Scale

Founded in 1847, as a student-centred collective at a nearby pub, the AA opened as a day school in 1901 and moved to Bedford Square in 1917. Originally occupying two buildings in the square, the school now inhabits numbers 32-39, as well as 4 and 16 Morwell Street in the centre of London. In addition to this, the AA also resides at Hooke Park, a 350-acre woodland campus in Dorset, UK and a host of urban, suburban and rural locations globally with more than 50 visiting schools worldwide. As a result of these varied locations, the school now impacts architectural education both locally and globally and thus finds itself at an important moment in its trajectory. With this in mind, what is the ideal size, scale and context that the AA requires to operate? How important is site and location in relation to the agendas of the school and to the community that resides in domestic spaces and rural forests?  

The Directions series provides the School Community with a forum to discuss issues such as our ideal size and context with Eva Franch, the School Director. This year, these lunchtime conversations will gather opinions and information for the development of the 2020-25 Strategic Plan. Presentations on key developments in the vision and mission of the school will open a space for discussion and debate that supports the participatory democracy that forms the foundation of the AA. These events are open to all members of the School Community.