Interior Architecture & Design

Bridging
Function
and
Aesthetics

As an interior architect you will create spaces and experiences by responding to how humans interact with and inhabit spaces. IIAD prepares you for these challenges of designing built environments, enabling you to give existing spaces a new life through your unique design process. 

At the intersection of architecture, interior and experience design, the Interior design course inculcates a multi-disciplinary approach to transforming existing spaces.

Course highlights

  • 2/4

Redefine-Redesign

Inside-Out

Thinker & Maker

Critically Creative

Our Interior Architecture Design course is distinguished from courses in interior design and decoration, by our rigorous focus on adaptive reuse, refurbishment and retrofitting as well as detailing technical services. We prepare you to address the emerging trends of living and working in the 21st century, by re-imagining existing spaces and adapting them to changing needs.

While an architect looks at space and structures from the outside, an interior architect takes an inside-out perspective. You learn to respond to how humans inhabit and interact with interior environments through sensitive design. We focus on detailing and design of micro elements within the macro environment.

Our philosophy of thinking-through-making encourages students to develop their design ideas through hands-on-working with a variety of media and materials. We set a fine balance between traditional skills, contemporary practices and future technology.

Rigorous analysis of ideas and beliefs by self-critique paves the way for excellence. You learn to balance your intuitive thinking and logical reasoning, leading to better design solutions. Students get set on a creative adventure, empowering them to become self-reflective practitioners.

COURSE DETAIL

COURSE DETAIL

  • Undergraduate
Foundation is a bridging program, aiding your transition from school to un-school. It provides students a pathway to confidently enter the creative, open-ended, exploratory and experimental environment of design education at IIAD. They acquire a broad spectrum of design skills and build their design vocabulary. After successfully completing the Foundation year, students seamlessly progress to BA (Hons) Interior Architecture Design course.
The first year of the Interior Architecture Design course introduces you to the fundamentals of the built environment by probing into the history, theory and psychology of space making and building structures. By diving into the depths of your own core essence, you are encouraged to create personal narratives in the conceptualisation and design of interior spaces. You are introduced to principles such as anthropometrics, ergonomics, proxemics and aesthetic harmony to understand how humans interact with interior space. Conceptual learning is balanced with a strong foundation in practical skills such as drawing, model-making, drafting and rendering. Furthermore, understanding of materials, and their characteristics and properties, enables you to translate ideas into physical spaces. Site visits give you a practical understanding about site conditions and material applications. Interdisciplinary projects let you collaborate with your peers from other disciplines, to understand the dynamics of space by working on installations, storytelling and theatre. In the first year you will work on two exciting projects in furniture and residential design, culminating in the making of scale models and technical drawings of the proposed designs.

At the end of this year, your first industry interface will be facilitated with an 8-week Learn On-site internship, which will focus on multidisciplinary learning experiences. With a focus on a multidisciplinary learning experience, students get a first hand awareness of the actual scope within the interior architecture design industry.

The second year aims to develop a student’s competency to oversee the entire design process from conceptualisation to actualisation. Working on LIVE projects, students gain an experience of meeting clients, giving regular presentations and recording their on-site observations. Additionally, while gaining confidence in contemporary practices, students also work with India’s rich craft heritage and vernacular architecture.
As you progress to complex interior spaces, you start to address the service needs of spatial design. Students gain in-depth knowledge of technical services such as plumbing, electrical, lighting, air conditioning, firefighting and other building services, through site-visits and master classes. You learn to support your design process with primary research, which includes surveys and interviews. Students also conduct market studies to understand how to source and select construction materials, lights, fixtures, hardware, furnishings and various other materials. This year also focuses on developing your proficiency in digital tools such as SketchUp, AutoCAD, Rhino, Grasshopper and Arduino to visualise and realise your ideas in 2D and 3D.
Through the year you work on interior architecture projects such as Exhibition Design, Retail Design, Hospitality and Office Design. Students also work on industry-driven Live projects; past clients include FabIndia and Select Citywalk.

The 16-week Learn On-site internship is a long-term industry exposure envisaged as the gateway to your professional debut. Students get opportunities to work in professional environments and understand the dynamics of an organisational set-up. You will gain hands-on experience of a variety of processes such as concept development, design detailing, building service design, material specification, bill of quantities, coordinating with clients, consultants and vendors, site visits and more. IIAD graduates have had internship placements in many creative establishments including M.Moser Associates, Synthesis Architecture, Ultraconfidentiel Design Pvt Ltd, The Garage Society, LivSpace, Kaaru, ANT Studio, DCA Architects, MAD Designs, Chromed Design Studios, Confluence Consultancy, Studio Divine, Studio Astrid and Studio An-V-Thot.

In the final year, you emerge as a confident, self-aware designer with a distinct design sensibility. You embark on a self-driven research project for the built environment, focusing on a subject area of your interest. Through structured in-depth research, analysis and documentation of the findings you are able to articulate your position in the chosen subject. You will also forge professional connections and build entrepreneurial skills to shape your future design practice with ease. This ensures that you stay at the forefront of your domain.

Major Design Project
The final year culminates with the Major Design Project which gives you an opportunity to showcase your creativity, individual style and design process, that is representative of your overall abilities in the field of architecture interior design. With a focus on challenging norms, the project requires you to respond to the needs of an approximately 5000 square feet space. You will shape the overall project process and take design decisions independently, while being closely mentored by faculty and industry experts and in alignment with your peers. The project and year culminate in a professional design exhibition attended by eminent members of the community and industry.

Foundation is a bridging program, aiding your transition from school to un-school. It provides students a pathway to confidently enter the creative, open-ended, exploratory and experimental environment of design education at IIAD. They acquire a broad spectrum of design skills and build their design vocabulary. After successfully completing the Foundation year, students seamlessly progress to BA (Hons) Interior Architecture Design course.
The first year of the Interior Architecture Design course introduces you to the fundamentals of the built environment by probing into the history, theory and psychology of space making and building structures. By diving into the depths of your own core essence, you are encouraged to create personal narratives in the conceptualisation and design of interior spaces. You are introduced to principles such as anthropometrics, ergonomics, proxemics and aesthetic harmony to understand how humans interact with interior space. Conceptual learning is balanced with a strong foundation in practical skills such as drawing, model-making, drafting and rendering. Furthermore, understanding of materials, and their characteristics and properties, enables you to translate ideas into physical spaces. Site visits give you a practical understanding about site conditions and material applications. Interdisciplinary projects let you collaborate with your peers from other disciplines, to understand the dynamics of space by working on installations, storytelling and theatre. In the first year you will work on two exciting projects in furniture and residential design, culminating in the making of scale models and technical drawings of the proposed designs.

STUDENT WORK

“IIAD has helped me gain a lot of empathy towards people. It has helped me put my 100% into my work without any restrictions”
– Kanika Agarwal, Interior Architecture and Design
IIAD interior architecture course student designed a luxurious residence

Sakshi Sarawgi designed a luxurious residence as part of an internship at NSN Studio Devine.

Student Sketch Work at IIAD

An ideation process documented through sketches by Pranjali Rawat (Batch of 2021)

Art Gallery museum -interior designing course at IIAD

Fejin Ali - worked on creating an art gallery museum as part of the major design project in the final year

Terrace designing done by Interior designing course student at IIAD

Palak Jain - a terrace design of a residential space  as part of  the major design project (final year).

Interior designing course Student Work on Pepper Manufacturing

Alumni thesis project wherein the student worked on a Pepper manufacturing workspace in Calicutt and converted it into an art gallery museum. Fejin Ali-Alumini

Interior designing course Student designs a display system to learn about temporary structures

As part of a pop-up store project, students learnt about temporary structures. This display system was made by Mansi Almadi  at the IIAD campus.

IIAD interior design student designs pop up store

Interior Architecture and Design student, Anjali Chauhan, designed a pop-up store The focus of this project was to learn about temporary structures by designing a display system.  The Select City Walk Mall, New Delhi, is in talks with IIAD to help create temporary retail structures for the mall.

success stories

Himanshi Dadhich

Interior Architecture and Design
INTERNED AT
Dronah
PLACED AT
Kaaru
2019 BATCH
Himanshi Dadhich

Abhinav N

Interior Architecture and Design
INTERNED AT
Hitesh Katiyar Architects
PLACED AT
Incor Group (Boston Living)
2019 BATCH
Abhinav N

Simran Bhatia

Interior Architecture and Design
INTERNED AT
Sagar Nagpal Architect
PLACED AT
Incubis
2019 BATCH
Simran Bhatia

“From being the Student Council President to finally being an Interior Architect, the journey was really about discovering myself as a sensitive designer who is responsible towards society as a whole.”

- Abhinav Narayanan, Interior Architecture and Design

“Faculty are the best books we have. We learn from them both inside and outside the studio”

- Amana Abdullah, Interior Architecture and Design

“It is not just old knowledge getting passed down. If a new concept is introduced in the industry, it finds its way into the classroom.”

—Himal Pandita, Interior Architecture and Design

CAREER

What does an Interior Architect do?​

As an Interior Architect you have several choices –You can choose to work on residences, offices, retail, hospitality, institutions and conservation projects as well as specialise in interior styling and visual merchandising. You can also explore select avenues such as exhibition design, set design, experience design, furniture design and scenography. If you enjoy the challenge of running your own practice, you can be an entrepreneur.

FACULTY

course

leaders

+

Snehanshu Mukherjee

ProfessorInterior Architecture and Design

With over 38 years of experience in the field of architecture and design, he also has over 30 years of experience as an academician. He graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. He went on to do a post-graduation as an Inlaks Scholar from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, U.S.A.) graduating in 1988 with a specialization in Design & Housing. While at MIT he won a competition and went on to build an installation on the Boston Commons depicting Boston in the year 2010.

Read More +
IIAD Faculty Snehanshu-Mukherjee

course
leader

+

Madhu Pandit

Associate Professor

Madhu Pandit is the Associate Professor in the Interior Architecture and Design Department at the Indian Institute of Art & Design. As Partner at NMA (Neeraj Manchanda Architects, founded 1990), an award winning Architectural and Interior Design practice based in New Delhi, Madhu has enjoyed balancing teaching with professional practice for several years now.. NMA has worked successfully with clients and stakeholders across projects in the institutional, commercial, residential, and industrial domains in India, Nepal, and Vietnam Madhu has a wide body of work in Adaptive Reuse (breathing new life into old) for historical buildings.

Read More
IIAD Faculty Madhu-Pandit
+

Rashim Mahajan

Associate Professor

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” ― Benjamin Franklin With more than a decade of experience, Rashim has always been a firm believer and preacher of “Learning by Doing”. She is versatile and open to learning, with multiple feathers in her hat. She is an Architect, Interior Designer and a Scientific Vastu Consultant.

Read More
IIAD Faculty Rashim-Mahajan
+

Rohin Sher

Associate Professor

Over the last 15 years, Rohin Sher has specialised in understanding, measuring and talking about the adverse effect of modern architecture, interior practices on our environment.

Read More
IIAD Faculty Rohin-Sher
+

Mani Sharma

Assistant Professor

Mani enjoys creating experiences in physical and virtual planes and is interested in juxtaposing Art with Design as she explores structure, mixed media and analog interfaces.

Read More
IIAD Faculty - Mani Sharma
+

Kanika Arora

Lecturer

Having graduated as an Outstanding Scholar from Savannah College of Art and Design (United States), with a Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design, Kanika Arora is a Commercial Interior Designer, Architect, Educator and Panelist. Kanika completed her Bachelor of Architecture degree from Vastukala College of Architecture, New Delhi and received the Pidilite Award for Excellence in Architectural Studies and Optimum Space Utilization in 2013. Kanika has performed at various renowned platforms including SCAD Show, Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) and the Tiny House Festival sharing her design philosophy, mission and ongoing research with large audiences.

Read More
Kanika interior architecture and design

STUDIO

AND RESOURCES

IIAD’s purpose-built campus aims to meet the dynamic learning-teaching needs of its progressive pedagogy and curriculum. The environment’s adaptive spaces include studios, digital labs with industry standard design softwares and 3D material workshops, which are all designed to facilitate seamless multidisciplinary collaborations and exchanges.

Material Construction Lab at IIAD Campus

Student working in the Material Construction Lab for an IAD project at the IIAD campus

IIAD Graduate Show Sushmita Rai

Interior Architecture and Design student Sushmita Rai with her final project  at IIAD’s first graduate show 2019.

IIAD Graduate Show Shambhavi Gautam

Interior Architecture and Design student Shambhavi Gautam setting up her display of the entire year’s work for IIAD’s first graduate show 2019.

Reinvent Design by IIAD hosts Team Indiefolio

IIAD hosts Team Indiefolio, India’s largest online network for creative professionals along with tech giants, HP for a day-long session titled ‘Reinvent Design.’

Arduino Workshop with Founder of Banaao PremSagar

Arduino Workshop: Prem Sagar, founder of Banaao works with IAD students with the motto to help everyone think, innovate and build

STORIES