Overview
The origins of the Department of Interior Architecture at the College of Architecture and Planning at theImam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University began over 30 years ago. The Department was established in 1402 HE/1983 CE as the Department of Interior Design when only women candidates were accepted. At the time this was the only university in the Kingdom with a Department of Interior Design. In 1995 a second program was created that accommodated male students and more recently this program has evolved into a more technical and structurally focused Department of Interior Architecture, after the women’s branch moved into the new College of Design.
Interior architecture is defined as the art of designing interior spaces that create a psychologically comfortable space. This is accomplished through the distribution of elements and the right functional organization of spaces, taking into account the technical, environmental and structural aspects of the spaces. The Department provides a range of courses which include: the design of internal spaces, the design of furniture and fittings, colors, natural and artificial lighting, raw material techniques, natural ventilation, and the psychological impact of the design space elements on space users. This is a five year program that consists of 165 units, culminating in a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Architecture.
Vision
To be recognized nationally and internationally as a respectable program excelling in academics, research and practice of Interior Architecture
Mission
The mission of the Department of Interior Architecture is to establish a practice, research, and community-based academics that rigorously prepare its students for an environmentally and socially relevant professional careers in Interior Architecture and the allied fields.
Goals
- Prepare informed and capable graduates who have the necessary technical and professional skills in order to become leaders in their specialties as well being able to work seamlessly as a team with colleagues from related professions.
- Graduate specialists in the field of interior architecture who are capable of not only assimilating functionality with esthetics, but who are qualified to develop a variety of creative solutions for challenges in the interior architecture field.
- Prepare graduates who stay up-to-date on the current trends and as well as understand the different concepts coming out of interior architecture design schools worldwide.
- Prepare graduates in the field of interior architecture who are prepared to meet the needs of the business market.
- Emphasize to the students the critical importance of establishing an ethical professional practice.
- Graduate professionals who will contribute to the field of interior architecture by pursuing research in the theoretical and practical realms.
- Carry on the Department’s relationship with their students post graduation through a variety of activities with faculty, staff and the community, as well as develop a strong affiliation with professionals in the business market and the Department’s graduates.
In addition to the Preparatory year and the Common year of the College of Architecture and Planning, the Department of Interior Architecture aspires to prepare their students during the three specialization years, so that they will be qualified professionals coping with the business market’s needs both locally and internationally in a variety of different subfields of interior architecture, e.g. residential, commercial, entertainment, institutional and others. The proposed academic program is intended to provide students with the basic knowledge, science and skills required to perform the process of interior design. The program covers all subjects related to the process of preparing and refining different types and shapes of spaces that meet the needs of people. The program stresses matters such as the functionality in relation to comfort, safety, security and efficiency for space occupants.
