California College of the Arts: Working For and Around New Technologies

Like her peers, Cathrine Veikos, chair of the interior design department at California College of the Arts (CCA), says students seek the ability to work with other disciplines—to engage lighting, acoustics, communication and interaction, exhibition and display.

They also want to better their technological skills, and their understanding of building systems. Accordingly, Veikos says, the Interior Design Program, which is part of the Architecture Division at CCA, offers access to machines, processes and methodologies from a wide array of disciplines, including fine arts, interactive design, fashion, ceramics, textiles, industrial design, graphic design and furniture design.

New course offerings like “Materiality and Space” incorporate the use of digital fabrication tools, robotics, sensors and new material hybrids, and finish with full-scale prototypes. Among other things, students study the way material surfaces effect perception and the body’s senses. Research in materials is a strong CCA focus, complete with connection to local manufacturers to fabricate and test ideas. A program for Interior Design and Fabrication Technologies is in the works.

CCA also has new courses addressing today’s technology. “Smart Spaces for Learning” brings together designers who see space as a material and designers who see technology as a material to redefine classrooms with new forms of spatial, material, virtual, and human-computer interaction.

Recent student projects from the advanced studio known as LoGlo considered the global nature of such San Francisco local businesses as Heath Ceramics and Boudin, Anchor Breweries, TCHO Chocolates, Mariposa Bakeries and FiberLab.