Rate My Professor Mark Gower

Mark Gower serves as Associate Professor and Head of the 3D Design Department within the School of Design at Kingston School of Art, Kingston University London, since joining in 2023. In this role, he leads prominent programs including BA Product and Furniture Design, BA Interior Design, BA 3D Design Innovation, MA Sustainable Design, MA Product and Furniture Design, and MA Interior Design. A Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Gower possesses substantial professional experience as an interior designer, having collaborated with firms such as Imagination Ltd on notable projects like the redevelopment of Fenwick on Bond Street and global motor show stands for Ford, Land Rover, and Mazda. He has directed design teams for prominent clients across the UK and abroad, encompassing locations in Hong Kong and India. Prior appointments include Programme Director for Product, Furniture, and Interiors at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) Farnham from June 2017 to March 2023, and Head of Programmes for Fashion and Design at Regent's University London. His academic credentials comprise an MA in Architecture and Interiors from the Royal College of Art (1999) and a First Class BA (Hons) in Interior Design from Kingston University.

Gower's research investigates the influence of interior architecture on football performance, particularly how stadium design affects players' spatial awareness and home advantage, drawing from his youth tenure with Newcastle United Football Club and his RCA dissertation titled ‘Football's Hidden Architecture'. He also examines the significance of physical making in design processes, aligning with Kingston School of Art's ‘Thinking Through Making' philosophy. Notable publications encompass the article ‘Exhibition – Home Ground: The Architecture of Football’ (2025, Football Supporters' Association), ‘Exhibition: Designing the beautiful game’ (2022), ‘How stadium architecture gives football teams the home advantage’ (2019, Icon), ‘Transforming learning, making space’ (2018, with Elaine Kasket), and the book chapter ‘A football player's sense of space and the advantage of playing at home’ (2019). His teaching approach centers on ‘Situated Learning’ and ‘Communities of Practice’, integrating industry collaborations, live briefs, and partnerships with design agencies to deliver authentic experiential learning for students.