Spatial and Interior Design major - Bachelor of Design Te Tohu Paetahi mō te Hoahoa

Spatial and interior design is the design of human environments from the inside out. This major covers the theory and practical skills to prepare you for a career in this exciting field.

This is a highly interdisciplinary degree and there's cross-over with disciplines like visual art, textiles, industrial design and others. Our secret is to start with human experience - how spaces feel and function, and what they mean to people. You'll think about details like surface, colour, pattern, connection, and consider how materials and light can be used creatively to give spaces a particular character, and how things change over time.

Year 1

You’ll be introduced to essential spatial and interior design concepts and processes, and will focus on intimate spaces, exploring how we experience and perceive the things close to us. You’ll analyse familiar spaces from new perspectives, explore materials, develop your drawing and digital modelling skills, and work with materials, light, surfaces and time to create atmosphere.

Semester 1 courses

• DESN511 Introduction to Design Practice (30 points)
• DIGD507 Mahitahi | Collaborative Practice (15 points)
• DESN512 Making and Media (15 points)

Semester 2 courses

• SPAD511 Spatial and Interior Design Practice I (30 points)
• Plus two courses* from your second major, your minor(s) or elective courses

Year 2

The focus this year is on shared spaces; places where we meet and interact with others. You’ll analyse real sites and make things in our workshops. You’ll apply your developing creative skills and design processes to new, more complex scenarios, and learn about producing instructional documentation.

Semester 1 courses

• SPAD611 Spatial and Interior Design Practice II (30 points)
• Plus two courses* from your second major, your minor(s) or elective courses

Semester 2 courses

• SPAD612 Spatial and Interior Design Practice III (30 points)
• Plus two courses* from your second major, your minor(s) or elective courses

Year 3

This year, you'll consider public spaces and situations like streets, galleries, and public events. You'll take more control over the design process, building a brief in response to your own analysis of a given situation. You'll explore more advanced uses of digital tools, and reflect on your practice.

The year ends in a public exhibition to place your work in the public eye.

Semester 1 courses

• SPAD711 Spatial and Interior Design Practice IV (30 points)
• Plus two courses* from your second major, your minor(s) or elective courses

Semester 2 course

• DESN711 Integrated Design Practice (60 points)

_{Plus two courses* from your second major, your minor(s) or elective courses.}