support you in our dedicated laboratories and studios.

You will have full use of the design studio, specialist model making, rapid prototyping and IT workshops and professional plotting services to help you synthesise and apply your learning through increasingly complex design projects. This supports the accumulation and curation of a personalised portfolio relevant to your future professional career.

Through our Electronic Learning Platform (eLP) you will have access to project and assignment information and learning materials for the course and for each module of study. The course emphasises self-directed learning, critical thinking, and independent research to support your academic and personal development, set within a supportive and academically rigorous learning studio culture.