MAIA: Curriculum
The program is structured in 4 semesters:

MAIA 1 – Glossaries: Sustainable, Post-human Interiors
MAIA 1 explores the glossaries that characterize contemporary ecology and their implications for interior architecture. From the postmodern concept of sustainability in the 1980s to that of the Anthropocene in the 2000s, and from the contemporary paradigms of the Post-human to the Post-natural and the Cthulucene in the 2010s, the semester is structured around different modules that investigate the themes of Natural History, Plural Bodies, Animals, and Plants in interior spaces.

MAIA 2 – Assemblages: Technology, Objects, Mediated Interiors
MAIA 2 focuses on the assemblages among objects, technologies, and media within interior environments. Considering any form of material and virtual ecology as architectural—from material prototypes to generative AI—the semester is practice-based and structured around a core studio, with specific modules on Circularity, Building Components, and Digital Media.

MAIA 3 – Investigations: Design, Research, Multiscalar Interiors
MAIA 3 investigates research-driven practices of design, examining how interior spaces construct multiscalar ecologies from within. The semester combines theory and design to address urgent challenges such as post-natural ecologies, biodiversity loss, and design politics. It integrates a core studio with dedicated modules on Curatorial Practices and the Written Thesis, guiding students through a non-linear process to establish their intellectual discourse and graduation pathways.

MAIA 4 – Diploma: Professional Competences
The final semester of MAIA is centered on each student’s graduation project. A core studio shapes the semester, complemented by core-skills seminars on professional competencies that will help prepare students for post-graduate life. Never before in history has interior architecture produced so many spaces where the human and the non-human come together in new configurations, calling for new ecosystemic action.

* The language of the MAIA program is English, with some lectures conducted in French.

MAIA: Professional Projects

MAIA students regularly engage in professional projects in collaboration with cultural institutions and economic partners. This hands-on approach allows students to gain practical experience in real projects, preparing them for the conceptual, technical, and administrative aspects inherent in professional practice. Students also have the opportunity to collaborate with and be showcased in international exhibitions, including events and partners such as the Milan Design Week or the Vitra Design Museum. MAIA enables its graduates to apply for registration on the Professional Register of Swiss Architects (REG A, Interior Architecture).

* Explore the latest projects from the Interior Architecture Department on Divisare.

MAIA: Research Partners

MAIA students collaborate on ongoing research projects with academic partners, such as Scènes de Nuit—a research platform investigating the entanglements between night and architecture—and The Future of Humanitarian Design—a research project focused on humanitarian policy and architecture developed in collaboration with the Geneva Graduate Institute and the University of Copenhagen. The MAIA program includes a permanent cooperation with the Joint Master of Architecture (JMA) of the schools of Geneva, Fribourg, and Burgdorf, as well as with the École Camondo in Paris and Toulon. Research is envisioned as central to shaping new professional opportunities, including design, curatorial, and editorial practices, leading to a professional international career.