If you think that interior architecture is the same as interior design or decoration, think again. It’s actually an entirely different field centered on rethinking the life of existing buildings – through design alterations, renovations and adaptive reuse.

Given a growing interest in green living, interior architects with the vision and skills to give old buildings new life are in increasingly high demand. After all, recycling an entire building instead of demolishing it and constructing a new one is one of the most environmentally sound practices around.

In Interior Studies – as RISD’s undergraduate program is known – you’ll take advanced design studios that allow for specializations in adaptive reuse along with design for the theater, exhibition design or retail design. Professors will introduce you to practices and procedures in the building industry and beyond, and encourage your growth as a socially and environmentally responsible professional.