1
Table of Contents>>
A Message from the Dean
Our Commitments, Our Vision
About the Department
Resources
Core Values
Academic Excellence
Teaching Structure
Cutting Edge Design
Faculty
Research
Alumni
Social and Environmentally Engaged Design
Collaborative Environments
Interdisciplinary Design Practice
The College of Managment Academic Studies
(COMAS)
The Campus
Supporting the Department of Interior Design
2
4
6
8
9
10
12
13
18
20
21
23
24
26
27
27
28
>> The Departmentof Interior Design
The College of Management Academic Studies
2 3
In 2010 we are marking the 15th anniversary of the Department of
Interior Design. Over the years, our Department has developed into the
largest accredited design Department in Israel. By embracing curricular
innovation, technology, collaborative methods and global perspectives,
our Department has dramatically changed the country’s design culture
both academically and professionally.
In the coming years, we will be emphasizing interior design as
a collective art form, involving the expertise of many different
fields and the ability to conduct interdisciplinary research. This
opens new creative horizons for practitioners from various design
disciplines to rethink and redefine their art, skills and practices. In
this way we will be paving the way for the Department to develop
into an interdisciplinary design school. Based on integrated
media laboratories that we intend to construct, we will be offering
tomorrow’s design students a rich choice of bachelor’s and master’s
degrees in related design disciplines. The infrastructure that we will
create will provide our students with the opportunity to reinforce
individual disciplinary knowledge in design while developing an
interdisciplinary depth of understanding.
I am proud to be part of a faculty that is continually seeking to create
new concepts of design. We encourage individuality and novelty, and
being more interested in approaches than conclusions, we avidly teach
‘how to think’ and not ‘what to think’.
We are very proud of our students and the opportunity to serve as
their mentors. Through their innovative and creative thinking, our
graduates are shaping the face of Israeli design.
As a woman designer and educator, thinking differently means to
me a multiplicity of conceptions of what design is or may become.
Beyond lifestyle and consumerism, there must be commitment and
responsibility. Consequently, in the coming years I see the Department
committed to social and environmentally engaged design, emerging
from collaborative environments that we will create to exchange
knowledge and ideas. In this way we will be creating the infrastructure
for cutting edge design to flourish and for achieving excellence both
academically and in practice.
We embrace the complexities and the contradictions of the
contemporary, recognizing that today’s issues are not for the designer
to deal with in a void. And so we invite all – designers, architects,
artists, environmentalists, critics, historians, scholars – to join
us in our debates and conferences, to visit us and to experience
with us the thrill of witnessing creative and innovative minds
forging new ways in design.
A Message from the DeanCarmella Jacoby–Volk
T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f I n t e r i o r D e s i g n T h e C o l l e g e o f M a n a g e m e n t A c a d e m i c S t u d i e s
>>
4 5
Our Commitments
Academic Excellence
Cutting Edge Design
Social and Environmentally Engaged Design
Collaborative Environments
Interdisciplinary Design Practice
Our Vision
Our vision is to become the leading school of
interdisciplinary design practices in Israel.
Objectives
To initiate discourse in design education and to
promote community engagement within the academic
and professional design arenas.
To direct the Department of Interior Design towards
becoming an interdisciplinary design school by
formulating a master’s degree in design; establishing
integrated media laboratories; and offering additional
bachelor’s degrees in related design disciplines.
To advance the status of the interior design
profession in Israel.
>>
T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f I n t e r i o r D e s i g n T h e C o l l e g e o f M a n a g e m e n t A c a d e m i c S t u d i e s
>>
Final year
exhibition,
2009.
Rafts
installations,
first year
sculpture
course.
6 7
The Department of Interior Design was founded in 1995 to meet
the need for a full academic program specializing in interior design.
Established by Prof. Ran Shechori together with a team of leading
faculty members, the Department’s program was the first in Israel
to gain full academic accreditation. The Department now has an
enrollment of 400 students in a four-year program taught by over 80
faculty members.
Our faculty members represent a wide range of disciplines and
their professional backgrounds include extensive practice as well as
theoretical studies. Among the faculty members are leading industrial
and interior designers, architects and representatives from such
adjacent disciplines as sociology, history, philosophy and computer
sciences. The rich background of our faculty members offers students
the opportunity to gain both a theoretical and applied perspective in
design as well as a full opportunity to realize their potential. By the
end of the four-year program, students are fully prepared for a wide
variety of roles within the field of interior design.
The Department of Interior Design’s students and faculty are
continually seeking to create new concepts of design that address
the needs of society.
Over the past 14 years, the Department has trained and educated
more than 700 students from diverse ethnic and socio-economic
backgrounds. Our graduates stand at the very top of the design
profession both professionally and academically, with many teaching
at prestigious academic institutions in Israel and abroad.
About the Department>>
T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f I n t e r i o r D e s i g n T h e C o l l e g e o f M a n a g e m e n t A c a d e m i c S t u d i e s
First year
sculpture
course
exhibition.
8 9
Resources>>
Most of the Department’s facilities are in the Interior Design Building,
located at the center of the COMAS (College of Manegement
Academic Studies) campus in Rishon LeZion. Resources include:
Design studios
Seminar rooms
Auditorium and lecture hall
Exhibition gallery
Faculty and administrative offices
Design library (within the COMAS library)
Visual resources collection
Research rooms
The Dora Gad Archive
Computer-aided design and imaging laboratory
Student-operated supplies shop
Video editing room
Wireless communication systems
Model shop with laser cutter
Wood and plastic shop
Materials library
Studio classes comprise the core of the academic process. Therefore
our studio spaces are designed as open spaces with a work station for
every student. Serving the studios are a computer printing/plotting
lab, materials library, a fully equipped model shop and wireless
communications.
>> Core Values
We seek to instill in our students a broad theoretical and cultural
knowledge, general and specialized design practice, community
involvement, and an awareness of global issues. At the same time,
we encourage the ability to critically reflect on all these topics.
Diversity and Gender Equality: The Department
promotes diversity. We maintain gender equality at all levels and open
our gates to students of diverse backgrounds. These values are reflected
in our curriculum and in our students and faculty demographics.
Community Engagement: The Department of
Interior Design was among the first to conceptualize interior design
as inseparable from its social, political-economic and cultural contexts.
Faculty and students are committed to using their knowledge to
benefit society. In fulfilling this ideal, we actively engage in various
community projects and in socially-oriented research.
Global Awareness: Design today is confronted by
a set of major transformational developments: climate change,
globalization, technology and urbanization. The Department has
invested considerable efforts in teaching and researching how these
issues transform and motivate design and environmental awareness.
T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f I n t e r i o r D e s i g n T h e C o l l e g e o f M a n a g e m e n t A c a d e m i c S t u d i e s
Master class,
Architect
Mechthild
Stuhlmacher,
Holland.
Drawing
marathon.
Preparations
for final
projects
exhibition,
2008.
10 11
T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f I n t e r i o r D e s i g n T h e C o l l e g e o f M a n a g e m e n t A c a d e m i c S t u d i e s
Academic Excellence>>
The Department of Interior Design is devoted to sustaining a rich
learning environment based on excellence in theoretical and applied
research in interior architecture and design.
Course of Studies
The four-year program encompasses 213 credit hours and culminates
in a fully accredited Bachelor of Design degree. The course of study
is carefully structured to prepare students for a wide variety of roles
related to interior design and other environmental positions.
A studio-focused curriculum lies at the center of each semester with
core subjects enhancing knowledge in a particular field. Among the
core subjects are history and theory of design, programming, material
fabrication and processes, fine arts and technology.
The course of studies is divided into two phases: a broad general
grounding in foundation studies followed by a specialization track.
1st – 2nd Year Foundation Studies: The first two years
of foundation studies are required of all students. During these two
years, students learn about the foundations of design, theory, various
methods of design practice, visual studies and representation tools.
The aim is to provide students with the means to critically think about
interior architecture and to attain necessary professional skills.
3rd – 4th Year Specialization Tracks: In their 3rd and
4th years, students choose a specialized design expertise track such as:
Media and New Media, Temporary Structures, Architectural Design,
Exhibition Design, Sustainable Design and Historic Preservation.
4th Year Final Project: By the 4th year of the program, students
are expected to pursue individual interests in interior design and
environmental topics. The final year of the program culminates in
a project in which students investigate interior architecture through a
self-selected design program and a research question that they discuss
in a thesis. The final project has evolved into an investigative research
development laboratory in which the students combine all their
acquired design knowledge to address a diverse set of professional
and social issues. The final projects are exhibited in a spectacular yearly
exhibition that generates much support from the design industry and
is widely covered by the media. Over the years, our students’ final
projects have been a driving force in promoting the evolution of the
discipline.
Professional Apprenticeship: The Bachelor of Interior Design
degree offered by the Department is contingent upon completing
a professional apprenticeship in interior design. The apprenticeship is
served outside the Department at an office or company approved by
us. Our students easily find places with leading designers in Israel and
in many instances are asked back to work on a permanent basis.
From garden
city to
ecological city,
Tel Aviv 2059,
Students'
works in the
international
competition
results
exhibition.
12 13
Teaching Structure>>
T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f I n t e r i o r D e s i g n T h e C o l l e g e o f M a n a g e m e n t A c a d e m i c S t u d i e s
The course of studies centers around design studio classes,
workshops, design tools, seminars, history and theory classes and
technology courses.
Design Studios are at the center of the program. All
studios are essentially concerned with developing the
skills and knowledge that are fundamental to devising,
exploring and expressing interior design. Studio classes
provide the opportunity to research innovation within
the field and to develop creative, socially meaningful
responses to challenging design problems. In the design
studio, students begin to realize the importance of
integrating critical thought within the design process.
Workshops are the ‘support system’ of the knowledge
acquired in the design studios. They focus on
developing innovative computational tools, design
processes, art experimentation, up-to-date production
tooling, modeling and design presentation skills.
History, Theory and Criticism. Through classes
and seminars in these fields, students gain the
methodological basis for evaluating the premises,
the process, the final product, and the implications
(social, formal, conceptual and other) of practices in
the artistic and architectural domains. These courses,
which require analytical reading of theoretical texts
and case studies in architectural and design theory,
provide interdisciplinary tools for probing the
wider significance of contemporary critical thought
(sociology, philosophy, gender studies, etc.) on design
processes.
Building and Material Technology courses are related
to such building processes as structures, acoustic design,
lighting design, building infrastructures and more.
Cutting Edge Design>>
Design is a dynamic field. To maintain its qualitative edge, the
Department is continually updating the course offerings, particularly
in the specialization tracks of the curriculum. We are particularly
interested in adding new areas of expertise and emphasizing subject
areas that address compelling social and environmental challenges.
Special ization Tracks
After completing the foundation studies, students choose courses
from among three specialization tracks. Each track has its particular
array of courses.
Design for sustainable interiors and materials
innovation
Generating concepts of sustainability using digital
tools to deal with environmental and ecological
issues.
Architecture Communication
Exhibition Design, Broadcast Design, Interactive
Design, Mapping and Visualization.
Interior Architectural Design
The public and the private: housing, commercial and
corporate spaces, building preservation and interior
urban-public space design.
Preserving
Old Structures
in a Modern
City, summer
workshop,
Venice, Italy.
14 15
>> MA. Degree
To maintain our status as leaders of design education in Israel, the
Department is in the process of establishing a Master’s Degree. The
program will be centered on an applied research lab in a particular
area of expertise:
Temporary structures and design of museums,
exhibitions and narrative environments.
Design for sustainable interiors and materials
innovation.
Inclusive design – design and technology for the
disabled.
Theory and criticism of interior architecture and
design.
Digital design.
Real Estate Development.
T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f I n t e r i o r D e s i g n T h e C o l l e g e o f M a n a g e m e n t A c a d e m i c S t u d i e s
Efrat Goren-
Mor, Boarding
School in Tel
Aviv, final
project.
Dor Ronen,
Public Library
in Tel Aviv,
final project.
Erez Ben-
Eliezer,
Information
Center in
Bat Yam,
final project,
3D printing
model.
Efrat Goren-
Mor, Boarding
School in Tel
Aviv, final
project.
Eran Mirko,
Social Housing
in Bat Yam,
final project.
16 17
T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f I n t e r i o r D e s i g n T h e C o l l e g e o f M a n a g e m e n t A c a d e m i c S t u d i e s
Hili Lazarov,
Foreign
Workers
Temporary
Residency in
Tel Aviv, final
project.
18 19
Faculty>>
T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f I n t e r i o r D e s i g n T h e C o l l e g e o f M a n a g e m e n t A c a d e m i c S t u d i e s
In addition to a strong background as active practitioners in design,
faculty members bring to the Department a rich academic grounding.
Many have graduated from leading international institutions of
higher education such as Pratt, Princeton, Columbia, Rhode Island
School of Design, MIT, École Normale Supérieure D’Arts, Paris,
University of Venice, Cambridge and UPC Barcelona.
Carmella Jacoby-Volk: Dean. MA. in Architecture and Urban
Studies (UPC Barcelona). Partner in several architecture and design
offices over the years. Founder and Editor-in-Chief of “Block”
Magazine-City/Theory/Media/Architecture, and a curator of
architecture and art exhibitions.
Arie Sivan: Professor of Architecture. Former dean of the Dept. of
Interior Design. Graduate of the Technion Institute of Technology,
Haifa. His private practice includes projects in urban planning and
design, public and private buildings, interior and industrial design.
Winner of several national architectural competitions.
Ran Shechori: Professor of Arts, founder and former dean of the
Dept. of Interior Design. Former Head of the Bezalel Academy of
Arts and Design, Jerusalem. Shechori has written art criticism essays
in some of the largest Israeli newspapers and published several
books on Israeli Art and Architecture.
Yossi Friedman: Senior lecturer. Architect and Interior designer.
M. Arch. from Princeton University. Founder and head of JP Friedman
design studio with projects in Israel and abroad. Member of the
Board of Trustees of WIZO Haifa, as well as a member of the MA.
committee at WIZO Haifa and at the Holon Institute of Technology.
Heidi Arad: Senior lecturer. M. Arch. Columbia University. Head
of the Heidi Arad Architecture & Design studio. Curator of design
and architecture exhibitions, and has participated in many
international conferences on sustainable planning and vertical
gardens in Israel.
Shoshi Bar-Eli: M. Arch. Technion Institute of Technology, Haifa.
Currently finishing her doctoral studies – breakthrough research
that deals with the teaching of architecture and design. Bar-Eli
has developed a unique workshop format for studio tutoring and
teaching processes.
Yaron Turel: MA. in Urban Development from the City University
of New York. Architect and urban planner, historian and
theoretician of design and architecture. He is a member of the
team that leads the revision of Israel’s national outline master
plan – NOP 35.
Yiftach Issascharov: Senior lecturer. B. Arch. from the Technion
Institute of Technology. Partner in a Tel Aviv studio of architecture
which designed Ben Gurion University’s students’ building in Beer
Sheva and the distinguished YOO project in Tel Aviv with the
prominent architect Philippe Starck.
Tal Roih de Lange: B. Arch. from Bezalel Academy of Arts and
Design. Graduate of research studies at the Kyoto Institute of
Technology. Partner in De Lange Roih Architecture and Design. The
firm is involved in the design of commercial chain stores, museum
art exhibitions, science gardens, science exhibits, private homes,
furniture and lighting fixtures.
Pnina Reichman: Senior lecturer and Acting Dean of Students.
Graduate of Bezalel Academy of Arts and Deign and the Avni
Institute. Studied at The Hague Academy, Holland. Participated in
personal and group exhibits. Received the Minister of Education
Science and Sports Prize for Plastic Arts (2006).
Tali Cohen Anderson: Graduate of architecture and urban
planning, Tel Aviv. M. Arch. Kansas State University, USA. Has
a private practice for architectural design. Expert in accessible
design – a notable contribution is her design of the Alei Negev
Rehabilitative Village for People with Special Needs.
20 21
Architectural Preservation Research Center
At the Architectural Preservation Research Center, researchers and
students explore the significant elements that should be preserved in
historic buildings and the contributions of design, history and materials
as a creative process for managing change. Around these core guidelines,
the Center offers a strong array of required introductions into the
history, theory and practice of preservation, including an exploration
of conservation techniques. Israel is a particular area of interest since
it was an experimental field for modernist architecture and there are
many interesting case studies for preservation that are attracting wide
attention from such international organizations as UNESCO.
The Dora Gad Archive
The Department of Interior Design was endowed with the
comprehensive design archives of pioneering Israeli designer and
architect, Dora Gad. The Department maintains, digitalizes and
curates the material which serves as a major basis for research into
Israeli design history.
>> Alumni
We are very proud of our design graduates. Many have won prizes
in international art and design competitions and several graduates
are now teaching at leading academic institutions around the world.
Leading private studios are eager to employ our students and our
graduates serve as project managers at prestigious design firms.
Through their innovative and creative thinking, our graduates are
changing the face of Israeli design.
The network that we have created over the years enables friends,
faculty and alumni to maintain a close relationship with the
Department and facilitates close contacts between students and
recent graduates in a variety of ways in both the academic and
professional world.
Research>>
T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f I n t e r i o r D e s i g n T h e C o l l e g e o f M a n a g e m e n t A c a d e m i c S t u d i e s
Our Department is dedicated to cultivating present and future research
in the area of design, media, new media, conservation, sustainability,
social context and related fields. In keeping with our belief in
combining academic-theoretical research with practical applications,
the Department has established several centers to encourage research
both by students and faculty. The Department hopes that these
centers will attract individuals and institutions to assist in funding
cutting edge projects.
Research Platforms:
The COMAS Design Media Laboratory
At the COMAS Design Media Laboratory, passion, vision and
innovation become reality. The laboratory provides researchers from
various COMAS departments with an interdisciplinary environment
to think, explore and learn about design. It is a space where research
groups of architects, designers, computer scientists, engineers,
marketing specialists and social scientists work together exploring the
impact of emerging technologies on everyday life.
The laboratory is at present taking its first steps by
identifying innovative research that comes from the
synergy between faculty students and alumni. The
intention is to create a framework of “Partner and
Prosper” in which alumni will partner with faculty
members to develop marketable solutions to various
contemporary issues, such as:
Refreshing and energizing the urban public space.
Fighting pollution in small urban spaces (bus stations,
green spaces in the city, etc...).
Behavioral patterns in retail spaces.
Design technologies to empower the disabled.
Housing technology and production.
Temporary housing solutions for refugees.
Smart
materials
workshop.
22 23
Alumni – Diversity of Practices>>
T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f I n t e r i o r D e s i g n T h e C o l l e g e o f M a n a g e m e n t A c a d e m i c S t u d i e s
Bilgoray–Pozner Design Studio founded by Shmulik Bilgoray and
Keren Pozner (both graduated in 1999).
“ We design large commercials retails shops in Israel and in the world,
we owe our successful international career to the excellent high level
education and nurturing we got in the Department”.
Studio 2k, Keren Shpirer and Korin Avisar (graduated in 2002),
emphasizes a total design concept in a variety of residential, retail and
exhibition design projects.
Visual Art
Shay Id Aloni, Installation Artist (graduated in 2002), one of the 2009
10 winners of the young artist prize of the Israel Ministry of Culture
and Sport.
“In the Department I experienced conceptual processes which gave rise
to my interest in site-specific installation art”.
Setting and Broadcast Design
Oren Chanan (graduated in 2004), set designer for leading television
and film studios in Israel.
“Here I learnt unique knowledge, practical and conceptual tools that
no other institute could have given me in order to be a broadcast
designer”.
Critical Practice and Theory
Anat Messing (graduated in 2002), specializes in critical theory of
digital architecture. Currently completing her Masters degree at the
Cohen Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas at
Tel Aviv University.
“During my studies in the department I was drawn to the
theoretical and critical aspects of design, asking in what ways
design and architecture can act as a critical practice in the current
cultural sphere”.
Einat Manoff (graduated in 2000), served as a senior editor of
“Block” Magazine, curated architecture-related exhibitions. Currently
working on her doctoral degree in the field of environmental design
at City University New York.
Noga Lasser (graduated in 2004), founder owner and curator of
ZeZeZe Architecture Gallery in Tel Aviv.
Senior Project Managers
Efrat Gilboa (graduated in 1999), works as a senior project manager
for one of Israel’s leading architecture firms, specializing in digital
architecture modeling tools.
Gil Dvir (graduated in 1999), MA. in Design Management from Pratt
Institute, New York. Worked as senior project manager and office
manager for GNA Architects and was the leading project manager of
the prestigious New York Plaza Hotel renovation project.
>> Social and Environmentally Engaged Design
The Department is organized around the following core questions of
engagement and progressive change: “Can we make a difference
in the world? Can we design better environments? Can we
help places grow more sustainably? Can we help communities
thrive? Can we help advance equitable world development?”
In keeping with this socially and environmentally responsible
design approach, we maintain ongoing relations with community
organizations and have formed over the years several community-
university collaborations. These efforts include:
Recycle and Design – “Tel Aviv 100” is a design competition
developed by student representatives for the municipality of Tel Aviv
in the framework of the city’s 100th anniversary.
Alei Negev Rehabilitative Village - A studio class focusing on
accessibility as a chief design concern has contributed to the design of
Alei Negev Rehabilitative Village for People with Special Needs.
Set Design for the “Anosh” Organization – In this project
Department students design stage sets for “Anosh”, a television
production organization concerned with mental health.
Community-Based Pro-Bono Design Projects such as the Yadlin
After School Club for underprivileged children; a library design project
for a school in the underprivileged neighborhood of Pardes Katz, and
designing recycling tanks for all the schools in the city of Rishon Lezion.
24 25
The Interior Design Program combines theory, research and application
to offer a range of challenging learning experiences. The curriculum is
structured, yet flexible, balancing required coursework with numerous
opportunities for students to expand their intellectual horizons.
The Program includes:
Design Lecture Series
In this series, which runs throughout the academic year, distinguished
interior designers and architects from Israel and abroad are invited
to present their projects. The lectures take place every week and are
open to the public. Among the lecturers who have appeared at the
Department are: Els Verbakle – architect, Princeton University; Senan
Abdelkader – architect; Yael Moria-Klain – landscape architect; Tamar
Berger – curator and critical theorist; and Nati Shamia Ofer – artist.
Student Exchange Program
This program sends students from the Department to schools abroad
while foreign students come to our Department for one semester or
workshops. The Department maintains students exchange programs
with leading schools and departments of international design and
architecture, such as:
Elisava Academy – Barcelona
La Cambre Academy – Brussels
ENSCI – Paris
Bahcesehir University – Istanbul
Master Classes
In addition to our design research studios, the Department organizes
intensive two-week master classes during the year. The classes are led
by prominent international architects, designers and artists as well
as professionals from related fields. The students’ work produced in
the master classes is published and/or exhibited and may be further
developed in the regular studio program.
Well-known figures in the field of design and architecture who have
led master classes at the Department include:
Josef M. Botey – architect, Spain (in collaboration with
WIZO Haifa Department of Architecture).
Mechthild Stuhlmacher – Kortekene Stuhlmacher
architecture, Holland (in collaboration with ZeZeZe
Architecture Gallery, Tel Aviv).
Collaborative Environments>>
T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f I n t e r i o r D e s i g n T h e C o l l e g e o f M a n a g e m e n t A c a d e m i c S t u d i e s
Prof Eli Levi – Head of the Department of Interior
Design, La Cambre, Belgium.
Kaisa Blomstedt – architect, Finland.
Multidisciplinary Workshops
Throughout the year, the Department sponsors and organizes
numerous workshops led by prominent individuals in the field.
“Dance and Plan” – Choreographer Sharona Florsheim
and Architect Shoshi Bar-Eli.
“Words Floating in Space” – Journalist Maya Dvash.
“Branding and Interior Space” – Efrat Yedid Ben Ezra.
International Workshops
“Moving in the Urban Space” – was held in Paris, France
in cooperation with five European schools of interior
design and architecture.
“Living in a European City” – was held in Brussels,
Belgium in cooperation with five schools of interior
design and architecture from Europe.
“Preserving Old Structures in a Modern City”– several
workshops were held in Venice, Italy.
International Guest Lecturers
Distinguished guest lecturers frequently appear at departmental
events to deliver thought-provoking lectures to the faculty, students
and the public-at-large.
Michael Hanzel – architect, AA London. Symposium in
cooperation with the Technion Architecture Faculty, and
in collaboration with BI-ARTS – British Council for the Arts.
Manuela Gatto – architect, Zaha Hadid Architects, in
collaboration with BI-ARTS – British Council for the Arts.
Lars Spuybroek – architect and artist, Holland, in
collaboration with the Zezeze Architecture Gallery,
Tel Aviv.
26 27
Interdiscipl inary Design Practice>>
T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f I n t e r i o r D e s i g n T h e C o l l e g e o f M a n a g e m e n t A c a d e m i c S t u d i e s
The Department of Interior Design provides an interdisciplinary design
education. Critical, artistic, historical and material approaches to the
practice of interior and environmental design integrate theory with
art and technology. This innovative approach advances knowledge
in design practice and theory and contributes to the evolution of the
discipline.
The Department of Interior Design addresses a demonstrated void in
design education by bridging research and practice within a framework
of interdisciplinary critical synthesis. The nature of the Department
provides a collaborative, professional environment, where students
work closely with faculty to redefine design practice as synergic to
other related disciplines.
The interaction and cooperation with other COMAS departments
create a truly rare interdisciplinary experience. For example, since
2007 students from the Computer Science Department have been
joining our students in design studios. Unconstrained by traditional
disciplines, design and computer science students successfully work to
generate cutting-edge research in computation and design. Similar
joint initiatives are offered with other departments such as Media,
Behavioral Sciences and the Business School.
Interior design students are encouraged to think creatively, solve
problems and create spaces that support human activities and values.
Our students develop projects within an environmental, architectural,
and social context. We offer our students the opportunity to reinforce
individual disciplinary knowledge in design while developing an
interdisciplinary depth of understanding.
The College of Management Academic Studies>>
Left: Tal Gazit, Liminal Space in
Bat Yam, final project.
Right: Erez Ben-Eliezer,
Information center in Bat Yam,
final project.
COMAS is the largest College in Israel with a current enrollment of
over 12,000 students enrolled in various programs at COMAS, while
over 31,000 alumni are to be found in key positions in the Israeli
economy – in accounting and law firms, in media-related companies,
organizations and advertising agencies, in high-tech companies, in
interior design and architecture firms and in many other private
and public sector bodies. COMAS strives to provide its students with
a profession and constantly seeks to pioneer studies in new practical
fields. Established in 1986, it was the first institution of higher
education in Israel to offer a bachelor degree in business, in media
studies and in interior design and a master’s degree in organizational
development and consulting and in family studies. COMAS awards
7 bachelor degrees and 5 master’s degrees in the fields of business
administration, economics, law, media, behavioral sciences, computer
science and interior design.
The activities of the institution are not limited to teaching alone.
COMAS initiates a wide variety of academic activities to expand the
bounds of knowledge and to contribute to the country’s development.
Each year COMAS sponsors many conferences, both international and
national and faculty members have won a reputation in a variety of
fields for their high level of research.
Even though COMAS is a non-profit, non-subsidized institution without
any government support whatsoever, it remains committed to the
democratization of Israeli higher education. This commitment rests on
COMAS’ belief that the intellectual capability of the country’s young
people is its most precious asset and that every individual must have
the opportunity to realize his or her full potential. COMAS carries two
flags: while continuing to strive for excellence and maintaining the
highest academic standards, COMAS has opened the doors of academia
to the “People of Israel”, making higher education accessible.
28
Supporting the Department of Interior Design>>
Through your generous support you can become our partner in
educating the creative young people who will shape the future of
our culture.
The American Friends of COMAS has IRS 501(c)3 status.
Generous Donors to the Department Can Help
Create scholarships that encourage talented and
deserving students to pursue careers in design.
Maintain a rich curriculum grounded in art,
architecture, design and writing.
Support instructional needs in the studios, classrooms
and library.
Establish a media laboratory for applied research in the
area of design and technology.
Support workshops which enrich the curriculum with
new perspectives on practice and theory.
Maintain a forum for students and faculty to work
in partnership with public schools and community
organizations using design and art to improve
educational opportunities for young people from low-
income communities.
Established endowed chairs for faculty members.
Build a permanent building to house the department’s
classrooms, offices, laboratories and studios.
T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f I n t e r i o r D e s i g n
inside cover: Maya Linenberg, Folding City Market, final project.
Design and production: Studio Joseph Jibri