Tropical Architecture,
Interior & Green Design
At IDB Bali, tropical interiors, furniture, natural materials and architectural sketching run in parallel and pour into one villa and resort design studio.
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IDB Bali, Denpasar
Winter Class 2026 has closed. Summer Class 2027 is the next intake, moving through Early Bird, Regular and Late.
Student voices · unscripted
Straight from
Vanessa Ferreira · Panama · Interior Designer
Vanessa's storyStraight from YouTube · a few minutes
Straight from
the island.
Vanessa Ferreira · Panama · Interior Designer
Vanessa's storyStraight from YouTube · a few minutes
Jaime's storyJaime Noriega · Peru · Architect
"I took a course of Tropical Architecture, Interior & Green Design at the beginning of 2023 and it was AMAZING!!! This program and trip to Bali changed my life, I had the best time ever and now I can't wait to be back to Bali and learn more and more about this unique architecture!! I feel IDB Bali is the best place to study tropical style and design."
Marta Knysch · Ukraine · Tropical Architecture, Interior & Green Design"What stuck with me most was how much knowledge the Balinese culture holds, how much the architecture is shaped by that culture, and how Balinese people have found a way to regulate the climate in the best way possible."
Noura Amer · Germany"From day one I felt at home here in Bali, and to this day, after five months, I still do. Home is also a place you can choose for yourself, and not one that is chosen for you. It is a feeling, not always a building. I'd say I found it here."
Emily Plat · Germany"My favourite excursion was the Pablo Luna excursion, because they explained everything so well and I felt so inspired by their approach and their office."
Malina Möller · GermanySemester recapFifteen weeks on the island
See what a semester in Bali feels like.
What you
study.
Taught, examined and credited by IDB Bali, Institut Desain dan Bisnis Bali. Up to 30 ECTS. About 15 US credits is a rough workload comparison, not a recognition guarantee. The academic documents come from IDB Bali; we help you provide them to your home registrar.
01
Tropical Interior & Southeast Asian Architecture+ details
5 ECTSHow the architecture of Southeast Asia, and Bali in particular, reads its climate and culture. Local materials, environmental factors and Balinese design philosophy shaping indoor and outdoor space, tested against real sites.
02
Furniture Design+ details
5 ECTSFurniture design, production and craft on Bali. Traditional Balinese principles, materials and construction, with hands-on visits to local makers, ending in a furniture piece of your own.
03
Natural Materials & Green Design+ details
5 ECTSBamboo, timber and reclaimed materials as the base of sustainable tropical building. Green design principles and their ecological, social and economic case, worked through in hands-on workshops.
04
Architectural Sketching & Illustration+ details
5 ECTSDrawing by hand and on screen. Balinese art and rendering styles alongside Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and basic 3D, plus a look at AI in architecture, applied to your own projects.
05
Design Project/Studio: Villa, Resort & Hospitality Design+ details
8 ECTSThe capstone. A full villa, resort and hospitality design project from site analysis and concept to detailed drawings and a final presentation, with an A3 portfolio and regular faculty consultations.
06
Indonesian Language & Culture of Bali+ details
2 ECTSEnough Bahasa Indonesia to hold a conversation on site, plus the Balinese cultural and religious practice that shapes how the island builds. The one module with a midterm and final test.
= 30
ECTS, a full study-abroad semester. Completion certificate and academic transcript from IDB Bali travel home with you.
Workshops & excursions include
Traditional Balinese village and temple visitArchitectural sketching workshopBiji World, Gdas and Titi Batu with architect Pak OkaGuest lecture by Eco Mantra3D and AI in architecture workshop with George HutchinsVisit to Green Village and Studio IBUKUBamboo construction workshop with Asali BaliVisit to Ulaman Eco ResortVisit to the Bio Arc ProjectGuided villa tour with an architectArchitecture studio visit
Sample board
What you
What you
actually touch.
Green design is not a reading list here. Four things you handle yourself over fifteen weeks, where you meet each one, and which module it belongs to.
TA1 · Tropical Interior & Southeast Asian Architecture · 5 ECTS
Site
You read buildings where they stand, before you draw anything. Site visits run through the whole semester and are part of the attendance you are graded on.
Ulaman Eco Resort · Bio Arc · village and temple visit · guided villa tour with the architect
TA3 · Natural Materials & Green Design · 5 ECTS
Bamboo
The structural material of the island. You build with it by hand in the bamboo construction workshop, then see the same material carried to full height by the people who made it architecture.
Bamboo construction workshop with Asali Bali · Green Village and Studio IBUKU
TA2 · Furniture Design · 5 ECTS
Timber
Local and reclaimed wood, and the joinery that has always gone with it. You visit the workshops of Balinese makers, follow how a piece is actually put together, and design one of your own.
Site visits to local furniture makers · hands-on workshops
TA5 · Design Project / Studio · 8 ECTS
Model
Where all of it lands. The capstone studio turns a site analysis into a villa, resort or hospitality design: drawings, models and an A3 portfolio that you present in week fourteen and carry home.
Design studio, IDB Bali · final presentations in week 14Studio, sketching
and site visits.
follow a studio week in Bali ↓
MONLectures and studio.TUELectures and studio.WEDInterior and sketching.THUExcursion day.FRIFlexible Friday.
MondayLectures and studioLectures and studio.
Theory lectures and design studio sessions on the IDB Bali campus.
TuesdayLectures and studioLectures and studio.
A second campus day of lectures and studio time on your project.
WednesdayInterior and sketchingInterior and sketching.
Interior work, architectural sketching and project development, moving your studio idea forward.
ThursdayExcursion dayExcursion day.
Site visits and hands-on workshops across Bali, matched to the week's module focus.
FridayFlexible FridayFlexible Friday.
Studio project work when you want it, or free time before the weekend on the island.
How the fifteen
weeks unfold.
A semester is not five days on repeat. It opens with a welcome dinner, builds through the modules, pauses for a reading week, then turns everything into one studio project. Here is the shape of it.
The Saturday before
Welcome dinner
The cohort meets over dinner at sunset before a single class begins. Faces to the names you will spend the semester with.
Week 1
Orientation
Campus, city and calendar. Attendance counts from the first orientation day, so week one already sets the rhythm.
Weeks 2 to 6
Classes in full swing
Tropical interiors, furniture, natural materials and sketching run in parallel, with a weekly excursion or hands-on workshop tied to each.
Weeks 7 to 8
Reading week Semester break
A two-week break in the middle of the semester. Travel the island, or use the time to push your studio project ahead of the second half.
Weeks 9 to 14
Studio deepens
Classes continue while the villa and resort design studio takes over. Site analysis becomes concept, concept becomes detailed drawings and an A3 portfolio.
Week 14
Final presentations
You present your studio project to IDB faculty. The portfolio piece you carry home is pinned up and defended here.
Week 15
Graduation
The semester closes with a certificate ceremony. Completion certificate and academic transcript follow about four weeks after the finals.
The outcome
What you
What you
leave with.
The project
A villa design, start to finish
Your studio project: a full villa, resort and hospitality design, from site analysis to a final pin-up before IDB faculty, plus an A3 portfolio. A portfolio piece with a story behind it.
The paper
30 ECTS, black on white
Completion certificate and academic transcript from IDB Bali documenting 30 ECTS. Workload comparisons can support a review in other credit systems, but your home institution alone decides recognition.
The skills
Materials, drawing, green design
You leave able to sketch by hand and on screen, work with bamboo and reclaimed timber, and design for a tropical climate rather than against it.
The people
Friends from around the world
You arrive alone and leave with an international group of young architects and designers, and a group chat that never goes quiet.
"I take all the good things from Bali, I'm saving it with me. I think I'm ready for the next chapter of my career, of how we can build more sustainable, applying all the things that I learned here."Vanessa · Panama
Fees and
intake dates.
Each intake moves through Early Bird, Regular and Late. Your fee is set by the phase on the day you register. Winter Class 2026 has closed; Summer Class 2027 is the next intake to join.
Every figure is the full-semester tuition and includes the €350 registration (refundable when you cancel more than 8 weeks before intake, minus a €100 processing fee) and the student visa (C9), arranged with IDB Bali. Each intake takes up to 30 students. Accommodation, flights and food are extra.
Summer Class 2027 · Early Bird open
Early Bird is open
Get the info pack first →
Early Bird is open
for Summer 2027.
Summer Class 2027 runs 29 March to 16 July at IDB Bali. Early Bird is the first of three price phases and holds until 30 September. Five minutes to apply, a personal reply within days.
Intake29 Mar – 16 Jul 2027
CampusIDB Bali, Denpasar
CreditsUp to 30 ECTS
Early Bird · until 30 Sep 2026
€2,790
The fee steps up as each deadline passes.
Apply now
Five minutes · a personal reply within days
Download the
Info Pack.
One PDF, straight to your inbox: the six modules and credits, the weekly rhythm, workshops and excursions, living in Bali, fees and key dates, and how to apply. The semester in detail, from week one to the final crit.
IDB Bali · campus building, Denpasar
IDB Bali · drawing studio
IDB Bali · library and study space
Tap for more · 1/3
Your host institution
Hosting this semester
IDB Bali, the Institut Desain dan Bisnis Bali, is a private design and business institute in Denpasar that has hosted StudyInBali architecture programs since 2017, and the semester program since 2019. The creative campus offers design studios and labs, a computer and iMac lab, a library and a cafeteria, with field sites across Bali. Your modules are taught in English by local and international architects, examined and credited here.
Good
to know.
Where you live, the C9 visa and funding.
on this program
HousingWhere will I live?→
Shared villas or guesthouses in Canggu or Umalas, usually with your own cohort. Once you are confirmed you get our map of places past students recommend, and a spot in the community group where the cohort teams up on houses long before anyone flies.
VisaWhat about the visa?→A student visa (Index C9), included in your fee and arranged with IDB Bali. Enrolling calls for a handful of documents beyond your passport, and we guide you through every one before you fly.
FundingCan I afford this?→Early Bird saves against the later phases, and the fee already includes your student visa. Summer Class 2027 is on Early Bird now.
FAQ
Questions
students ask.
Eligibility, intake dates, workload, credits, portfolio and materials.
Do I need to be an architecture student?
Most participants come from architecture, interior design or related design fields, but we also welcome graduates and adjacent backgrounds, as well as enthusiasts with a genuine interest in the topic but no design background. The Design Studio module adapts its assessment to your background and study level.
When are the intakes and which is next?
Two intakes a year: a Winter Class starting in October and a Summer Class starting in April, each a 15-week semester. Winter Class 2026 has finished taking applications; Summer Class 2027 is the next one you can join. Each intake moves through Early Bird, Regular and Late, and your fee is set by the phase on the day you register.
How intensive is it really?
It is a full semester. Two campus days of lectures and studio, a day of interior work and sketching, a day of excursions and hands-on workshops, and a flexible Friday. A two-week reading break sits in the middle, and attendance counts from the first orientation day.
Will my home university accept the 30 ECTS?
The programme documents 30 ECTS. Your home institution alone decides whether and how the credits count, so confirm this with your registrar before applying. We provide the academic documentation for that review.
Is there a portfolio or pre-screening?
No portfolio review. The application asks for your home institution, year and a short motivation. The cohort is curated for a diversity of background and stage.
What materials do I need to bring?
A laptop that can run the common architecture and design tools. A sketchbook and drawing tools are easy to find in Bali too, so only bring your own if you already have favourites. The studio provides desk space and access to the design labs. A pre-arrival kit list is sent once you confirm.
Apply for the next intake.
Winter Class 2026 has closed. Summer Class 2027 is open now on Early Bird, which holds until 30 September. Five minutes to apply, a personal reply within days.
Apply now →
Student visa included in the fee · up to 30 places per intake
Not there yet? Get the Info Pack · Book a 1:1 call · WhatsApp us