This course builds on the foundations gained in previous studio and course work to further design development abilities. The studio will require the integration of the student's emerging knowledge of site analysis, mapping & documentation, innovative tectonics and systems, applicable theoretical issues, relevant cultural precedents, and material investigation into a cohesive design agenda.

Major Requirement | MDes Interior Studies

This course builds on the foundations gained in previous studio and course work to further design development abilities. The studio will require the integration of the student's emerging knowledge of site analysis, mapping & documentation, innovative tectonics and systems, applicable theoretical issues, relevant cultural precedents, and material investigation into a cohesive design agenda.

Major Requirement | MDes Interior Studies

This course will focus on factors influencing the design of the interior environment through exploring issues of anthropometrics (the study of the characteristics of the human body), ergonomics (the application of anthropometric data to design), and proxemics (the study of the effect of cultural/psychological factors on design). It will be complemented by a study of acoustics as it relates to the relationship between the built environment and sound; predicting and designing for the acoustic performance of spaces, and executing acoustic measurements (impulse response, reverberations).

Major Requirement | MDes Interior Studies

This course will focus on factors influencing the design of the interior environment through exploring issues of anthropometrics (the study of the characteristics of the human body), ergonomics (the application of anthropometric data to design), and proxemics (the study of the effect of cultural/psychological factors on design). It will be complemented by a study of acoustics as it relates to the relationship between the built environment and sound; predicting and designing for the acoustic performance of spaces, and executing acoustic measurements (impulse response, reverberations).

Major Requirement | MDes Interior Studies

The Design Thesis is the culmination of the Master of Design studies in the Department of Interior Architecture in both concentrations, Adaptive Reuse [AR] and Exhibition and Narrative Environments [ENE]. A thesis needs to propose a line of research and exploration in the context of each discipline. Throughout the semester students embark on a series of investigations that will lead to a unique set of questions that can be arguable and eventually contribute to the knowledge base in a field. The class provides an opportunity for graduate students to demonstrate their knowledge and acquired skills in that field through personal investigation, leading to the postulation of a hypothesis, and the testing of this hypothesis during the course of the Spring semester.

This course will enable students to focus on both conceptual and applied issues emerging from a critical analysis of a subject matter of their interest and understand how they unfold in the built environment and/or the realm of exhibitions and narrative environments. Work this semester will grow from each student’s unique field of inquiry as explored through the Spring courses Investigating Interiority (AR) and Topics in Exhibitions and Narrative Environments (ENE) and expanded upon during the Summer. This work will be the connection to Design Thesis.

As part of the 2-semester thesis sequence, Design Thesis Preparation focuses on a further investigation of a thesis topic through the articulation of a thesis argument and line of research towards an exploration of context whether physical in the built environment whether a curatorial framework in the disciplines of Exhibition and Narrative Environments. Such explorations will lead to the establishment of a design approach. Each of these areas will contribute to the design process in the following Spring. The design process will conclude at the beginning of May when thesis book production and graduate thesis show design and installation will begin. The successful graduate will enter the professional world equipped with a design thesis, a thesis publication and a designed exhibition.

Enrollment is limited to Graduate Interior Architecture Students.

Major Requirement | MDes Interior Studies

The Design Thesis is the culmination of the Master of Design studies in the Department of Interior Architecture in both concentrations, Adaptive Reuse [AR] and Exhibition and Narrative Environments [ENE]. A thesis needs to propose a line of research and exploration in the context of each discipline. Throughout the semester students embark on a series of investigations that will lead to a unique set of questions that can be arguable and eventually contribute to the knowledge base in a field. The class provides an opportunity for graduate students to demonstrate their knowledge and acquired skills in that field through personal investigation, leading to the postulation of a hypothesis, and the testing of this hypothesis during the course of the Spring semester.

This course will enable students to focus on both conceptual and applied issues emerging from a critical analysis of a subject matter of their interest and understand how they unfold in the built environment and/or the realm of exhibitions and narrative environments. Work this semester will grow from each student’s unique field of inquiry as explored through the Spring courses Investigating Interiority (AR) and Topics in Exhibitions and Narrative Environments (ENE) and expanded upon during the Summer. This work will be the connection to Design Thesis.

As part of the 2-semester thesis sequence, Design Thesis Preparation focuses on a further investigation of a thesis topic through the articulation of a thesis argument and line of research towards an exploration of context whether physical in the built environment whether a curatorial framework in the disciplines of Exhibition and Narrative Environments. Such explorations will lead to the establishment of a design approach. Each of these areas will contribute to the design process in the following Spring. The design process will conclude at the beginning of May when thesis book production and graduate thesis show design and installation will begin. The successful graduate will enter the professional world equipped with a design thesis, a thesis publication and a designed exhibition.

Enrollment is limited to Graduate Interior Architecture Students.

Major Requirement | MDes Interior Studies

The Design Thesis is the culmination of the Master of Design studies in the Department of Interior Architecture in both concentrations, Adaptive Reuse [AR] and Exhibition and Narrative Environments [ENE]. A thesis needs to propose a line of research and exploration in the context of each discipline. Throughout the semester students embark on a series of investigations that will lead to a unique set of questions that can be arguable and eventually contribute to the knowledge base in a field. The class provides an opportunity for graduate students to demonstrate their knowledge and acquired skills in that field through personal investigation, leading to the postulation of a hypothesis, and the testing of this hypothesis during the course of the Spring semester.

This course will enable students to focus on both conceptual and applied issues emerging from a critical analysis of a subject matter of their interest and understand how they unfold in the built environment and/or the realm of exhibitions and narrative environments. Work this semester will grow from each student’s unique field of inquiry as explored through the Spring courses Investigating Interiority (AR) and Topics in Exhibitions and Narrative Environments (ENE) and expanded upon during the Summer. This work will be the connection to Design Thesis.

As part of the 2-semester thesis sequence, Design Thesis Preparation focuses on a further investigation of a thesis topic through the articulation of a thesis argument and line of research towards an exploration of context whether physical in the built environment whether a curatorial framework in the disciplines of Exhibition and Narrative Environments. Such explorations will lead to the establishment of a design approach. Each of these areas will contribute to the design process in the following Spring. The design process will conclude at the beginning of May when thesis book production and graduate thesis show design and installation will begin. The successful graduate will enter the professional world equipped with a design thesis, a thesis publication and a designed exhibition.

Enrollment is limited to Graduate Interior Architecture Students.

Major Requirement | MDes Interior Studies

The Design Thesis is the culmination of the Master of Design studies in the Department of Interior Architecture in both concentrations, Adaptive Reuse [AR] and Exhibition and Narrative Environments [ENE]. A thesis needs to propose a line of research and exploration in the context of each discipline. Throughout the semester students embark on a series of investigations that will lead to a unique set of questions that can be arguable and eventually contribute to the knowledge base in a field. The class provides an opportunity for graduate students to demonstrate their knowledge and acquired skills in that field through personal investigation, leading to the postulation of a hypothesis, and the testing of this hypothesis during the course of the Spring semester.

This course will enable students to focus on both conceptual and applied issues emerging from a critical analysis of a subject matter of their interest and understand how they unfold in the built environment and/or the realm of exhibitions and narrative environments. Work this semester will grow from each student’s unique field of inquiry as explored through the Spring courses Investigating Interiority (AR) and Topics in Exhibitions and Narrative Environments (ENE) and expanded upon during the Summer. This work will be the connection to Design Thesis.

As part of the 2-semester thesis sequence, Design Thesis Preparation focuses on a further investigation of a thesis topic through the articulation of a thesis argument and line of research towards an exploration of context whether physical in the built environment whether a curatorial framework in the disciplines of Exhibition and Narrative Environments. Such explorations will lead to the establishment of a design approach. Each of these areas will contribute to the design process in the following Spring. The design process will conclude at the beginning of May when thesis book production and graduate thesis show design and installation will begin. The successful graduate will enter the professional world equipped with a design thesis, a thesis publication and a designed exhibition.

Enrollment is limited to Graduate Interior Architecture Students.

Major Requirement | MDes Interior Studies

Building on the skills and knowledge developed during the first year in the Department, undergraduate students will focus their attention on a project which requires the hypothetical remodeling of an existing building of some complexity for a proposed new use.

Major Requirement | BFA Interior Studies

Choice of advanced design studios offered by the Department of Interior Architecture. Details & studio descriptions are made available to pre-registered students.

Estimated Cost of Materials: Varies depending on required studio course supplies or related travel. Anticipated costs will be provided in advance, and announced during the lottery studio presentations held in the department.

Major Requirement | BFA, MDes, MA Interior Studies

Choice of advanced design studios offered by the Department of Interior Architecture. Details & studio descriptions are made available to pre-registered students.

Estimated Cost of Materials: Varies depending on required studio course supplies or related travel. Anticipated costs will be provided in advance, and announced during the lottery studio presentations held in the department.

Major Requirement | BFA, MDes, MA Interior Studies

Choice of advanced design studios offered by the Department of Interior Architecture. Details & studio descriptions are made available to pre-registered students.

Estimated Cost of Materials: Varies depending on required studio course supplies or related travel. Anticipated costs will be provided in advance, and announced during the lottery studio presentations held in the department.

Major Requirement | BFA, MDes, MA Interior Studies

Choice of advanced design studios offered by the Department of Interior Architecture. Details & studio descriptions are made available to pre-registered students.

Estimated Cost of Materials: Varies depending on required studio course supplies or related travel. Anticipated costs will be provided in advance, and announced during the lottery studio presentations held in the department.

Major Requirement | BFA, MDes, MA Interior Studies

This course will investigate relationships between parametric design strategies and making of physical artifacts. Prototyping will utilize laser cutters, 3D printers, and CNC routers as tools of digital fabrication, while an introduction to Grasshopper will simultaneously focus on principles of algorithmic design. The two worlds of digital and physical will merge through very intentional development of geometries that are uniquely suited to each of the differing methods of fabrication. The act of making will be our primary method of knowledge acquisition. A series of weekly prototyping assignments will provide the basis for an iterative design process that is driven by witnessing and understanding unique material behaviors that emerge in each of our prototyping modalities. Entering with a basic working knowledge of Rhino3D is recommended for success in this course. 

Estimated Cost of Materials: $50.00

Elective

This 6-credit advanced elective studio centers around the Sustainability Lab, an initiative between LDAR and INTAR departments to explore creative material approaches to sustainability. Looking specifically at materials common to the New England region, this hands-on research studio asks students to question current attitudes towards exploitative land uses and material cultures and push the boundaries of material use and techniques in professional architecture and landscape architecture design practices.

This studio focuses on New England's material cultures' environmental, geological, and socio-cultural influences and the impact of current land use and manufacturing practices on the professional design industry. This studio will explore one selected material each year through three main components. First, students will study the histories and stories of the selected material and land use and how they have shaped different regions of New England and become entangled in power relations, value systems, and wider networks of material exchange. Second, they will explore the selected material’s behavior, its unique property dynamics, and how they have influenced its different uses. Finally, using both digital and analog fabrication, students will develop iterative creative processes that explore sustainable ways of drawing and making with the selected materials as modular and in-situ techniques.  

This is a co-requisite course. Students must register for LDAR/INTAR-500G - Sustainability Lab: Advanced Research Studio and LDAR/INTAR-501G - Sustainability Lab: Material Explorations.

Students are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Landscape Architecture and Interior Architecture Graduate Students.

Elective

This 3-credit elective centers around the Sustainability Lab, an initiative between LDAR and INTAR departments to explore creative material approaches to sustainability. Looking specifically at materials common to New England, this skill-building seminar will explore one selected material each year and expose students to different techniques and methods of researching and working with the region's intrinsic materials.

In tandem with the co-requisite studio, students will collaborate with expert scientists, artists, craftspeople, and designers to refine their material literacy and develop multiple hands-on explorations that go beyond our disciplinary conventions to generate innovative fabrication techniques and applications for the built environment. This process includes becoming familiar with a material's inherent characteristics and behaviors, its composition and connection to vernacular and craft, and finally, developing novel research methods for design that rely on physical experimentation. 

This is a co-requisite course. Students must register for LDAR/INTAR-500G - Sustainability Lab: Advanced Research Studio and LDAR/INTAR-501G - Sustainability Lab: Material Explorations.

Students are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Landscape Architecture and Interior Architecture Graduate Students.

Elective

This J+M elective offering is an intensive technical course that focuses on the subject and material investigation of Stones + Gold. The course will be divided into two segments: the first half focuses on the working with gold as material and the second on intermediate and advanced stone setting. Technical demonstrations will discuss and outline material properties, preparation and proper handling, alloying, soldering/fabrication, finishing, etc. Lectures and discussion will address the history of the materials, their mining and sourcing, environmental impacts and concerns, and methods for establishing an ethical practice. The course aims to address and prepare students with the practical knowledge, experience, and the necessary specialized skills to launch professionally into industry, produce independent commission work, and/or advance their personal creative practices.

Major elective for Junior, Senior, and Graduate Jewelry + Metalsmithing Students. Experienced non-majors may enroll pending seat availability. To request permission, email the instructor and include images of past work.

Elective

This course emphasizes the refinement of technical and design skills acquired in sophomore level. A variety of new techniques are introduced. The nature of the assignments encourages the development of a personal aesthetic and asks for greater independence in the design process. The structure of the assignments is designed to present formal and conceptual challenges, promote innovative problem solving and individual exploration. Research and ongoing discussions are part of this course.

Major Requirement | BFA Jewelry + Metalsmithing

This studio course will continue to advance students' metalsmithing techniques. Chasing and repousse, along with lost wax casting, will be introduced and developed throughout the semester. Skills and material knowledge learned in the sophomore year will also be used to fulfill assignments. Overlap between all skills is encouraged in most assignments. Inquiry into the finer points of fabricating and inventing innovative findings for jewelry will be an ongoing consideration. Research, drawing, and sample making are expected to precede each class assignment to facilitate students design process.

Major Requirement | BFA Jewelry + Metalsmithing

This class is an intensive investigation of the processes of electroplating and electroforming copper metal by covering objects of various modeling materials to create new metal objects. All aspects of this technical application are discussed. Students are required to maintain an accurate logbook of their investigation while developing a body of work.

Major elective for Junior, Senior, and Graduate Jewelry + Metalsmithing Students. Experienced non-majors may enroll pending seat availability. To request permission, email the instructor and include images of past work.

Elective