About IARC | IARC Vision and Mission | IARC Core Values

About IARC

To understand the difference between interior design and interior architecture, perhaps it is important to first notice what they have in common, namely the word interior. In the context of design interior refers to the habitable, human-centered spaces within a structure or building. These interior spaces include many functional situations, such as residences, offices, schools, restaurants, hotels, airports, stores, theaters, clubs, hospitals, childcare centers, retirement communities, showrooms, and more. Many times these interior, humanistic spaces even extend beyond the building as views from windows, doorways, porches, decks, patios, and so on.

We have elected to call the program at UNCG 'Interior Architecture' as a statement of our belief in design education as a holistic and multi-disciplinary activity. We believe that learning to be a designer is a complex and rigorous task, requiring devotion and passion. Design education at UNCG is centered on the studio, a physical and intellectual place where ideas are transformed into physical form through continual development of models and drawings. One thing I can tell you is that you will never do something once in a studio here; developing good design ideas means drawing and redrawing, making and remaking, until your understanding of the idea and the artifact is thorough.

Interior architecture can be said to be a marriage of three distinct design disciplines: interior design, architecture, and industrial design. Interior design focuses on the selection of interior materials,finishes, and furnishings; architecture on the design of building forms and systems; and industrial design on the design of manufactured products. As a student here you will learn something of all three disciplines, preparing you for a broad range of careers in interior design. In addition, the liberal education requirements here at UNCG are an integral part of the design degree, reinforcing and expanding the multi-disciplinary nature of the design education.

Our graduates are recognized in the field as thoughtful designers of interior spaces and products, who know a lot about architecture and industrial design, designers who can think and do . Many of our students go to work for architecture firms, doing interior design work in architectural contexts. Others choose careers in interior design firms, concentrating on residential design or institutional interiors. Still others are inspired to continue their design education in graduate school, earning advanced degrees in architecture, industrial design, or interior design which enable them to practice or teach within their chosen discipline. Other areas of employment of our graduates include exhibition design, historic preservation, webpage design, furniture showrooms, photography and film studios, product sales development, etc.

Our undergraduate program results in a professional degree, a Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture, requiring 142 credit hours. In this case quality and quantity are related: you will take more than twice the number of design courses and credits than the majority of interior design programs. The program is modeled on professional programs in architecture and industrial design and is accredited by the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research. The old adage that states 'how much you gain from an experience depends on how much you put into it' is true for our program. You won't be sorry for investing yourself in design education here; you will gain not only a career potential, but a new and wonderful way of looking at the world.

Tommy Lambeth, Associate Professor and Chair

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IARC Vision:
A community of scholars active in design theory and practice, we transcend the accepted definitions of interior spaces, their appearances, their functions, human interactions within and outside them, and their impact on the world.

IARC Mission:
Students and faculty engage in regional, national, and international design discourses, practices, and processes to unite interior spaces with enclosing architecture and the objects contained within them.

IARC Objectives:
Frame interior architecture within the contexts of liberal arts education, a rich cultural heritage, and within environmental concerns;

Actively experiment and fully explore design-related issues in progressive studio environments through analyses, conceptual frameworks, critical discourses, and design processes;

Undertake joyful exploration in all aspects of design;

Form support courses, lectures, seminars, and special events concisely relevant to design;

Initiate design-related scholarship and research of discovery and application;

Render service in and beyond the academic community.

IARC Strategies
Emphasize history, precedent, and design fundamentals as tenets of design;

Focus on technology and stewardship as a means for design and production;

Develop excellent communication skills (i.e., drawing, model building, writing and public speaking);

Build studio-centered communities within the program;

Make local/international connections to industry, educators, practitioners in research, work, and travel.

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IARC Core Values

Authenticity
Greek authentikos, akin to Greek anyein, to accomplish, Sanskrit sanoti, he gains

Undisputed credibility
legitimacy, genuineness, being actually and exactly what is claimed
honesty of joy and pride in a job done well
high level of care and precision in craft
virtue, faithfulness and sincerity of intention
bona fide

Community
Middle English comunete, from Latin communitas

agreement as to goals
accord, joint ownership or participation
common ownership of ideas
a group linked by a common policy
commitment to diversity
engaged beyond the university in professional and community activities
recognition and celebration of multiple cultures

Innovation
Latin innovatus, past participle of innovare, from in- + novus new

creation resulting from study and experimentation
includes making, doing, and thinking
the introduction of something new
a new idea, method, or device
revolutionary change
a spirit of inquiry
do something in a new way

Stewardship
Middle English, from Old English stIweard, from stI, stig hall, sty + weard ward

careful and responsible management of the earth and its resources
social consciousness and responsibility to others
socially active and engaged at the university and beyond
judicious use of means to accomplish an end
cognizant of connections between the built and natural environment