Interior planner to interior architect
An interior planner already meets 22% of what the interior architect role asks for. The move turns on 22 required skills not yet in the profile.
81.4/ 100
1 How much of what an interior architect is expected to do is already part of an interior planner’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the interior architect role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An interior architect role treats 7 of its required skills as things an interior planner already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise clients on interior design options
- ensure infrastructure accessibility
- estimate budget for interior design plans
- materials for interior design
- measure interior space
- meet building regulations
What stands in the way is 22 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An interior architect role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an interior planner background worth leading with.
- already held promote sustainable interior design communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held advise clients on interior design options communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held measure interior space information skills
- already held design microclimates in buildings communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held estimate budget for interior design plans information skills
- already held design space for religious needs communication, collaboration and creativity
All 9 carried skills, including the 7 the interior architect role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 38 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn design building retrofitting solutions required
- still to learn develop architectural plans required
- still to learn identify customer's needs required
- still to learn prepare detailed working drawings for interior design required
- still to learn satisfy aesthetic requirements required
- still to learn build business relationships required
- still to learn communicate with customers required
- still to learn draw blueprints required
- still to learn integrate measures in architectural designs required
- still to learn write work-related reports required
- optional, not held advise on architectural matters optional
- optional, not held create architectural sketches optional
- still to learn architectural design required
- still to learn architectural theory required
- still to learn furniture trends required
- still to learn integrated design required
- still to learn furniture wood types required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held sustainable building design optional
- optional, not held building codes optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held green space strategies optional
- optional, not held urban planning optional
- optional, not held zoning codes optional
- still to learn aesthetics required
- still to learn design principles required
- still to learn architecture regulations required
- still to learn project management required
- still to learn monitor trends in interior design required
- optional, not held evaluate integrated design of buildings optional
- still to learn assist in interior plant projects required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an interior architect role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 architectural design study this
- 02 architectural theory study this
- 03 architecture regulations study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 9 skills that carry over
- already held advise clients on interior design options skill
- already held ensure infrastructure accessibility skill
- already held estimate budget for interior design plans skill
- already held materials for interior design knowledge
- already held measure interior space skill
- already held meet building regulations skill
- already held promote sustainable interior design skill
- already held design microclimates in buildings skill
- already held design space for religious needs skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held ecology optional
- optional, not held mathematics optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held use technical drawing software optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held sustainable building design optional
- optional, not held advise on architectural matters optional
- optional, not held create architectural sketches optional
- optional, not held evaluate integrated design of buildings optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held building codes optional
- optional, not held ecology optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held green space strategies optional
- optional, not held mathematics optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held urban planning optional
- optional, not held use technical drawing software optional
- optional, not held zoning codes optional
21 held skills the interior architect role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt to changing situations skill
- not needed by the target role conduct research on trends in design skill
- not needed by the target role create new concepts skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role design a domotic system in buildings skill
- not needed by the target role develop design plans skill
- not needed by the target role ensure client orientation skill
- not needed by the target role environmental design knowledge
- not needed by the target role evaluate spatial information skill
- not needed by the target role execute feasibility study skill
- not needed by the target role guarantee customer satisfaction skill
- not needed by the target role keep up-to-date to design industry trends skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role manage schedule of tasks skill
- not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role perform procurement processes skill
- not needed by the target role project management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role room aesthetics knowledge
- not needed by the target role supervise work on design planning skill
- not needed by the target role teamwork principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role use CAD software skill
22 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn architectural design required
- still to learn architectural theory required
- still to learn architecture regulations required
- still to learn furniture trends required
- still to learn integrated design required
- still to learn project management required
- still to learn aesthetics required
- still to learn design principles required
- still to learn furniture wood types required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held sustainable building design optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held building codes optional
- optional, not held ecology optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held green space strategies optional
- optional, not held mathematics optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held urban planning optional
- optional, not held zoning codes optional
Other moves recorded from interior planner
Common questions about this move
Can an interior planner become an interior architect?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An interior planner already covers 22% of what an interior architect is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 7 of which the interior architect role treats as required.
What skills does an interior planner need to become an interior architect?
22 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is architectural design.
How hard is the move from interior planner to interior architect?
Its learning distance is 81.4 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.