Interior Architecture BA(Hons)

International equivalencies

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Portfolio advice 

Online portfolios
Online portfolios may be requested via the admissions portal for students unable to attend an interview. Applicants will be advised of where to send their portfolio.

Creating an online portfolio is easy and a useful way to showcase your work. Don’t forget to include the title of the work and the date it was presented. It can also be useful to include a description of each image to explain the thought processes behind your work.

What makes a good portfolio?
Producing a portfolio may be regarded as a design exercise. You will need to plan it as a whole as there are many ways to tell the same story. A good portfolio consists of carefully orchestrated images, lettering and text to convey the information to people who are not familiar with your work. Tutors will look for a broad range of skills, with particular emphasis on drawing ability and a capacity to generate ideas. The work that applicants present in a portfolio usually consists of examples of paintings, drawings, photography, perhaps some sculpture or models.

Please note that we do not necessarily expect to see architectural drawings, but we are looking for a variety of work that shows your ability to experiment and use different media and techniques. We do like students to have good drawing and compositional skills and we also like to see sketchbooks and notebooks to see how your ideas have developed in response to creative problems. In terms of character, we will be looking for students who are self-motivated and inquisitive. 

Why study with us?

• You’ll study in Brighton, a coastal city renowned for its culture of creativity. Through community engagement, you’ll have the chance to use your acquired expertise to enhance and transform local projects.

• Through community engagement, you'll have the chance to use your acquired expertise to work on live projects such as set designs, exhibition installations and competitions. These projects have included TEDx Brighton, EcoBuild in London and a garden project with the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership.

• You’ll participate in a vibrant studio culture, sharing ideas, creativity and techniques and replicating the working environment of the professional design world.

• You’ll learn how to formally present your work to external consultants, tutors and your peers.

• Each year there is an optional field trip that expands your architectural and spatial design knowledge base.

• We employ a range of assessment methods, including public reviews, peer reviews, portfolio submissions, reports and essay submissions to give you the critical feedback you need to excel.

• Each year six students help to run the Brighton Architecture and Interiors Student Society, which organises lectures, events and exhibitions.

• Throughout the course, you will be building a portfolio to help you stand out from the crowd.

All Interior Architecture BA(Hons) students participate in the Context Workshop Week - a five-day project-based learning activity. The aim is to introduce specific skills, techniques and processes that will inform your design practice and thinking.

Year 1

In year 1, you will be introduced to the discipline of interior architecture within a wide historical and cultural context, establishing your skills, specialist knowledge and practices.

Modules

• Design 1: An introduction to context
• Design 2: An introduction to narrative
• Interior Histories and Theories 1: An introduction
• Culture 1: Critical voices

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through our applicant portal.

Students assembling their bench design for a public garden in Brighton, as part of a collaborative project with the council and the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership.

Year 2

In year 2 you will broaden and deepen your awareness of the field. This is a year for creative experimentation and the exploration of new territories.

Modules

• Design 3: Terriotory and catalyst
• Design 4: Experience and systems
• Culture 2: Identities
• Interior Histories and Theories 2

Option modules*

• Home: Making and Unmaking   
• Thinking Through Drawing

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Final year

In year 3 you will have opportunities to apply your skills and spatial design awareness. The intention throughout this year is to consolidate your knowledge, enable you to develop an independent creative voice, and prepare you for entry into professional practice or enable you to engage in further research. Each year, graduating students exhibit their work in the arts and humanities graduate show.

Modules

• Design 5: Territory and catalyst
• Design 6: Experience and systems
• Culture 3: Future practice
• Interior Histories and Theories 3: Dissertation

Student view

Amelia Lewis

"Reflecting on my time at Brighton and the course, I am so grateful for the various skills we learned and the opportunities we were given. I now realise how transferrable and vital everything we learned truly is to any industry! The conceptual nature of the course has broadened my way of thinking and helped significantly with the way I approach a design task. The majority of my colleagues studied event management at university, but have commented on how much they value and respect my design-based CV and background.”

Staff profiles

Gemma Barton Course leader

Gemma Barton is an academic with a varied and active flair for writing, curating and designing. She has been teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students for almost a decade in architecture, interior architecture, urban design and design thinking.

Location

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

Maps

Accommodation

University building

Moulsecoomb campus map