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March in Architecture & Urbanism (DRL) in Architectural Association

The Architectural Association
The AA School of Architecture
10/19
BAM Ranking 2023
London, England
United Kingdom
Architecture & DesignUrban Studies & City Planning
Overview

The Design Research Laboratory (DRL) is a 16-month, post-professional design research programme that leads to a Master of Architecture and Urbanism (MArch) degree. Our world-renowned lab has been at the forefront of design experimentation for the past 20 years, pioneering advanced methods in design, computation and manufacturing, and is based on an evolving framework of three-year research cycles that interrogate architecture and urbanism from the city-scale to the nano-scale. Led by innovators in the fields of architecture, design and engineering, DRL pursues an interdisciplinary approach to design that extends beyond architecture, fostering collaboration with companies such as Ferrari, Festo, AKTII, Reider and Odico Robotics. The lab remains a space of cooperation and curiosity, and seeks to develop the next generation of architects who will actively engage with and influence the field. Distinguished graduates have gone on to found offices, lead advanced research groups and teach at schools worldwide.

 

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

 

Four terms of study are divided into two phases. Phase I, a three-term academic year beginning each autumn, introduces design techniques and topics through a combination of team-based studio work, workshops and seminar courses. In Phase II, which begins the following autumn, teams develop their Phase I work into a comprehensive design thesis project. At the end of January, these projects are presented to a panel of distinguished visiting critics. In the past, these have included Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, Jeff Kipnis, Wolf Prix, Ali Rahim, Marta Male-Alemany, Alisa Andrasek, Michael Hansmeyer, John Frazer, Ben Van Berkel, David Ruy, Hernan Diaz Alonso, Tom Wiscombe, Caroline Bos, Mark Cousins, David Greene and Marcelo Spina, among many others.

 

PHASE I: DESIGN RESEARCH AGENDA: CONSTRUCTING AGENCY (V2)

 

Our current agenda, Constructing Agency, explores the broader relationships of architecture by considering the futures of living, work and culture. The aim of the research is to widen the field of possibilities by exploiting behaviour as a conceptual tool to synthesise the digital and material worlds. Advanced computational development is utilised in the pursuit of architectural systems that are adaptive, generative and behavioural. Using the latest developments in advanced printing, making and computing tools, the lab is fostering work that challenges contemporary design orthodoxies. Architectures that are mobile, transformative, kinetic and robotic are all part of the AA DRL agenda, which aims to expand the discipline itself and push the limits of design within the larger cultural and technological realm.

 

PHASE II: DESIGN RESEARCH AGENDA: CONSTRUCTING AGENCY

 

FUTURE CULTURE

 

Theodore Spyropoulos’s studio explores how behaviour-based design methods can be used to reconsider cultural projects for today through the development of self-aware and self-structuring practices that see architecture as an infrastructure to address latency and change.

 

 

FUTURE WORK

 

Agent-based Parametric Semiology, Patrik Schumacher’s studio, contributes to the ‘semiological project’, which promises to upgrade architecture’s communicative capacity in the working environments, thus enhancing the social functionality of the designed and built environment through designed architectural code that manifests itself via crowd-modelling of the agent’s behavioural rules.

 

FUTURE LIVING

 

Shajay Bhooshan’s studio, House.Occupant.Science.Tech.data (HOSTd), explores robotic fabrication while enabling mass-customisation strategies that can compete with contemporary co-living models in highly productive cities. The promise of mass-customisation, integrated into new models of housing, now allows for the generation of a vibrant community fabric.

 

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Admission Requirements

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

 

You are required to meet the minimum academic and reference requirements outlined below for your desired programme. Overseas applicants must also meet the English language qualifications requirements outlined below.

 

Successful applicants who are awaiting the outcome of future examination results will be issued a conditional offer. These conditions must be met by the date outlined on the offer letter in order to be eligible to enter the School.

 

Applicants who will not complete their degree until after June 2020 are encouraged to contact the Postgraduate Admissions Team prior to applying for the 2020/21 academic year.

 

Minimum Academic Requirements

 

MArch in Architecture & Urbanism (Design Research Laboratory) (16 months): Five-year professional architectural degree (BArch/Diploma equivalent)

 

English Language Requirements (All Applicants)

 

All applicants must be able to provide evidence of competency in both spoken and written English. The AA reserves the right to make a place in the School conditional on gaining a further English language qualification if deemed necessary.

 

More info at: https://www.aaschool.ac.uk/APPLY/ADMISSIONS/postgradApp.php

 

 

Application Procedure

 

The AA is a private institution. Anyone interested in applying to the AA must:

 

a.- Complete the online application form; https://applications.aaschool.ac.uk/postgraduate/login.php

 

b.- Pay the relevant application fee: £50 for early applications, £75 for late applications; and

 

c.- Submit a digital portfolio of design work (all applicants with the exception of History and Critical Thinking and PhD in Research)

 

The application procedure is the same for all applicants, regardless of where you are applying form.

 

Prior to completing the form applicants should carefully read the entry requirements for their chosen programme. The AA will not accept multiple applications and applicants cannot change their programme of study once the application has been received, assessed and a decision has been made. Therefore, it is crucial that you apply for the programme most suited to your experience.

 

Applications will not be processed until the online form has been completed, all required supporting documents have been provided. Failure to provide the information requested will delay the processing of your application. It is therefore advisable that you start preparing this documentation now.

 

If there is any change in your circumstances after you submit your application (i.e. you will not be completing your current year of study), you must inform us as soon as possible. The AA reserves the right to withdraw an offer of a place if you fail to inform us of significant changes in your circumstances.

 

Deadlines for 2020/21 Academic Year

 

– Optional early-offer applications for 2020/21 close: Friday 22 November 2019*.

 

– Early (Winter) application deadlines for 2020/21 close: Friday 24 January 2020* (last deadline for bursary applications)

 

– Late (Spring) application deadlines for 2020/21 close: Friday 6 March 2020.

 

Both your online application, and your portfolio, must arrive by the dates listed above.

 

Applications received after the dates above may be accepted at the discretion of the School.

 

* In order to be eligible to apply for a bursary, applicants must submit their application and portfolio (if applicable) no later than 24 January 2020, stating their interest in an AA bursary in the ‘Finances and Funding’ section. Applicants who require an English language examination must also have booked and passed one of the approved English language examinations listed on the AA website by 24 January 2020 in order to be eligible for a bursary. The bursary application procedure will be explained once applicants receive an official offer.

 

Online form

 

You will need to register to gain access to the online application form

 

Please ensure you complete all sections of the online form carefully. You can save the form and return to complete sections multiple times using your original registration password.

 

Please be aware that applications will not be processed until the online form has been completed, all required supporting documents have been provided. Failure to provide the information requested will delay the processing of your application.

 

Applicants who submit an incomplete application will be contacted by email to request the outstanding documentation. The AA will send applicants a maximum of 2 reminders to follow up documentation. If no response is received, the application with be automatically rejected by the AA.

 

Upon signing the application form applicants certify that the work submitted is entirely their own. Plagiarism is unacceptable in the academic setting. Students are subject to penalties including dismissal from the course if they commit an act of plagiarism.

 

Certificates and Transcripts

 

You must submit scanned copies of your academic records or transcripts which include a detailed list of subjects taken and marks attained.

 

If you have completed your degree, please upload both the degree certificate and your transcripts (covering all years of study). If you have not completed your degree, please upload all academic transcripts to date.

 

Applicants who will not complete their degree until after June 2020 are encouraged to contact the Postgraduate Admissions Team prior to applying for the 2020/21 academic year.

 

Overseas applicants must provide documents in English. The AA can only accept official translations bearing the stamp and signature of the translator. Please also include scanned copies of the un-translated certificates and transcripts.

 

References

 

Applicants must submit two references with the online application form: one related to work experience, the other academic. If the applicant has no work experience two academic references are required. References must be on headed paper and signed. No application will be considered before two references have been received.

 

Referees who would prefer to send the reference to us directly can do so by post to:

 

Postgraduate Admissions, No. 36 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3ES.

 

Referees can also email us directly to postgraduateadmissions@aaschool.ac.uk However, the reference must be on official headed paper, be signed and scanned as a PDF, and emailed directly from the referees official school or university email address. Emails received from personal email addresses will not be accepted.

 

Submit Your Portfolio

 

With the exception of History and Critical Thinking and PhD Research, all applicants must submit a digital portfolio of design work, showing a combination of both academic and professional work. The Portfolio should contain 20 – 30 pages (drawings/project synopsis/samples of work) combined into a single PDF format (Max file size 40MB).

 

The portfolio should be clearly labelled including your full name and programme of application.

 

ASSESSMENT

 

All applications will only be acknowledged by email. Decisions on applications are normally given within six to eight weeks of receiving the application. Applicants who need to meet funding deadlines should submit their application as early as possible. Please indicate the funding deadline in your application and the AA will make every effort to ensure that you are notified of the decision as soon as possible.

 

(read more)
General information
Length
16 months full time
Language
English
Director
Theodore Spyropoulos
Fee
40.300 €
Email
postgraduateadmissions@aaschool.ac.uk
Telephone
+44 (0)20 7887 4011
Address
36 Bedford Square, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 3ES
Website
Campus Location
The information of this Master's Degree was extracted from the Official Website of the program.
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