Interior Architecture

There are many areas an interior designer can choose to specialize in and one of those areas is interior architecture. Students attending an accredited college or university can even major in this field. While it has some similarities to interior design, it also shares quite a bit in common with architecture.

Interior architecture is concerned with designing the interior space of a room. These individuals work in a variety of areas including working for interior designers and architects. Other individuals work on a freelance basis, coming into a company or business when they need to change their setup or layout. These designers focus on the look of interior space and how the interior spaces affect the humans inside. For example an interior architect may remove cubicles from an office building to increase the moral of employees or put up walls in a nightclub to increase the flow.

Students who study interior architecture spend half their time on interior design and the other half on learning more about construction elements and architecture. They learn how to identify a load bearing wall, when it's feasible to remove a wall, and how to add skylights and other decorative elements that could disrupt the construction of the building.

These students also need to work on technical aspects of construction and the rehabilitation of buildings after a disaster. Interior architects were brought into New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to help locals find ways to save some of the buildings and offer suggestions on how to fix those damaged buildings. Interior architects often work with homeowners following earthquakes, tornadoes, and mudslides as well. They know how to repair the buildings and when the building cannot be repaired.

Interior architects are also concerned with creating interior spaces that benefit the rest of the building. This varies depending on the type of building. For example an interior architecture would work differently on a hotel than they would on private home. The purpose of interior architecture is to provide the best interior space for the needs of the building. In a private home the architect may remove certain walls and add a wall of windows to increase the light in the room. In a business they want to change things around to improve the experience of the customers.

Those who work in interior architecture also spend time arranging furniture and accessories to make the room look aesthetically pleasing. The interior architect may commission specific furniture pieces or offer designs for furniture that works well in the room. The individual may also suggest ergonomic furniture for office buildings that improve employee moral and yet still looks good in the setting.

It's important to note that interior architects are only considered with the inside of a building or structure. When damage occurs to the outside of a building or a building owner wants to make changes to the outside, only an architect can do those things. Interior architects may make changes to the windows or doors in a structure, but not the exterior walls.

Interior architecture is essentially concerned with interior spaces and the things inside those spaces. It applies to walls, furniture, decorations and anything else found inside the building. These individuals work in a number of different fields including commercial areas and residential spaces.