Spatial Design

Spatial Design is the practice of imagining, forming and constructing spatial and temporal environments. Our programme explores the corporeal and theoretical conditions of architectural and virtual environments and performance events. We offer opportunities to rethink space, to be innovative and speculative.

Massey University's College of Creative Arts offers a unique learning environment where students have access to a wide range of creative disciplines such as textiles, fashion and industrial design. As a spatial design student you are encouraged to work across disciplines to enrich your spatial practice and feel for materiality and detail. You will learn to work in studio, workshop and computer environments, developing a broad range of skills that are highly valued in the workplace. You will become lifetime, self-motivated learners and critical thinkers.

The Spatial Design programme includes a series of design studio experiences integrated with intensive core papers and electives. Studio projects range from proposals for real and imagined clients to digital spatial environments, installations, full-scale constructions, exhibitions, furnishings and furniture to spatial events, multimedia projections, large scale interior building renovations, theatrical environments, and historic conservation/renovation. Electives offer an opportunity to further refine the focus of your Spatial Design studies, allowing development in digital spatial design, performance design and exhibition design, as well as in drawing and design skills.

Our students are involved in a range of national and international design projects. They participate in international architectural and design competitions and symposia and have their work exhibited in galleries and performed in theatres.

Interior Design

The spatial design programme at Massey offers a broad exploration of approaches to space making. Interior design is traditionally understood as a decorative, spatial practice and through particular design projects, students are asked to uncover, discuss and reconsider the interior's place at the margins of architectural spatial design. Topics include, furnishings, patterns, display; softness; domesticity; gender politics.

An emphasis is placed on the concept of ritual. Most everyday life situations incorporate formal, informal and private rituals that structure our social and cultural practices in space. It is a way of understanding inhabitation, public or private, and can help us to design for the interactions of people in space.

Through interior architectural design projects, students learn how to design for complex spatial habitation requirements. They are coupled with extensive material investigations into contemporary construction and craft processes, which together give shape to initial ideas and concepts. During such projects, students also learn how to consider the structure of buildings in order to incorporate the proposed intervention.

performance design

Papers with a focus on Performance Design papers give students the opportunity to explore time based and script based spatial experiences. Performative space focuses on the actions of people in a temporal, shifting space and is in opposition to a static notion of architectural space. Through real life installation projects, quasi-laboratory conditions are created to explore effects and experiences for the design of new atmospheres. These allow for the contemplation of shifts in concepts of architecture through the impact of new, performative or situated technologies. Students develop skills to design solutions for briefs involving theatrical environments, choreographed and directed events and other time based spatial problems for the stage, urban space or other site specific environments.

exhibition design

Exhibitions provide a frame for the interpretation of displayed work. Exhibition design therefore is concerned with the articulation of a particular content, a set of messages. At the same time it seeks to provide the viewer with a profound spatial experience. It is about communicating in space. Exhibition design establishes a strong relationship with the particular viewing environment such as the museum, art gallery or other kinds of public spaces.

Today there is an increasing overlap between exhibition displays and many other forms of display such as in the commercial and entertainment realms. Strategies of exhibition design can be applied to provide spatial experiences beyond the scope of exhibition design itself to encompass the fashion, advertising and branding, retail and entertainment industries. Furthermore flexible and temporary responses to existing spatial conditions, with usually direct integration of digital media, offer exciting opportunities at the forefront of contemporary spatial design practices.

Digital spatial design

The emerging field of Digital Spatial Design focuses on 3D virtual environments for 3D computer gaming, information visualisations and web based industries. The papers offered in this programme build the foundations to design the interface between corporeal experiences and digital space. Students experiment with high end 3D game engines to create theorised design concepts in real time to bring digital space alive.

During their study, students also explore the challenges and opportunities that digital technologies provide to rethink everyday spatial experiences. Digital Spatial Design offers innovation within this emerging field to continually challenge our concepts of real and virtual environments.

Postgraduate Opportunities

Graduates who wish to develop specialisation and further their academic studies are encouraged to undertake postgraduate qualifications.
Postgraduate studies build upon the Bachelor of Design programme by further developing design abilities, knowledge and research interests and skills.

Master of Design
Master of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy

MDes students are often involved as assistants in staff research and have opportunities to travel and present papers at international conferences and contribute to team work in design projects.
Our postgraduate programme is dynamic and forward-thinking, offering students both flexibility and self-directed learning within a rigorous and challenging structure for the development and exchange of ideas.
Our aim is to be current, cutting-edge and to produce internationally recognised graduates of the highest quality. We are seeking potential postgraduate students who are serious about their practice and potential as designers' and who are committed.
In an increasingly competitive global environment, postgraduate studies develop specialist knowledge; and the qualifications increase or offer alternative career opportunities.
Some postgraduate students may apply for graduate assistant positions where they have their fees paid and a stipend in return for experience tutoring.

Career Opportunities

Spatial design graduates have gained employment in architectural offices, interior design practices, multimedia organizations, furniture and office systems design, as well as building construction firms. This programme creates opportunities in other sectors of spatial design; in areas such as exhibition design, curatorial work in galleries and museums, events coordination, theatrical design, art installations, television, cinematic and textiles design. We have seen some of our students move into other diverse areas of the public sector such as government agencies, film, video and new electronic media. There are opportunities in tourism, retail and with industry providers/manufacturers, as well as design consultancies for colour, lighting and other associated technologies.