Theory of Interior Design
Unit code: HDINT313HK
| Credit points | 12.5 Credit Points |
| Duration | 1 Semester |
| Contact hours | 36 Hours per Semester |
| Campus | External Venue |
| Prerequisites | Nil |
Related course(s)
A unit of study in the Bachelor of Design (Interior Design) offered at City U, Hong Kong.
Aims and objectives
This unit aims to introduce key theoretical concepts that will complement students’ studio-based interior design projects. By developing skills in research, critical analysis and an historical understanding of key issues, students will attain a broader understanding of their discipline.
After successfully completing this unit, you should be able to:
1. Consider environmental, spatial and cultural issues, and use them to inform concepts of interior space;
2. Articulate contemporary Interior Design practice within an historical and theoretical context;
3. Critically evaluate and argue key aspects of design theory, in an industry-relevant context;
4. Explore the social implications of the design of human space, and embed within interior design projects;
5. Apply contemporary Interior Design theories, such as notions of Interiority and the human form, to research and design projects;
6. Demonstrate the relationship between theory, research and design project outcomes;
7. Verbally, textually and visually articulate research, theoretical underpinnings, concepts, process and outcomes of design projects.
After successfully completing this unit, you should be able to:
1. Consider environmental, spatial and cultural issues, and use them to inform concepts of interior space;
2. Articulate contemporary Interior Design practice within an historical and theoretical context;
3. Critically evaluate and argue key aspects of design theory, in an industry-relevant context;
4. Explore the social implications of the design of human space, and embed within interior design projects;
5. Apply contemporary Interior Design theories, such as notions of Interiority and the human form, to research and design projects;
6. Demonstrate the relationship between theory, research and design project outcomes;
7. Verbally, textually and visually articulate research, theoretical underpinnings, concepts, process and outcomes of design projects.
Teaching methods
Projects will be conducted within a studio-based learning environment on a work-in-progress basis. Studio-based learning requires the active participation of all students both individually and in group-based activities. This unit will be a combination of formal lectures, discussions of weekly readings and their relationships to design research and seminar presentations.
Students will be required to participate in and contribute to the weekly sessions involving:
• Seminars;
• Tutorial discussions;
• Research activities.
• Seminars;
• Tutorial discussions;
• Research activities.
Assessment
Note: Percentage weightings are indicative. See Unit Briefs for full assessment details.
Tutorial question 1 20%
Tutorial question 2 20%
Group Seminar 20%
Major Project 40%
Tutorial question 1 20%
Tutorial question 2 20%
Group Seminar 20%
Major Project 40%
Generic skills outcomes
Swinburne University works to produce higher education graduates who are capable in their chosen profession. Learners bring to Swinburne a diverse wealth of experiences and graduate with individual understandings, abilities and attitudes.
Within this context, HDINTD313HK Contemporary Interior Design Theory aims to provide students with the following attributes:
• Are adaptable and manage change;
• Are aware of local and international environment in which they will be contributing.
Content
Students will work towards a graphic / text-based research project which explores one or more of the following areas in a conceptual and theoretical framework:
• Constructing Place;
• Domesticity;
• Design research (specific to interior design);
• The relationship between theory and practice;
• The Flaneur and the Other’s gaze;
• Patterning and ornament;
• Colour and Colour Theory;
• Interior Design History;
• Virtual Space;
• Interior Designers and Architects (past and present)
• Constructing Place;
• Domesticity;
• Design research (specific to interior design);
• The relationship between theory and practice;
• The Flaneur and the Other’s gaze;
• Patterning and ornament;
• Colour and Colour Theory;
• Interior Design History;
• Virtual Space;
• Interior Designers and Architects (past and present)
Reading materials
Students will be required to purchase a book of readings. This reader will be made available from Week 1 of the semester. While there are no formal readings for this unit, the following readings may be recommended to guide each week’s topic.
Forty, A 2000, Words and Buildings: A Vocabulary of Modern Architecture, Routledge, London.
Leach, N, ed., 1997, Rethinking Architecture: A Reader in Cultural Theory, Routledge, London.
Taylor, M and Julianna Preston, eds., 2006, Intimus: Interior Design Theory Reader, Wiley-Academy, Hoboken, NJ.
Forty, A 2000, Words and Buildings: A Vocabulary of Modern Architecture, Routledge, London.
Leach, N, ed., 1997, Rethinking Architecture: A Reader in Cultural Theory, Routledge, London.
Taylor, M and Julianna Preston, eds., 2006, Intimus: Interior Design Theory Reader, Wiley-Academy, Hoboken, NJ.
