Architectural Association School of Architecture

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Architectural Association School of Architecture

Motto	Design with Beauty, Build in Truth
Established	1847
Director	Brett Steele
Location	London, United Kingdom
Homepage	http://www.aaschool.ac.uk

Architectural Association School of Architecture.

AA DRL Pavilion.

Plaque beside entrance.

The Architectural Association School of Architecture (more usually known as the AA or AA School of Architecture) is one of the leading architectural schools in the UK. Its wide-ranging programme of exhibitions, lectures, symposia and publications have given it a central position in global discussions and developments within contemporary architectural culture.

It is the oldest independent school of architecture in the United Kingdom and was founded by two dissatisfied young architects (Robert Kerr, 24, and Charles Grey, 24) in 1847 to provide a self-directed, independent education at a time when the profession of architecture had yet to appear in the form we recognise today. Many notable architects have since passed through its doors, and its students were addressed by many eminent figures, including John Ruskin and George Gilbert Scott.

The School was formally established in 1890. In 1901, it moved premises to the former Royal Architectural Museum. In 1920, it moved again, to its current premises in Bedford Square, central London (it has since acquired additional London premises in John Street and a site at Hooke Park in Dorset).

After 150 years, the AA is one of the world's most international schools of architecture, attracting students and staff from more than 60 countries worldwide, and a long list of visiting critics, lecturers and other participants from around the world each year.

Courses are divided into two main areas - undergraduate programmes, leading to the AA Diploma, and postgraduate programmes, which include specialised courses in landscape urbanism (LU), housing and urbanism, sustainable environmental design, histories and theories, emergent technologies, design research lab (DRL), as well as day-release course in building conservation, garden conservation, and environmental access. Since its foundation, the School has continued to draw its teaching staff from progressive international practices, and they are reappointed annually, allowing a continual renewal of the exploration of architecture.

Canopy over the courtyard.

The school is notable as existing outside the state-funded university system (as does the University of Buckingham), with tuition fees comparable to that of a private school, though some bursaries are available on merit. Since non-EU students are charged higher fees to attend state universities, however, the AA is competitively priced by comparison, therefore it is noted as having a higher proportion of overseas students enrolled than do many other UK architecture schools.

It also exists outside the UCAS application system; even at undergraduate/first degree level direct application is the norm. It is therefore not included in many books which guide potential undergraduates to choose appropriate courses, indeed many are unaware of its existence until they are studying architecture elsewhere. This may also account for the lower count of home-students enroled.