Interior & Architectural Design Academy
Interior & Architectural Design Academy
Create the world. Build your career in it.
Build the professional skills, judgment and real-world experience to pursue a career in interior and architectural design.
Learn from accomplished professionals. Work through real projects.
Master the tools shaping the profession.
Applications are now open for the Founding Cohort. The application window is closing soon.
12-month professional program • Men's and women's cohorts
Career opportunity
This is more than learning design.
It is learning a profession.
Interior and architectural design can lead in many directions. IADA is designed to give you a broad professional foundation so you can build the career that fits your strengths and ambitions.
01
Interior Designer
Plan and design residential, commercial and institutional spaces.
02
Architectural Designer
Work on planning, documentation and coordination within architecture and design projects.
03
Space Planner
Solve how rooms, circulation, function and people come together inside a space.
04
Design or Architecture Firm Team Member
Bring practical drawing, documentation and design skills into an established professional practice.
05
Specialized Professional Services
Develop expertise in documentation, project coordination and project-based services.
06
Practice or Firm Owner
Build a client base, develop your services and grow a professional firm.
You are building a professional skill set that can open several paths.
Professional practice
Learn how the work is really done.
Faculty
Learn directly from the best.
Learn from accomplished architects, designers, planners and firm owners who bring real projects, real decisions and real professional experience into the classroom.
You are building a professional skill set that can open several paths.
Eran Chen, AIA
Founder & Executive Director, ODA
Yossi Gottehrer
Founder, Creative Visionary
Jeff Akerman, RA, NCARB, AIA
Founder & CEO, Rise Architecture
Meilich Raab
Principal & Founder, Raab Interiors
Shimon Zimbovsky
Director, Waldron Planning & Design LLC
Sam Obstfeld
Architect & Space Planner
Chaim Horowitz
Principal, Chaim Horowitz Design
Berish Laufer
Founder & CEO, Half Inch Scale Inc.
Learn what great professionals know. See how they think. Watch how they work.
Then begin doing the work yourself.
Professional education
Professional education built for the real world.
Too much design education stops at theory.
You learn the terminology.
You study the principles.
You learn the software.
Then the first real client sits across from you.
What do you do next?
IADA is built to close that gap.
At IADA, real residential, commercial and institutional projects are built into the education.
01
Learn the principle
Understand the methods, standards and tools behind the work.
02
Watch professionals apply it
See experienced designers, architects and planners make real decisions.
03
Do the work yourself
Create plans, drawings, design directions and project solutions.
04
Get personalized feedback
Learn what is working, what needs to change and how to improve.
05
Revise and improve
Apply the feedback and develop stronger professional judgment.
Because the real world does not follow a textbook.
Clients change their minds. Budgets shift. Existing conditions create problems. Contractors ask questions. Plans need to change.
You need to be ready when the project is yours.
How IADA works
Flexible enough to fit your life. Structured enough to keep you moving.
IADA is a 12-month, cohort-based program built around professionally produced recorded instruction, project work, personalized feedback and live instructor sessions.
Professionally produced instruction
Carefully designed video lessons make complex professional concepts clear, visual and practical.
Learn on your schedule
Complete your recorded lessons during the week at the times that work best for you.
Move with your cohort
Weekly progress and deadlines keep you moving through the program with your class.
Do real project work
Apply what you learn through plans, drawings, projects and professional assignments.
Get personalized feedback
Receive guidance on your work and use that feedback to improve.
Join live instructor sessions
Participate in monthly Zoom sessions for additional teaching, questions and discussion.
Learn with a community
IADA has separate men’s and women’s cohorts.
Program Guide
Want to see exactly how IADA works?
Get the IADA Program Guide for the full curriculum, program structure, concentration paths, weekly commitment and learning experience.
Get the program guide →Curriculum
Master the full profession.
IADA brings together the creative, technical and business sides of interior and architectural design.
01
Space Planning & Residential Design
Client needs, flow, circulation, clearances, planning, existing conditions and residential projects.
02
Interior Design
Concept, materials, color, lighting, kitchens, bathrooms, furnishings, specifications and presentation.
03
Architectural Design & Project Coordination
Technical documentation, building systems, construction, code, coordination and project delivery.
04
Commercial & Institutional Design
Workplaces, business spaces, multifamily projects, institutional spaces and commercial project work.
05
Professional Software & Technology
AutoCAD, SketchUp, Revit and emerging AI tools used for visualization, rendering and professional workflows.
06
Business & Professional Practice
Clients, proposals, pricing, scope, payments, practice operations and firm building.
Technology
Built for the profession you are entering.
Technology is changing how professionals visualize, document, iterate and communicate their work.
IADA combines professional judgment with current tools, including AutoCAD, SketchUp, Revit and emerging AI technology.
The tools will keep changing. Knowing what to do with them is what matters.
AutoCAD
Precision drafting
SketchUp
Spatial modeling
Revit
BIM documentation
Choose your path
Go deeper in the direction that fits your career.
Every IADA student develops a broad foundation across interior design, architectural design, space planning, technical documentation, construction and business. Then you can specialize further.
Design Wing
Option 1
For students who want deeper expertise in interior design and the creative development of a space.
- Design history, style and visual vocabulary
- Advanced color theory
- Lighting design and specification
- Materials, finishes and furnishings
- Sourcing and product selection
- Presentation and client communication
- Room-by-room conceptual design
- Kitchen design
- Styling and final presentation
- Facade design
Option 2
Architectural Wing
For students who want deeper technical and architectural expertise.
- Structural systems, framing and load paths
- Building systems coordination
- Construction documentation and working drawing sets
- Residential building codes and approval processes
- Renovation planning and existing-building conditions
- Architectural coordination and professional practice
- Working effectively within and alongside architecture firms
Or pursue both.
Students who want broader training can continue through both the Design Wing and the Architectural Wing, then choose the area they want to focus on for their final practicum.
Build a strong foundation across the profession.
Then develop deeper expertise in the direction you want your career to take.
Business
Build the career.
Build the business.
Learn how to turn your skills into a profession.
IADA teaches the business side of design throughout the program, then brings it together in a dedicated Business Bootcamp.
From design skill to professional practice
You will learn how to:
- Get clients through referrals, relationships and professional credibility
- Price your work and understand different fee structures
- Write proposals and define scope clearly
- Set up a practice with the right financial, legal and operating foundations
- Manage clients and projects professionally
- Understand the numbers behind a profitable practice
- Build a team and grow a firm over time
Build your Practice Launch Kit
You will leave with practical tools for launching a practice, including your service offering, proposal structure, pricing model, client workflow, business-development plan and launch plan.
Learn how to do the work. Then learn how to build a career around it.
Business
Build Your Portfolio. Prove Your Skills.
Graduate with more than completed lessons.
Throughout IADA, you will build real project work that develops into a professional portfolio. You will complete work across residential, commercial, technical, design and architectural projects, then bring those skills together in a final capstone.
By the end of the program, you will have:
- A professional portfolio showing the range of your work
- A final capstone project completed from beginning to end
- Technical drawings and documentation
- Residential and commercial project work
- Design and planning presentations
- Your Practice Launch Kit
- An IADA Certificate of Completion
You are building the skills. You are also building the body of work that shows what you can do.
Admissions
Apply to the Founding Cohort.
IADA is built for students who are serious about learning a profession and willing to put in the work required to become good at it.
You do not need previous professional experience. You do need the commitment to learn, complete projects, meet deadlines, accept feedback and keep improving.
Applications are now open for the Founding Cohort.
The application window is closing soon.
Admission to IADA is by application and interview. Submitting an application does not guarantee acceptance.
How admissions works
01
Submit your application
Tell us about yourself, your goals and why you are interested in IADA.
02
Admissions reviews your application
Every completed application is reviewed by the IADA admissions team.
03
Speak with Admissions
Admissions will contact you within two business days to arrange an interview.
04
Receive your admissions decision and enrollment information
Following the interview, you will be notified about the next steps for enrollment.
Apply to the Founding Cohort.
After you submit your application, you will receive the IADA Program Guide, complete tuition information and available payment-plan options.
Submitting an application does not require you to enroll.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
IADA is built for students who are serious about learning a profession and willing to put in the work required to become good at it.
Do I need previous design or architecture experience?
Is IADA self-paced, and how are the classes delivered?
What if my schedule changes or I need more time?
Can I work or attend school while completing IADA?
Can I study both the Design Wing and the Architectural Wing?
Is there a men's cohort and a women's cohort?
Will I receive feedback on my work?
What will I have when I graduate?
Is IADA accredited?
When does the Founding Cohort begin?
How much is tuition?
Are payment plans available?
Do I have to enroll if I apply?
Can I open my own practice after IADA?
Can my parents or family learn more about the program?
APPLY NOW
Build your career in an industry that shapes the world around us.
Interior and architectural design gives you the opportunity to shape how people live, work, gather and experience space.
- Learn from accomplished professionals.
- Work through real projects.
- Master the tools of the profession.
- Build work you can show.
- Learn how to turn your skills into a career and eventually a firm of your own.
Applications are now open for the Founding Cohort.
The application window is closing soon.
Create the world. Build your career in it.
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