Students of the interior design program in the R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning, under the close supervision of department faculty members, offer professional design services to clients.
We assign our clients' projects to upper-level design studios. After two years of study in the interior design program and mastering the fundamentals through studios and lectures, interior design students are finally getting to work with real client. From identifying the clients wants and needs to arriving at alternative design solutions to graphically and three dimensionally communicating their ideas, this is what they signed up for.
“It’s exciting and a change,” Emily said. “This is what we’ve been waiting for.”
Our Mission
Our mission is to deliver the best educational experience in interior design through teaching, research, and service activities centered on the following:
- to provide our client with distinctive, functional, and aesthetic interior space with respect to their needs and requirements
- to instill in our students the processes of design and creative problem solving
- to make the process economically feasible and affordable for our client
- to create an environment through inspiration and design that satisfies the desires of our client and the users of their space
- to provide learning opportunities for our students to build skills and professional growth for their future in the interior design world
- to incorporate deliberate practice, coaching, and mentorship for each student
The University Design Center is capable of completing project types for a variety of spaces including retail, hospitality, health care, educational, office design, places of worships, institutional, and residential. Services we provide cover the initial consultation to the design development. Our devoted faculty and students understand that personal attention, along with clear and regular communication which will assure the success of a project.
Our Approach
The Pre-Design and Schematic design phases are the most time-consuming and design firms often streamline the process and offer few options to clients. We empower clients by offering different concepts so that they may choose what feels and looks right for them. Ultimately the client narrows them down to one concept to be passed to a professional design firm to create the final Construction Documents for the construction and installation.
In addition, clients create opportunities for students to learn from real projects. Client-created opportunities enable UDC to provide students with access to supplies, field trips to the site, printing expenses, and other necessary equipment.
Process of Design
During the course of the project we will:
- Define the scope of the work based upon the client's needs
- Gather and analyze data from relevant users and from observation of workplace needs. This includes methods such as onsite inspections, stakeholder interviews, online surveys, focus groups...
- Present various design options to the client for feedback
- Revise solutions and develop additional documents and drawings for all aspects of the project including photo realistic 3-D to visually clarify the remodeled interior
In-Person or Virtual Service
If your business or office is within driving distance to be visited in one day (up to three hours’ drive one way), we can meet you at your site for gathering information, meetings, and presentation. Off-course you can visit us on campus for presentations, if you wish.
Typically, students present their projects to you three times during the course of the project. We put the students into teams of two and the entire process may take anywhere from eight to sixteen weeks, depending on the complexity and scope of the project.
If you are in a distant city from Muncie, Indiana, the entire process can be done virtually.
The process is pretty straightforward:
- You will provide us with a floor plan, other needed drawings/documents, and images of their space. We can hire a local person or send a student to you to measure the space if you do not have access to the existing plans.
- Once these reviewed by the students and faculty mentor, we will conduct a video conferencing session (Zoom or WebEx, etc.) with you and the company representatives to uncover the space issues, needs, and wants.
- Through creation of an interactive site, students can communicate with you, ask questions or clarify issues.
- Once we gathered all necessary information, students will create a presentation providing to you with the initial design concepts; research results; focus group, interview, and survey results; diagrams, charts, etc. by means of video conferencing to receive feedback. We utilize the Video Network Information Center (VNIC) for this presentations to you.
- Similar to our face-to face services outlined above, students will be scheduled to have three or four additional presentations in order to share their Schematic Design alternatives and Design Development. Final presentation may include revised floor plan, furniture plan, lighting plan, elevations, photorealistic computer generated 3-D images, and specifications of materials, finishes, fixtures, and furniture. We will be able to provide you with a walkthrough, if so desired.
See Academy of Model Aeronautics project.
See a walkthrough example.
See examples of our other projects.
See our students in action during Fall 2021.
Questions?
Please contact Reza Ahmadi by email or call 765-285-1471 for questions. We will provide you with an hour of free consultation