Physical Spaces and Digital Environment Design
Specialise in the design of the hybrid physical and digital dimension for educational, work, health and commercial spaces. Comprehend, research, experience and design "spaces 5.0" for the "phygital" environments of the future.
Barcelona
ENG
Official Master's Degree
Language
English
Start date
September 2026
Frequency
Evening
Fruition
On campus
Duration
10 Months
Credits
60 ECTS
Course Coordination
Raffaella Perrone
Price
€ 14,800
Find out the current facilitations
Delve deep into the present and future relationships between spatial design and technology taking a holistic approach to design, culture, anthropology, neuroarchitecture and sustainability.
The Official Master's Degree in Physical Spaces and Digital Environment Design meets a growing demand for professionals and researchers specialized in the design of educational, work, health and commercial spaces, to create new, hybrid experiences for digital environments.
In digital environments, people, systems and data interact virtually, creating an extended reality that coexists with the physical environment. This course meets the need to design and experience a mixed reality, in line with the transformations deriving from the impact of digital technologies on contemporary life.
The main goals in this course are to learn, research and implement the methods, processes, techniques and tools required to imagine and create new spaces for the future. Emphasizing the cultural dimension, user experience, sustainability and using technology to improve well-being, this is the first master's degree of its kind in Spain on interior design applied to physical and digital environments, a real one-off in Catalonia.
Information to decide
This is a unique specialization in the field of spatial design, with a theoretical-practical approach to projects for physical, educational, work, health and commercial spaces - that focuses also on the digital environment - virtual reality, augmented reality, extended reality, mixed reality, AI, etc.
The course combines theory with hands-on practice through contextual analysis, experimentation and the study of real and speculative cases, with talks by experts and debates. It also includes out-of-class activities and practical experience in companies working in the field.
The content is developed in several different course modules:
In Module 1 we’ll be studying contemporary culture and anthropological, historical, social and cultural contexts, to acquire a greater understanding of the paradigm shift we are living and the rupture of the traditional space-time relationship. The module focuses on the study of the contemporary relationship and the dialogue between culture, design, technology, sustainability and the future, interpreting the complexity of the global world we live in. This approach is the basis for designing and defining new physical-digital spaces.
In Module 2 we’ll learn more about the structures and parts of both physical space and digital space, studying them in depth. You’ll learn to use the most effective tools to design these new hybrid spaces, with particular emphasis on commercial, educational, work, physical and mental healthcare environments.
In Module 3 you’ll be working hands-on to create new, real-world projects in collaboration with organizations and companies working in the hybridization of the real and digital dimensions of interior space.
In Module 4 you’ll gain work experience in studios, companies or institutions, to develop and apply the skills you’ve acquired in specialized professional environments.
In Module 5 you’ll focus on your Final Master's Thesis Project, based on critical, original and rigorous research to develop all the skills you’ve acquired independently and autonomously.
This course is for graduates in Design, Architecture, Engineering, the Fine Arts or different Humanities’ disciplines who want to specialize in interior design from this dual physical/digital perspective.
People with a healthy interest in academic research and practice, or who want to expand their professional career to take it to the next level by acquiring new skills to create new spaces and user experiences: spatial designers, audiovisual designers, service designers, artists, researchers, etc.
The content of this course meets the demands of the modern professional world as you’ll acquire the skills required for emerging social realities and needs: today in the current context, new profiles are needed with the right skill set to imagine and create modern hybrid spaces already in demand.
With the help of a team of academic experts, researchers and professionals who have already made their name in the sector, you’ll explore the significant impact of new interior spaces designed for human beings and the way our perceptual system works.
During the course you’ll learn to design physical-digital spaces by developing projects, use analysis and theoretical-practical experimentation, examine case studies, discover how to manage research methodologies and learn to use specific software programs. You’ll visit key places, and get practical work experience in companies operating in the sector. You’ll also develop a final project to showcase your studies and experience.
You’ll do all this at IED Barcelona, a school in a major international network of Creative Design institutes. As a student, you’ll be part of a vibrant, creative, multidisciplinary, international community. And you’ll be studying in the city of Barcelona, a European benchmark in design, architecture and interior design.
Syllabus
TECHNO-HUMANISM: THE CONTEMPORARY ANTHROPOLOGICAL DIMENSION
This module focuses on the study of the contemporary relationship and dialogue between culture, design, technology, sustainability and the future, interpreting the complexity of the global world we live in. Understanding physical-digital hybrid space
Subjects:
- Techno-humanism
- Neuroarchitecture, the psychology of space, multisensory perception
- The anthropological dimension of hybrid space Space, environment and memory
Design research methods
«PHYGITAL» SPACE 5.0
In this module you’ll learn to use the most effective tools to design these new hybrid spaces, with particular emphasis on educational, work, health and commercial environments.
Subjects:
- Understanding physical-digital hybrid space From real to digital
- Threshold space: transitions between physical space and digital space
- Key space concepts: light, flows, transition and occupancy.
- Visual language and representation of space.
FROM THE IDEA TO THE PROJECT
In this module you’ll be working hands-on to create new, real-world projects in collaboration with organizations and companies working in the hybridization of the real and digital dimensions of interior space.
Subjects:
- Create/design for space 5.0
- From physical to digital Hybrids
- New interior space design and communication
WORK EXPERIENCE
This module is focused on work experience developed in design studios, companies and institutions to develop and apply all the skills you’ve acquired in a specialized, professional environment. The student will be assisted by a professional tutor at the relevant institution and an academic tutor, an IED professor.
FINAL MASTER'S THESIS
In this module you’ll focus on your Final Master's Thesis Project, based on critical, innovative, original and rigorous research to develop and apply all the skills you’ve acquired independently and autonomously.
Link to the Spanish official gazette Boletín Oficial del Estado in which approval of the IED Barcelona Official Master was published.
Faculty
Director
Raffaella Perrone
PhD in Theory and History of Architecture
Director
Joan Maroto-Sales
PhD in Architectural Projects
Teacher
Ramon Rispoli
PhD in History of Architecture
Teacher
Irma Arribas
PhD in Visual Communication in Architecture and Design
Teacher
Oriol Carrasco
PhD in Architecture and Engineering
Teacher
Aurosa Alison
PhD in Philosophy
Teacher
Mery Glez
Video Designer and Creative Technologist
Teacher
Ana Mombiedro
Architect and Neuropsychologist
Inside the labs
+3
XR Lab
+2
Media Lab
+3
Hybrid Lab
Projects
You may be interested in:
News
Don't miss it
