The Honours BA in Interior Architecture at IT Sligo has been awarded Candidate Status by the RIBA, the Royal Institute of British Architects.
The RIBA is the leading international body in the field of architecture and this development is highly significant for the Interior Architecture course and its students. University College Dublin is the only other Higher Education Institute in Ireland with RIBA recognition.
The Interior Architecture programme has been offered at IT Sligo for 12 years and is the leading Interior Architecture course in the country. It is the only course in Ireland to have achieved recognition by the European Council of Interior Architects.
Head of Department of Civil Engineering and Construction, Kevin Savage, said that the achievement of Candidate Status from the RIBA is a significant endorsement of the Interior Architecture programme; “This status is the first step towards achieving full recognition under the RIBA and is an important acknowledgment of the work that has been, and continues to be done, in our Interior Architecture programme.”
“For too long, the tendency in Ireland has been to knock down existing buildings to make way for new ones, without any consideration for the conservation of our heritage and the carbon footprint that building a new structure leaves,” he said.
“Interior Architecture differs from mainstream architecture in that it focuses on the potential for repurposing, restoring, and reimagining existing structures. With seventy five per cent of all future construction work estimated to involve existing buildings, the industry is really set to come into its own now that the rapid building boom has ceased and people are starting to take a more considered and sustainable approach towards building developments.”
Interior Architecture teachings combine a variety of fields including architecture, furniture and product design, graphics, performing arts, and art. The Interior Architecture programme at IT Sligo draws on expertise in architecture, design, construction, technology and teaching methodology.
Local examples in Sligo of buildings that have benefited from the approach of Interior Architecture ‘reimagining’ are The Clarion Hotel, Hazlewood House and The Model.
For more information on the Interior Architecture Programmes at IT Sligo see http://courses.itsligo.ie/engineering-courses/interior-architecture/
IT Sligo offers the leading Interior Architecture course in the country.