Transforming into a CO2-neutral world without fossil fuels and cultivating a sense of responsibility are significant tasks for design: one of them is to breathe new life into our spaces with regard to their social, environmental and economic aspects. The Interior Architecture and Scenography study programme makes it a point to test and establish sustainability in education. Because designers in Interior Architecture and Scenography design positive concepts and concrete images for social change. For both interiors and urban public space, you will focus on the co-design of sustainable future worlds that are closely intertwined with the spaces of social negotiation, the coexistence of human and non-human actors, and diversity as a critical and reflective debate on inclusion. These concepts are intertwined with one another, flowing into theoretical, research-related and practical teaching and learning units.
Thank you for your interest. The application deadline for a bachelor's degree program beginning in the fall semester 2022/23 is February 15,2022. The next application window for the fall semester 2023/24 opens on November 1, 2022.
The focus of the study programme is on generating atmospheres and facilitating immersive experiences through interaction, storytelling and the interplay that emerges between perception and emotion. Depending on the educational space, theme and participants, scenographic and interior interventions are designed e.g. as exhibits, installations, performances, critical city tours or soundscapes. Immersive moments can be part of teaching and take place in physical, virtual and hybrid spaces, including via digital media, frequently in multimodal settings (virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality).
During the study programme, you will acquire a wealth of theoretical knowledge and practise researching, analysing and reflecting on your experiences and critical thinking. You will not only be approaching the design of public spaces in studios, workshops and seminar rooms – you will also be putting your concepts in public. Collaborative projects are a great opportunity for that.
Academic Qualifications Admission to the enrolment procedure for degree programmes in the field of design (Industrial Design, Interior Architecture and Scenography, Fashion Design, Process Design at HyperWerk, Visual Communication and Digital Spaces) usually requires one of the following qualifications:
a Swiss state-certified/state-recognized Professional Matura certificate
a Swiss state-certified/state-recognized Higher School Certificate (equivalent to Brit. A level degree)
a Swiss state-certified/state-recognized Vocational Matura certificate
proof of equivalent education at upper secondary level obtained otherwise
In the case of other educational qualifications, the FHNW Academy of Art and Design conducts a comparative test.
Work Experience or Preparatory Course in Design In addition, students who wish to enrol are required to provide documentation of a one year work experience or the completion of a one year preparatory course in design. Work experience should include practical and theoretical knowledge with regards to a profession related to the intended field of study. You can find a list of eligible professions on our website.
Proof of professional experience or the completion of a preparatory course in design is not required by students holding a Professional Matura certificate with basic training in a profession related to the intended field of study, a Swiss state-certified Higher School Certificate with a focus on art and creative design, or a Professional Matura certificate in a design-oriented field. The degree does not necessarily have to be in a profession related to the intended field of study. You can find all the recognised professions here (in German).
Admission Requirements in the Field of Fine Arts Admission to the enrolment procedure in the field of art requires the same academic qualifications as for the study of design. A year’s work experience or completion of a preparatory course is not a prerequisite, however it is recommended.
Admission Requirements in the Field of Arts and Design Education Admission to the enrolment procedure for the BA programme of Arts and Design Education requires the same school qualifications as for the study of design. Admission to the MA course of Arts and Design Education, Teaching Diploma Secondary II requires a Higher School Certificate and university admission, respectively.
Catching up on the Professional Matura Certificate Candidates who have not completed at least three years of Secondary II education are, by law, not eligible for admission to a BA degree course. Information concerning fulltime or extra-occupational training courses leading up to a Professional Matura certificate in either a technical, design-oriented, or commercial field is provided by local vocational schools.
Admission on the Strength of Special Talent (Sur Dossier) Admission to the enrolment procedure on the strength of a special artistic or design talent is possible even when proof of the necessary school qualifications is missing but the candidate can prove that he/she has a special artistic or design talent for the targeted profession. The application documents should include a portfolio, a CV, a letter of motivation, and a formal letter of application. The management of the degree programme will decide on the strength of application documents whether the candidate is eligible.
To apply for a place at the HGK, the required documents must be submitted by 15.02.2023. You will find the details here shortly.
Dates
01.11.2022 Announcement of detailed dates
15.02.2023 Registration deadline
18.09.2023 Fall Semester begin 2023/24
Target Audience
Whether during or after your studies, you will be dealing with professionals from the fields of architecture, theatre, film, fair construction, digital media and the arts and with experts from a variety of other fields as well. Whatever the task, working as an interior designer or scenographer requires the ability to cooperate, which is why we place such emphasis on the team and communicative skills of our students and help to develop them in the course of their studies.
In Interior Architecture and Scenography, you get to deal with all facets of space: with its dimensions, with the colour and material of its surfaces, with the lighting, as well as with the objects that structure its form. At the core of all considerations are human as well as non-human beings in their role as recipients and users, whom you directly address and involve through your approach and work. You analyse the functional relationships along with the communicative purposes of interior and exterior spaces, and conceptualize and plan time-limited as well as permanent changes to specific spaces. In exhibitions, you get the chance to make content-based themes spatially perceptible, cast exhibits in their right light, and underpin the dramaturgical sequences by means of sound and moving images. Within an architectural framework you create and plan spatial structures that reflect the site-specific and contemporary conditions.
Practical relevance and perspectives
Students engage in collaborations on a regular basis in order to test the actual applicability of models or plans, publicly and on a scale of 1:1. It is only when a design concept is published and implemented, either in a real exhibition, in a proposal for a specific outdoor design, in temporary lightings or pictorial projections, that the conceptual work carried out in the studio or workshop becomes verifiable. Whether it is in the realm of stage design, in exhibition design or in urban scenographies and interventions in the field of hospitality, work and corporate design, students are given the chance to engage critically with high and popular culture and participate in socially relevant discourses. The cross-disciplinary course programme equips students with a comprehensive range of skills – including new media and technologies – and prepares them for a wide scope of practical activities between architecture, interior design, scenography, and theatre.
Connecting to the theoretical discourse
Theoretical discourses interact with social discourses and changes in the design practice. In order to be able to critically contextualise and discuss your own work and position, you will be introduced to different design theory perspectives, knowledge and experiences. Through research-based teaching and learning approaches, the impressions gleaned from collaborating with various knowledge communities, local institutions and interest groups are conveyed and reflected upon in exchange.
Working in a collective
Whether during or after your studies, you will be dealing with professionals from the fields of architecture, theatre, film, fair construction, digital media and the arts, and with experts from a variety of other fields as well. Whatever the task, working as an interior architect or scenographer requires the ability to cooperate, which is why we place such emphasis on the team and communicative skills of our students and help to develop them in the course of their studies.
Interior Architecture and Scenography
Interior Architecture and scenography mutually enrich and reinforce each other. During your BA studies you are called upon to form your own impression and develop an individual approach to both fields before, according to your own skills and preferences, settling for either one or the other in the context of your BA thesis. Both disciplines deal with space from the perspective of the people who apprehend and use it. While scenography concentrates on the spatial composition and dramaturgy of timelines and narrations, interior architecture focuses on the atmospheric impact of space in due consideration of the optimization of functional and operational processes. As far as methodology is concerned all study projects are subject to the same sequence structure: from “research and analysis” to “concept and design”, and from “preliminary project” and “project” to “documentation”. The procedure reflects a combination of scenographic practice and architectural design appreciation.
With a BA degree in Interior Architecture you qualify for a wide range of career options. Our graduates enjoy excellent opportunities of entering into the professional world in architecture firms and interior architecture studios, in the field of exhibition design, in scenography, on film sets and as stage designers, providing you the chance of earning a living in the culture and creative industries. This was confirmed by a survey conducted by us among alumni who had received their degree between 2004 and 2014. The results of this survey and additional facts of interest are included in our Yearbook V.
We interviewed some of our BA graduates on their experiences before, during and after their studies. The video portraits provide insight into their everyday life.
We regularly invite former students to lecture on their career paths and their works. You can see parts of these lecturesonline.
With its studios and central Campus.Workshops, HGK offers ideal conditions for combining craft curiosity, the acquisition of technical skills, and the necessary digital know-how. In addition, all students have their own 24/7 workspace in one of the spacious studios. The degree programme Interior Architecture and Scenography also features an analogue and a digital workshop. The facilities are open to students 365 days a year.
After attaining your Bachelor of Arts FHNW in Interior Architecture you are entitled to apply for a place in the Master programme Design, with specialization on “Studio Scenography”
Module description
The first two semesters provide you with the opportunity to approach space as an activity field by way of experimentation. The workshop “Space and Scenography” introduces you to a wide range of design methods for dealing with a variety of tasks. You are familiarized with the tools of design practice and learn how to present and communicate your findings. You gather experience in matters such as colour, light, sound and material, learn about different research techniques and approaches and address the issue of reception. In addition you gain practice in the fields of concept formation and argumentation with regard to creative and design-related work.
The Basic Studies Course ends with a qualifying exam, known as the Basic Thesis. The purpose of this exam is to ascertain whether you have the ability to complete the Main Studies Course, which involves semester-overlapping project work. The Basic Thesis includes work on a design project of your own and answering questions on the theoretical matters dealt with over the last year.
By means of specific, practice-based projects you implement the knowledge and skills acquired during the Basic Studies Course. In the context of clear-cut assignments, treated in depth over the course of a semester, you conceptualize and design interior and exterior spaces, exhibition spaces and stage sets. You deal with all steps of the project including research and analysis, conception and planning as well as implementation and documentation. If possible, selected designs are implemented and presented in public.
In each semester you have at least two set tasks to choose from and are free to select the one that suits you better.
Project work is complemented by specific workshops, allowing you to expand the knowledge and skills acquired during the Basic Studies Course.
The Main Studies Course is concluded with a Bachelor thesis and an exhibition in which the diploma theses are presented to the public. For your thesis, which should involve practical as well as theoretical aspects, you can choose from two set tasks in the fields of Interior Architecture and Scenography. In your Bachelor thesis you bring to bear the knowledge and skills acquired during your studies. It takes on shape with regard to content, concept, space and dramaturgy before being assessed by a jury of internal and external experts.
During your BA studies in Interior Design we encourage, and support to the best of our ability, you to complete one full year of practical training either in a renowned architectural office, a design company or a scenography studio. Such an internship improves your qualification and enhances your chances of finding a satisfying job after attaining your degree. An internship is especially recommendable for high-school graduates who have little or no professional experience. A year of practical training, ideally after the third of fourth semester, extends your studies by two semesters.
The Institute encourages its students to complete an exchange semester at a university or academy in Switzerland or abroad. The ideal time for such a step is either the fourth of fifth semester. The Institute has exchange agreements with numerous universities and academies in Europe and the United States. In return, the Institute of course invites per semester two or three students from foreign universities with a comparable study programme to come and study in Basel.
We include below a list of universities and academies that have, in the past, hosted BA students from Basel in exchange, and vice-versa:
Basel ranks as one of the richest cultural cities in Europe, featuring just on forty museums on merely thirty-seven square kilometres. In addition, with Art Basel the city hosts every summer one of the most renowned international art fairs. The city also has very lively theatre and music scenes and is home to a number of world famous architecture firms.
FHNW Academy of Art and Design Institute Contemporary Design Practices (ICDP) Freilager-Platz 1 Postfach CH-4002 Basel
FHNW Academy of Art and Design Institute Contemporary Design Practices (ICDP) Interior Architecture and Scenography BA degree course Oslo-Strasse 3 4142 Münchenstein near Basel
FHNW Academy of Art and Design Interior Architecture and Scenography (BA) ICDP Freilager-Platz 1 Postfach CH-4002 Basel
room A 2.10
Institute Contemporary Design Practices (ICDP)
FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern SwitzerlandFHNW Academy of Art and Design
Institute Contemporary Design Practices (ICDP)Freilager-Platz 1, Postfach4002 Basel
FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern SwitzerlandAcademy of Art and Design,
Interior Architecture and Scenography (BA) ICDP
Building: A.2.10Oslo-Strasse 3CH - 4142 Münchenstein near Basel
