The RIBA Revalidation Visit has concluded, and the RIBA Visiting Board (subject to ratification by the RIBA Education Committee) have unconditionally revalidated the Architectural Association, School of Architecture for the next five years. The AA is the first school of architecture to undergo a Virtual Revalidation process by the RIBA. The AA developed a new and seamless virtual facility for the Visiting Board that integrated the formal documentation of its academic governance, the work of our students in the form of digital portfolios and an online exhibition of student projects. This innovative communication platform was accessible across five days, and concluded with two days of interviews and discussions involving over 50 students and academic staff.

The RIBA Visiting Board report ‘commends the school’s continued pursuit of ensuring a democratic structure and culture, which enables students to identify their own position within the context of architecture and the built environment’ and further ‘commends the efforts and dedication of the Senior Management Team (SMT) who oversaw the application for Taught Degree-Awarding Powers (TDAP), which the school received in 2019, as well as initiating remote learning systems in response to the pandemic. In particular, the board acknowledges the proactive response to support the mental wellbeing of students and staff during this difficult time’.

While the usual face-to-face interactions with the RIBA team were certainly missed, not to mention enjoying a much-loved and delicious AA lunch together, members of the SMT and academic staff noted that some aspects of the quinquennial revalidation process were enhanced by the revalidation taking place online. For example, discussions with students and tutors, who are now experienced with conducting meetings online, were particularly focused and forthright.

Michael Weinstock, the school’s Chair of the Academic Committee, who led the AA’s online preparations for the visit noted, ‘While the AA also achieved unconditional validation in 2015, attaining this result again is exceptionally pleasing, especially due to the challenges that Covid-19 presents, such as having to transition both teaching and the revalidation process to being fully online. The RIBA Visiting Board acknowledged the candour and transparency of our approach to revalidation and commended the students and staff for their wholehearted engagement. The Virtual Validation was a productive way of managing a potentially difficult situation, and the entire experience was positive for both the RIBA and the AA, with new and enhanced ideas and processes setting up an exciting future for the school’.

For the next five years, this positive result of the RIBA validation enables the AA to continue its aim of challenging the status quo of architectural education, and to provide a platform for its students to invent new forms of practice within a variety of different design disciplines.

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