AA School 2013–14First Year

Architectural AssociationSchool of Architecture

www.aaschool.ac.uk/firstyearwww.aafirstyear.com

The First Year at the AA School provides students with an intellectual environment that fosters and expands their interests and explorations in architecture and gives them a solid foundation for entering the school’s famed ‘unit system’ of study in the Intermediate and Diploma Schools. We teach architecture as a form of knowledge – one in which students are exposed to a range of different design methods and approaches to writing and critical thinking. In recent years architectural practice, learning and knowledge have been profoundly transformed by new forms of commu-nication, unpredictable social challenges and emerging cultural conditions, all of which open up new possibilities for architecture. The dynamic and experimental environment of the AA’s First Year Studio focuses young architects and prepares them for the challenges of the twenty-first century. Students learn how to acquire the practical and theoretical knowledge that will enable them to relate design to theory and discourse. Throughout the year, architecture is taught as a way of thinking and designing that not only absorbs external inputs and influences but also engages with and generates particular consequences, audiences and cultures. In this way, the AA’s First Year prepares students for the complexities and possibilities of the profession. The year is organised around the combination of a year-long design studio and complementary courses in history & theory, media and technical studies; the constant

Architectural AssociationSchool of Architecture

Undergraduate School

The AA Undergraduate School consists of two parts: the five-year ARB/RIBA-accredited full-time course of studies in architecture leading to the AA Intermediate Examination (ARB/RIBA Part 1) and AA Final Examination (ARB/RIBA Part 2) and the awarding of the AA Diploma, and the one-year full-time Foundation Course, for young and new students seeking to explore a future career in architecture, the arts, design or other creative fields. Traditionally, a high percentage of AA Foundation Course students go on to enter the AA’s five-year course, while others choose to study or work in creative fields worldwide.

AA School 2013–14First Year

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crossover between seminars, workshops and debates helps students to develop an individual year-long portfolio as a comprehensive body of work that includes text, projects and speculations. When successfully completed, each student’s portfolio becomes the basis for moving up into the Intermediate School, which covers the second and third years of study at the AA.

Studio

The First Year design studio brings together around 70 stu-dents who work both individually and in groups in an open and shared space in the heart of the main AA building. This intellectual environment is intensified through continual interaction with six experienced design tutors and different collaborators who join the studio for tutorials, seminars, workshops and presentations throughout the year. Students begin to develop their talents, strengths and modes of working to their highest potential through a diverse range of explorations that move between the disciplinary and the speculative. During the year, tutors and collaborators work with students to redefine conditions between the practice of architecture and its wider cultural implications. Students learn not just how to design but also how to write and argue for an idea. As much as designing and making, writing is explored as an active tool that helps to clarify a design inten-tion. Students learn to address different modes of writing, from the definition of a short argument to the elaboration of a manifesto. At the same time, the skill of arguing is addressed as a form of discussion and of presentation; students learn how to identify and define audiences while engaging in different formats of discussion.

The ambition of the First Year studio is the acknowl-edgement and refinement of individual motivations and strengths in an intensive daily investigation that exposes students and their portfolios to unexpected ideas and alternative positions.

Students

The AA First Year attracts students who are highly motivated, open to experimentation and willing to learn and question different ways of thinking and designing architecture. The admission process is very competitive and highly selective; we encourage interested students to visit the AA, participate in its events if possible, and explore its publica-tions. Students are encouraged to apply and submit their portfolio as a collection of highlights that include different kinds of work and also some self-initiated projects. The successful applicants will become part of an intensive environment of committed students and tutors addressing different forms of discussion, investigation and experimentation in architecture. At the AA, students can develop particular strengths and positions, encounter differ-ent approaches and explorations and also bring a personal and distinct contribution to the school.

54Staff

Head of First Year

Monia De Marchi is an architect who studied at the Istituto di Architettura di Venezia. She has taught at the AA since 2005, as a Unit Master at both Interme-diate and Diploma levels, in Media Studies and she directed the AA Semester Programme. monia.de_marchi@ aaschool.ac.uk

First Year Studio Masters

Shanay Barath is an architect and founding partner of ShaGa Studio. She studied at TU Delft and the AA, where she has been teaching since 2009 in the DRL and Media Studies, and is cur-rently the director of the AA Tel Aviv visiting school. She has previously worked for UN Studio and West 8 in the Netherlands.

James Craig is an architect and co-founder of STASUS. He has taught and been an invited critic at many UK and internation-al schools of architecture and recently published his work in the latest instalment of the Pamphlet Architecture series.

Maria S Giudici earned her MA from Mendrisio Academy of Architecture, Switzerland, in 2006. Between 2005 and 2007 she worked in Bucharest-based office BAU, collaborated in Rotterdam with Donis in 2010 and Dogma in 2011. After teach-ing at the Berlage Institute and co-tutoring workshops at TU

Delft (2008), TU Munich (2009), and Strelka (2010), she will be an assistant professor at BIArch Barcelona.

Max Kahlen works as an architect in London and Germany. He is founding director of Dyvik & Kahlen Architecture and worked as associate at IJP Corporation after studying at the Stuttgart Academy of Art & Design and the AA where he graduated with Honours. He has been teaching courses in Diploma and Media Studies at the AA since 2008.

Alex Kaiser studied at the Oxford Brookes School of Architecture and the AA. He has worked at the London architecture offices of Richard Rogers and Moxon Architects. In his recently co-founded studio he is experiment-ing with line and paint in realms beyond bio-mimetics, perception and narrative.

John Ng studied architecture at the University of Bath and then completed his diploma at the AA, where he has taught with Diplo-ma Unit 5 since 2011.

First Year Studio Tutor

Fabrizio Ballabio studied at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio, the ETH in Zurich and has recently completed the MA in History and Critical Thinking at the AA.

Students undertook different forms of writing such as a propaganda for ‘how to be a monk in seven days’, a manual of desire, a list revealing what is missing in London, a mani-

festo for pausing and playing, a report on megalomaniac projects, a manuscript for a highly experiential space that uses myth as a driving force, and so on.

First Year Work

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Throughout the year, students in Max Kahlen’s studio investigated vernacular objects such as walls, doors, windows and floors with a series of constructed photomontages that were reworked through diagrams and plans into new configurations of ‘room’ and ‘space’.

Students in Monia De Marchi’s studio identified architectural conditions by searching and rewriting news in the form of collages, magazines, models and posters, which formed the background to an exploration of architec-tural elements.

First Year Work

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Top left: A temporary café served coffee and cookies at the Bloomsbury Festival in Bedford Square Gardens. Top right: A tunnel punctuated by optical illusions framing the

gardens beyond. Bottom: A colourful badminton court encouraged play and entertained visitors in the usually tranquil gardens.

First Year Bloomsbury Festival First Year Projects Review

1110First Year Studio Life First Year Studio Life

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Application ProceduresAnyone interested in applying to the AA must complete an online undergraduate application form. The AA is not part of UCAS. The initial deadline for applica-tions and portfolio submissions is 18 January 2013 and late applications and portfolio sub-mission will be accepted up to 15 March 2013. Applications made after this date may be accepted at the discretion of the school. Interviews take place between February and June. Prospective students are encouraged to visit the AA, and visits can be arranged during weekdays in term time by contacting the Under-graduate Admissions Coordinator Saira Haq on +44 (0)20 7887 4094 or undergraduateadmissions@aaschool.ac.uk

Entry RequirementsThe minimum academic require-ments for students entering the First Year of the ARB/RIBA recognised course are two A level passes (grade C or above) plus 5 GCSEs (grade C or above) including maths, science and English. If one A level is an art/design subject, it must be accom-panied by at least one non-art/design subject. Overseas applicants are required to have the recognised equivalent to the above examina-tions, such as the International Baccalaureate, Abitur, etc, plus the required English Language qualification (such as IELTS, for example). Please see the AA web-site for further details. Applicants

without conventional entry qualifications are also consid-ered, provided they are able to offer acceptable alternatives.

Portfolios for Initial SubmissionAll applicants are expected to submit a bound sample portfolio of art/design work (no larger than A3, and between 10 and 30 pages). Applications and portfolios will be assessed by an admissions panel and applicants will be informed if they are invited to an interview at the AA at which a full portfolio can be presented. In your application please include a selection of highlights that will show the admissions panel an overview of your work and the processes behind it, including sketches or development drawings/models in addition to final images. Sample portfolios will only be returned if requested and a £50 postage fee is paid in advance, or if the portfolio is picked up in person from the AA on a date prearranged with the Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator.

Portfolios for AA InterviewsThe AA is looking for students with a creative imagination and plenty of motivation. Sketches, models, photographs, paintings, sketchbooks and essays all help to build up a picture of your particular interests and skills. It is important to read the AA Prospectus, which will give you an idea of the wide range of work carried out in the school.

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There is no single way of prepar-ing a portfolio. Many applicants will have artwork from school, but the AA is interested in any kind of project that is self-moti-vated and it is best not to bring a portfolio based solely on school artwork. Portfolios should include some recent work; models or sculptures can be photographed and live performances recorded in a variety of ways. It is important that any drawings should be from life, or drawn on site. The interview panel likes to see original images wherever possible, but understands if reproductions have to be shown due to size or weight constraints. It is better to bring more work rather than less so that you have a range of examples to demonstrate your skills. However, please take into ac-count how much you can carry, and the finite amount of time available for the interview, which means you will not be able to show every piece of work. Every portfolio we see will be different. The purpose of the interview is to try and assess each student’s potential and ability to benefit from the course. We will let you know within a very short time whether we are able to offer you a place. Portfolios brought to an inter-view can be taken away directly after the interview.

Interview ProcedureThe interview is a two-way process. The panel is interested to see what skills and interests the applicant has, so it is impor-tant to spend time preparing a portfolio. The applicant, in turn, has the opportunity to ask ques-tions about the school and have a look at its working spaces and facilities.

FeesFees for 2012/13 academic yearFirst Year: £17,814**Fees are subject to review annually

Fees are payable in advance or on an annual or termly basis. A three per cent discount is deducted if a full year’s fees are paid by 21 July 2013. Upon return of a completed signed admission form and specified deposit to reserve a place at the AA an official confirmation of accept-ance can be issued. This confir-mation, together with other documentation, can be used by overseas students to apply for a visa to study in the UK. Please refer to the UK Border Agency website for further information: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk

ScholarshipsThe AA offers a limited number of scholarships to students entering First, Second and Fourth Year who demonstrate exception-al promise and financial need. Most scholarships are equivalent to two terms’ fees each year for a period of three or two years respectively. Continuation

of all scholarships is subject to continued progress in the school during the defined scholarship period. To apply for a scholar-ship, applicants must complete the main application form no later than 18 January 2013 stating their interest in an AA scholarship in the ‘Scholarships and Awards’ section. Students whose work is considered to be of scholarship standard will be asked, after an entry inter-view, to complete a scholarship application form, provide finan-cial information and submit a portfolio for the scholarship committee.

Grants/Student LoansThe following information applies to undergraduate students on the five-year ARB/RIBA undergradu-ate course only and is subject to current government legislation.

Tuition Fee LoanNew AA students from the UK and EU are eligible for a tuition fee loan (non-income assessed). For further information please go to the student finance section of the website www.direct.gov.uk , bearing in mind that the AA is a private institution and so not all this information applies. New students who have been offered a place should apply to the Student Loan Company (SLC).

Student LoansAt present, student loans to cover living expenses are available to home students, or to those who have lived in the UK for three

years prior to embarking on higher education. The Student Loan Company (SLC) website is www.slc.co.uk EU students are not eligible for student loans for living expenses unless they have been resident in the UK for three years prior to embarking on higher education. The above is all subject to current UK legislation.

AA School FacilitiesFacilities available to AA regis-tered students include: digital prototyping lab, computer studio, workshops, audiovisual depart-ment, photo library, library, drawing materials shop, bar and restaurant. Hooke Park, a 350-acre woodland site in Dorset, is used by AA students to explore techniques ranging from model-making to object fabrication and prototyping. Further information on all these facilities can be found on the AA website.

AccommodationMost AA students live in shared flats or houses. It is particularly helpful for overseas students coming to London for the first time to live with other English-speaking students who are familiar with the city. The AA does not have halls of residence, but it does offer an accommoda-tion service for three weeks before the beginning of the academic year to provide infor-mation to help students find housing. It can take up to four weeks to find something satisfactory.

Introduction WeekThe academic year starts on 16 September and finishes in June. It is divided into three terms, with a break at Christmas and Easter between terms. New students are invited to an Intro-duction Week ahead of week one, when events are arranged to welcome and introduce them to the school and London.

ProspectusThe AA Prospectus contains more information about the school and its programmes. A copy of the current Prospectus, together with an application form, is available online or on request from:

Saira HaqUndergraduate Admissions CoordinatorAdmissions OfficeArchitectural Association School of Architecture36 Bedford SquareLondon WC1B 3ESUK

T +44 (0)20 7887 4094 / 4051

undergraduateadmissions@aaschool.ac.uk

Architectural Association, 36 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3EST +44 (0)20 7887 4000 F +44 (0)20 7414 0782. Produced by AA Print Studio. Printed in England by Aquatint BSC

Bloomsbury Festival, Projects Review and studio life photos by Sue Barr and Valerie Bennett

Architectural Association (Inc), Registered charity No 311083. Company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No 171402.Registered office as above. AA Members wishing to request a large-print version of specific printed items can do so by contacting AA Reception +44 (0)20 7887 4000 / reception@aaschool.ac.ukor by accessing the AA website at www.aaschool.ac.uk

Useful Links

Architectural Associationwww.aaschool.ac.uk

AA Logwww.aalog.net

Prospectuswww.aaschool.ac.uk/prospectus

Projects Reviewhttp://pr2012.aaschool.ac.uk

Weekly Events Listwww.aaschool.ac.uk/events

Visiting Schoolwww.aaschool.ac.uk/visitingschool

Micrositeswww.aaschool.ac.uk/microsites

AA Bookshopwww.aabookshop.net

Lecture videoswww.aaschool.ac.uk/videoarchive

Twitterwww.twitter.com/AA_EventsList

Start your architectural future in a continuously shifting, collaborative studio in the centre of the world’s most international school of architecture

To apply visitwww.aaschool.ac.uk

Start your architectural future in an intensive, collaborative studio in the centre of the world’s most international school of architecture