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ABB002 | CRICOS: 095576G | Provider: 00212K

Bachelor of the Built Environment (Interior Architecture)

In partnership with the University of Canberra

Create inspirational spaces and interiors with this specialised course in interior spatial design. You will graduate with the skills and knowledge required to practice as a dynamic, agile and creative interior design professional.

Apply now
STUDY LOCATIONS Greater Brisbane
WAYS TO STUDY On campus
NEXT INTAKE Start date: 03 Feb 2025 Duration: 3 years View all intakes
ANNUAL INDICATIVE COST
Domestic

This is an indicative fee for one year of full-time study for domestic students. Fees will vary based on selected units and study load.

$8,020

Course overview

Create inspirational spaces and interiors with this specialised course in interior spatial design.

According to the Australian Government's Job Outlook Service, the number of people working in interior design and building architecture is expected to continue to experience strong growth for at least the next five years, ensuring your skills will be in high demand.

During this course, you will explore a mixture of urban environments and public spaces and analyse their context in modern society. You will also develop a robust series of creative and critical-thinking skills which will allow you to visualise the potential of interior environments, communicate your ideas using digital design software, and shape the way humans experience and interact with interior spaces.

Successful completion of this course will provide you with the skills and knowledge required to practice as a dynamic, agile and creative interior design professional.

What can I do?

  • Interior Designer (Commercial, Residential, Heritage/Adaptive Reuse)
  • Film and Television Designer
  • Set Designer
  • Furniture Designer
  • Visual and Spatial Branding Designer

Course outcome:

ABB002 Bachelor of the Built Environment (Interior Architecture)

Industry skills and experience

Throughout your studies you'll gain access to work experience opportunities and networks of industry professionals across the interior design spectrum. Our experienced teaching staff are still heavily embedded in the industry, so they know where the industry is headed and what skills employers are looking for.

State-of-the-art equipment

As a TAFE Queensland student you'll have access to a variety of industry-standard equipment and facilities. Get the skills you need to launch your career with access to the latest technology.

What you will study

The below study pattern applies to second year entry from the following diplomas:

This is a typical study pattern and may differ depending on credit received. Please note not all units are offered in each teaching period.

  • UNIT CODE
  • UNIT NAME

Year 1 - Semester 1

  • Year 1 - Semester 1

  • UNIT CODE
  • 11014
    BE: Analysis Studio - Level 1
    UNIT CODE :
    11014
    Unit description :
    This Studio explores analysis as an instrument of design and form generation using increasingly complex drawing, modelling, and visualisation techniques. Seminal architectural, interior design, and landscape design projects are investigated through the lens of critical and formal themes and transformed in projects briefs. Students deploy skills in digital visualisation and learn drawing conventions.
  • UNIT NAME
  • BE: Analysis Studio - Level 1
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • 11016
    BE: History and Culture - Level 1
    UNIT CODE :
    11016
    Unit description :
    This unit explores selected major building types across various civilizations with particular focus on typological transformation in reference to issues that concern the cultural, technical, material and territorial. The unit provides both general and particular knowledge essential for the realization of architecture across the history of diverse geographies. Among other issues, this unit will attempt to communicate cultural identity through the ways that spaces are formed and surfaces are decorated; how a particular technical innovation and socio-cultural transformation initiated a division between design and construction, but also contributed to the emergence of concepts such as national identity and heritage. Reading selected literature relevant to each weekly topic, and examining building types through drawings and models, students will enhance their knowledge of how cultural appropriation of space, form and surface attains built-form.
  • UNIT NAME
  • BE: History and Culture - Level 1
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • 11021
    BE: Visual Communication - Level 1
    UNIT CODE :
    11021
    Unit description :
    This unit is designed to equip students with a range of tools for the communication of built environment projects. Students are expected to explore a range of communication techniques including: - freehand illustration/hand-sketching and its use for analyses and/or explorations - drafting - the fundamentals of orthographic drawing, three-dimensional projections, technical drawing standards and conventions, collage, and modelling techniques to aid the communication of design ideas - digital - the use of the computer as a tool to aid communication of design ideas - model-making - an introduction to various techniques of three-dimensional representation and exploration - presentation - the ability to present work verbally and clearly articulate project ambitions to a range of audiences, as well as understand the implications of different types of representation in the communication of built environment projects, and -multimedia communication strategies - the ability to strategically curate and orchestrate different types of representation techniques as a cohesive set of documents. The representation skills acquired in this unit are fundamental tools for the communication of the design projects developed for core unit BE: Analysis Studio.
  • UNIT NAME
  • BE: Visual Communication - Level 1
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • 11591
    Professional Orientation (Creative Industries and digital Design) - Level 1
    UNIT CODE :
    11591
    Unit description :
    This unit introduces students to the diverse opportunities in the world of creative and digital design industries. Aspects that will be considered include: contemporary demands of the industry including social responsibility, ethical and sustainability issues. Through engagement with industry and community, students will gain an understanding of global discipline knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform as responsible, capable creative industry and digital design professionals. Students will start their career awareness and planning through approaches such as five year plans and ePortfolios.
  • UNIT NAME
  • Professional Orientation (Creative Industries and digital Design) - Level 1
    (Credit Points: 3)

Year 1 - Semester 2

  • Year 1 - Semester 2

  • UNIT CODE
  • 11624
    BE: Digital Design Techniques 1: Fundamentals - Level 1
    UNIT CODE :
    11624
    Unit description :
    This unit introduces students to contemporary practices in digital design, 3D modelling, diagrammatic representation, architectural visualisation and digital fabrication. Students will gain an understanding of the fundamental concepts of computational geometry, processing and transformation using industry-leading software Students will explore the productive relationship between digital design workflows and digital fabrication technologies via successive project-based tasks, ensuring a relevant context for the acquisition of knowledge and the development of core disciplinary skills.
  • UNIT NAME
  • BE: Digital Design Techniques 1: Fundamentals - Level 1
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • 11015
    Heritage Conservation - Level 1
    UNIT CODE :
    11015
    Unit description :
    In this unit you will be introduced to the concept of heritage as a social process of using and valuing aspects of the past in the present. We will review the origins, history and philosophy of the contemporary heritage conservation movement by examining key manifestos and examples, including from the UK, Scandinavia, France, China, India and the USA. We will then focus on the post-war rise of heritage as a major feature of national cultural politics and international cultural diplomacy, and use UNESCO's World Heritage List as a device to examine how place and landscape embody memory and cultural heritage significance for different communities. We will focus on the material remnants of the past in built environments and cultural landscapes, but also consider how cultural values, materiality, cultural knowledge and practice, are entangled, and how conservation approaches this complexity.
  • UNIT NAME
  • Heritage Conservation - Level 1
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • 11020
    BE: Design Studio - Level 1
    UNIT CODE :
    11020
    Unit description :
    Design Studio introduces design as a process of investigation, critical observation, and experimentation using three-dimensional and two-dimensional material testing of ideas. Through a cycle of modules, students pursue increasing levels of design abstraction through making and drawing. Students are provided foundational knowledge and skills relevant to the disciplines of architecture, interior design, and landscape design and immersed in studio culture. Projects are formulated to introduce concepts such as point, line, plane; issues such as scale in relation to the human body, site and environmental contexts; and basic techniques of three-dimensional composition.
  • UNIT NAME
  • BE: Design Studio - Level 1
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • OEU
    Open Elective Unit
    UNIT CODE :
    OEU
    Unit description :
  • UNIT NAME
  • Open Elective Unit
    (Credit Points: 3)

Year 2 - Semester 1

  • Year 2 - Semester 1

  • UNIT CODE
  • 11028
    Interior Architecture Studio: Habitation - Level 2
    UNIT CODE :
    11028
    Unit description :
    In this design studio unit students develop skills and knowledge in the areas of site analysis, client engagement, domestic typologies and space planning. Students incorporate these skills with the research and design methods obtained from previous studios to develop cohesive design projects. Additionally, students learn to experiment with design thinking as a means of developing their design approach. This studio has an emphasis on well-considered and crafted outcomes set within domestic environments. Methodologically, this unit comprises design studios, and interactive lectures and design tutorials. The interactive lectures and tutorials unpack contemporary and historical case studies and theoretical frameworks concerning domestic typologies.
  • UNIT NAME
  • Interior Architecture Studio: Habitation - Level 2
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • 11026
    Interior Architecture Technology1: Anatomy - Level 2
    UNIT CODE :
    11026
    Unit description :
    In this unit students will develop a core understanding of construction and 'micro-tectonic' logics that affect the materialisation of interior environments. Throughout the unit, students will design and compose a set of construction systems, speculating on the anatomy of unbuilt case studies with historical and disciplinary relevance. The unbuilt condition is utilised as a mechanism to position each student in a critical and highly explorative context.
  • UNIT NAME
  • Interior Architecture Technology1: Anatomy - Level 2
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • OEU
    Open Elective Unit
    UNIT CODE :
    OEU
    Unit description :
  • UNIT NAME
  • Open Elective Unit
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • OEU
    Open Elective Unit
    UNIT CODE :
    OEU
    Unit description :
  • UNIT NAME
  • Open Elective Unit
    (Credit Points: 3)

Year 2 - Semester 2

  • Year 2 - Semester 2

  • UNIT CODE
  • 11029
    Interior Architecture Studio: Context - Level 2
    UNIT CODE :
    11029
    Unit description :
    This design studio unit explores the potential of interior architecture as a mechanism for positive contribution to the conditions and wellbeing of people, cultural practices and environments. In this unit students will analyse, design and interrogate the agency of space as a relational condition in the making of urban and regional space. Contesting conventional interpretations of the built environment as immovable and passive, this studio advocates interior architecture as dynamic, active and performative. Focusing on socio-architectural spatial dynamics within complex political environments, the studio looks for opportunities in which interior architecture practice can make valued contributions to the communities and stakeholders in which the proposed design interventions are situated. Proposing a dynamic relation between the social and architectural spatial formation, this studio promotes the provocative, expansive and contemporary potentials of interior architecture; introducing a variety of sites, programs and contexts, particularly as they pertain to Indigenous perspectives.
  • UNIT NAME
  • Interior Architecture Studio: Context - Level 2
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • 11027
    Interior Architecture Technology 2: Formations - Level 2
    UNIT CODE :
    11027
    Unit description :
    This unit explores typologies and systems of spatial construction as they relate to the sequential and temporal formation of interior space. Throughout the unit, the construction of interior space is analysed through seven hierarchically analogous layers that both contain and form interior space: 1. Structure 2. Envelope 3. Partitions 4. Linings 5. Systems (atmospheric, water supply, appliances) 6. Furniture 7. Ornament The unit aims to provide students with the ability to differentiate construction systems and layers in the formation of interior space, and the intellectual and technical skills to represent and critique construction technologies relevant to the discipline.
  • UNIT NAME
  • Interior Architecture Technology 2: Formations - Level 2
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • OEU
    Open Elective Unit
    UNIT CODE :
    OEU
    Unit description :
  • UNIT NAME
  • Open Elective Unit
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • 11017
    Professional Practice 1: Work Integrated Learning - Level 2
    UNIT CODE :
    11017
    Unit description :
    In this unit students will work with academics, peers and industry partners to apply their learning in real-world contexts, develop employability skills and strengthen the disciplinary skills and knowledge needed to contribute to and excel in their professions. Authentic learning experiences will include simulated workplace experiences, industry collaborations, competitions, internships, exhibitions or studio work.
  • UNIT NAME
  • Professional Practice 1: Work Integrated Learning - Level 2
    (Credit Points: 3)

Year 3 - Semester 1

  • Year 3 - Semester 1

  • UNIT CODE
  • OEU
    Open Elective Unit
    UNIT CODE :
    OEU
    Unit description :
  • UNIT NAME
  • Open Elective Unit
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • 11030
    Interior Architecture Technology 3: Systems - Level 3
    UNIT CODE :
    11030
    Unit description :
    This unit is delivered through technical exercises that are orientated to assist students' understanding of the relations between construction as a hierarchical set of relationships, constructive systems and the necessary sequences of management processes. Throughout the unit, students explore the details, processes and steps required to convert design proposals into production documentation as expected by industry standards. During the three prescribed technical exercises, students produce a range of documents typically required to structure a development application. On completing the unit, students individually and collectively demonstrate proficient skills in the management of BIM software.
  • UNIT NAME
  • Interior Architecture Technology 3: Systems - Level 3
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • OEU
    Open Elective Unit
    UNIT CODE :
    OEU
    Unit description :
  • UNIT NAME
  • Open Elective Unit
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • 11018
    Professional Practice 2: Work Integrated Learning - Level 3
    UNIT CODE :
    11018
    Unit description :
    In this unit students will further develop their abilities as agile professionals with the transferable employability skills and critical and creative abilities to work across industries and sectors and craft diverse employment paths. They will integrate disciplinary knowledge with the professional skills required in their industry through authentic simulated or real workplace experiences, international exchanges or industry collaborations or projects.
  • UNIT NAME
  • Professional Practice 2: Work Integrated Learning - Level 3
    (Credit Points: 3)

Year 3 - Semester 2

  • Year 3 - Semester 2

  • UNIT CODE
  • 11031
    Interior Architecture Studio: Unstable Space - Level 3
    UNIT CODE :
    11031
    Unit description :
    This 'design and make' studio unit introduces interdisciplinary themes evident in the design processes for positioning spaces, objects and ideas within the context of unstable environments. Promoting the provocative, expansive and contemporary potentials of unstable space, the unit proposes to interrogate, design and test unstable spaces as relational and performative co-agents in the generation of valid and valued designed environments. Proposing a dynamic relation between the built environment and the anthropological condition, the studio investigates the complex relations between space, form and object as they relate to 'spaces of spectacle'. Throughout the unit, students will also be introduced to the practical and organisational logistics associated with the design, construction, and management of unstable and temporary spaces and events.
  • UNIT NAME
  • Interior Architecture Studio: Unstable Space - Level 3
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • OEU
    Open Elective Unit
    UNIT CODE :
    OEU
    Unit description :
  • UNIT NAME
  • Open Elective Unit
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • OEU
    Open Elective Unit
    UNIT CODE :
    OEU
    Unit description :
  • UNIT NAME
  • Open Elective Unit
    (Credit Points: 3)

  • UNIT CODE
  • 11592
    Professional Evidence (Creative Industries and Digital Design) - Level 3
    UNIT CODE :
    11592
    Unit description :
    This unit prepares students for professional work in the cultural sector and finalises and reviews your ePortfolio. Through practical activities, such as preparing a grant application, developing a team-based project proposal, and researching a cultural organisation, students learn to relate their discipline specific knowledge to a range of professional contexts. The unit will emphasise the significance of multiculturalism, cultural consumption and globalisation as key influences shaping cultural work in the twenty first century.
  • UNIT NAME
  • Professional Evidence (Creative Industries and Digital Design) - Level 3
    (Credit Points: 3)
Ways to study
  • You'll learn face to face with a teacher in a classroom or simulated workplace environment. You may access learning materials through our online learning management system Connect. Learn more

  • demo View comparison chart
CAMPUS STUDY MODE START DATE DURATION WORKLOAD ANNUAL INDICATIVE COST
South Bank
On Campus
03 Feb 2025
3 years
Full time up to 5 days per week
  • Domestic: $8,020

    This is an indicative fee for one year of full-time study for domestic students. Fees will vary based on selected units and study load.

demo

South Bank

On Campus

  • Online Time

    How much of the course will be delivered online. 

    0%
  • On Campus Time
    100%
START DATE

The date the course starts. Apply early as intakes fill up quickly. 

03 Feb 2025
DURATION

The total length of time it takes to complete the course.

3 years
Workload

The average amount of time students will need to allocate to study each week.

Full time up to 5 days per week
ANNUAL INDICATIVE COST
  • Domestic: $8,020

    This is an indicative fee for one year of full-time study for domestic students. Fees will vary based on selected units and study load.

Class format

Some courses include classes at scheduled times while others can be completed in your own time.

Teacher-led, Scheduled
VIRTUAL CLASS

Scheduled online classes using video conferencing software (such as Zoom).

No
ASSESSMENT

The primary location assessments will take place. Some courses also require vocational placement.

On-Campus
TEACHER COMMS

The different ways you can contact your teacher throughout the course.

  • Phone, Email, Face-to-face, Zoom
South Bank
On Campus
28 Jul 2025
3 years
Full time up to 5 days per week
  • Domestic: $8,020

    This is an indicative fee for one year of full-time study for domestic students. Fees will vary based on selected units and study load.

demo

South Bank

On Campus

  • Online Time

    How much of the course will be delivered online. 

    0%
  • On Campus Time
    100%
START DATE

The date the course starts. Apply early as intakes fill up quickly. 

28 Jul 2025
DURATION

The total length of time it takes to complete the course.

3 years
Workload

The average amount of time students will need to allocate to study each week.

Full time up to 5 days per week
ANNUAL INDICATIVE COST
  • Domestic: $8,020

    This is an indicative fee for one year of full-time study for domestic students. Fees will vary based on selected units and study load.

Class format

Some courses include classes at scheduled times while others can be completed in your own time.

Teacher-led, Scheduled
VIRTUAL CLASS

Scheduled online classes using video conferencing software (such as Zoom).

No
ASSESSMENT

The primary location assessments will take place. Some courses also require vocational placement.

On-Campus
TEACHER COMMS

The different ways you can contact your teacher throughout the course.

  • Phone, Email, Face-to-face, Zoom

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Bachelor of the Built Environment (Interior Architecture) (ABB002)

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Bachelor of the Built Environment (Interior Architecture)

COURSE CODE: ABB002
Payment Options

How can I pay for this course?

No matter what your circumstances, TAFE Queensland has a payment option to suit you. If you are unsure of what’s right for you, get in touch. We’re here to help. 

Payment plan

If you have difficulty paying for the full cost of a course upfront, you may be eligible for a payment plan.

Learn more
Upfront payment

This may be the full fee for the course, or the student contribution amount if you are eligible for a subsidy or concession.

Learn more
HECS help

HECS-HELP is an Australian Government loan scheme for eligible students studying in a Commonwealth Supported Place, that covers the cost of your tuition fees on your behalf.

Learn more

 

Entry requirements

Selection criteria

Admission into this course is based on an entrance rank. A rank can be achieved by the following means:

  • Year 12 ATAR
  • Diploma pathway
  • Other Australian qualification
  • Work experience
  • Overseas qualification

 

We also offer a number of entry initiatives that give you the opportunity to gain entry to university via alternate pathway programs and admission schemes.
More information is available on the University of Canberra website 

 More information is available on the University of Canberra website.

Resources required

It is recommended that students have access to a reliable internet connection to access the University of Canberra’s online learning system Canvas, and a computer with up-to-date software, including Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat Reader. This equipment and software is available for you to use at all TAFE Queensland locations.

Placement

Work Integrated Learning (WIL) is embedded within this degree.

Important information

Articulation:

•  Any one-year TAFE Diploma (or equivalent) can articulate with 24 credit point transfer, which equates to one year of full time study (or 8 units).
•  24 credit point transfer, which equates to one year of full time study (or 8 units) from any other degree program.

Student Services and Amenities Fee
You will be required to pay a SSAF.

Pathways to Honours:
The Bachelor of Arts and Design (Honours) is open to students who have completed a UC/TAFE QLD partnership degree with at least a grade point average of 5.0 or better (equivalent to a credit average), or students from a three-year degree in a cognate discipline with a relevant major in which they received a grade point average of 5.0 or better.
Pass degree graduates in similar disciplinary fields from other universities, with comparable results, may also be eligible to undertake this honours
degree.

Assessment methods

Skill and knowledge assessments are an essential step in progressing through your course. You may be assessed in a number of ways while you are studying at TAFE Queensland, including observation, written assessment, questioning, portfolios, work samples, third-party feedback, and through recognition of prior learning. Read more about assessment methods.

How to apply

Direct application

If you're ready to get started, simply hit the Apply Now button on your preferred course information page and get your application underway online. 

Apply through QTAC

You can apply to study this course through the Queensland Tertiary Admission Centre (QTAC). You will need to submit your application on the QTAC website. It will be assessed, and if you are successful you will receive an offer directly through QTAC. You will need to accept your offer from QTAC before enrolling with TAFE Queensland.

Course disclaimer

All information was accurate at time of publication, however TAFE policies, tuition fees and course content is subject to change without notice. Course commencement is dependent on sufficient enrolment numbers. Timetable information is subject to change prior to commencement and/or during the duration of your course.