Sarah Colford on Interior Design at PCA

Interior Design student Sarah Colford gave us the low down on exciting projects and happenings in the department this semester!

Team Project is an exciting, very hands-on study of a real-life development site that we have been given full access to. Under the guidance of our professors and working architects Yann and Benjamin, we’re realizing our own virtual programs to fit within the existing site and cater to those visiting, working and living at La Défense.

At this point in the course we’ve just presented our midterm site proposals to a panel of judges and will use the feedback to take our projects to the next level: namely transitioning the research, development and conception of our individual site plans to 3D models.

In compliment to this course is our Technical Drawing class, where we’re honing our AutoCAD and SketchUp skills to add depth to our final portfolios.

Practice Fundamentals, to inform our site programs in our Team Project class as well as build a solid foundation for the next phase of our studio work, has taken us out of the College to visit Paris’ most conceptually innovative and hip new hostels.

Here we’re interacting with both the site and it’s participating communities, looking at existing architectural programs, marketing dialogue as well as client feedback in an effort to synthesize the ‘practical fundaments’ necessary to build our very own dream hostels.

Frank, in Interior Design Studio, is challenging our preconceived notions of said observed design processes to enrich and alternatively inform our own design ethic, the end goal being a comprehensive understanding of not only how a space is designed, but how we move through it.

History of Architecture has been an invaluable and inspiring component to our design education at PCA; giving the modern sites we’re visiting context and our own programs sound footing in the history of Paris’ great urban planners, architects and furniture designers. Juliette works tirelessly and with passion to give us an insider’s look at what has shaped the history of Paris, from the Roman Lutetia to Le Corbusier’s vision for a modern cityscape.

Each course beautifully compliments the other and has proven an invaluable compilation of learning exercises and tools sure to aide in the accomplishment of a successful academic year and strong design portfolio therein.

Find out more about PCA’s undergrad BFA and graduate MA courses in Interior Design.