ABOUT
The School of Interior Design, Environmental Architecture, and Sustainability hosts departments offering courses in the following areas:
Architectural Restoration and History of Architecture (RA)
Architectural Studies (DA)
Interior and Visual Design (ID)
Product Design (PD)
Sustainable Architecture and Design (SA)
Vision
The School of Interior Design, Environmental Architecture and Sustainability positions itself in Florence as a new piazza, an open area where the dialogue on buildings, spaces, design, and landscapes opens up new horizons in the city.
IDEAS rethinks the concepts of choice from a cultural and community point of view using the basis of architectural and design studies in order understand how human values are achieved in physical spaces.
The School interprets the Renaissance as it should be discussed in Florence: not as a relic of the past but as a contemporary term for the present and the future. It also respects the longstanding tradition of Italian structural aesthetics and functionality, while seeking to generate innovative interpretations of architecture and design.
IDEAS's philosophy is to enhance and sustain the quality of the human environment through the study of architecture on different scales, from design to multifunctional buildings. In this setting students, with their international backgrounds, can have a dynamic impact on their surrounding landscape.
The environment of Florence with its bustling life, tourism, culture, and arts will open up students to life-changing perspectives and the School's vision seeks to create a space in which students and the city can freely exchange and, ultimately, change.
Mission
To provide an educational environment that sustains the practices of design, planning and management applied to the fields of architecture, sustainability, and historical preservation.
To redefine and challenge the historical concept of the Renaissance through contemporary practices of design, architecture, and sustainability in a city where the past is in everyday reality.
To build an educational system, which develops the relationship between intellectual growth and creative activity.
To encourage students to benefit from a multitude of learning experiences through contact with the rich backgrounds of our faculty, interaction with the city, and involvement with fellow students and the city's locals. Human intersections can deepen the students' relationship with the city and how its structures are experienced, and therefore inspire their approach to architecture in studies and projects.
To shape individuals who become a part of the living landscape of Florence through their academic and extracurricular contributions.
Values
Dedicated studies that cultivate the integration of students into the constructed environment of contemporary landscapes.
Facilities equipped with state of the art computer and software technology for enhanced approaches to architectural design and planning.
Experienced, international faculty members offer challenging academic experiences in the classroom and in the field.
Professional lab resources that involve students in the hands-on aspect of their studies and provide a space where their research and creativity can flourish.
Opportunities for enrichment and exposure to the local community through projects, shows, and exhibitions at Corridoio Fiorentino, the community project of IDEAS.