AA: The Latest Architecture and News

Opening tomorrow at the AA, Critical Territories will share the work of Groundlab and Plasma Studio -two interdisciplinary firms pushing the envelope of the relationship between and the expression of landscape design and architecture. The installation will share the firms’ top projects, such as the Xian International Horticultural Expo which we having been covering extensively on AD, by way of a site-specific grid arrangement of light boxes covered with technical drawings. The organization of the installation will showcase the underlying themes of the practices, namely their systemic approach and preoccupation with grids, ground and context. The exhibit will be run through February 11.

Summer DLab experiments with digital design tools and rapid prototyping techniques as integrated systems of design development. Taking advantage of its unique location within the AA premises in the heart of the London, the workshop will create a vibrant atmosphere not only through its rigorous studio work, but also by its public lecture programme that will share the diverse expertise of professionals from London’s leading offices in the areas of digital design and fabrication techniques.

The AA Visiting School is a worldwide network organized by the Architectural Association School of Architecture in collaboration with each country they visit. They have conducted events and workshops all over the world, and we’ve covered their visits to Tehran, Muscat, and Mexico City.

In spring 2011, the AA will hold its first Istanbul Global School in collaboration with the Istanbul Technical University. This 10 day long intensive team-based workshop, taught by recent AA graduates/ AA staff, will explore tall structures through vertical growth algorithms by focusing on local crafts.

More information and contact information after the break:

The Architectural Association is organizing a visiting school in Mexico City titled, “Recovering Waterscapes”, which focuses on the challenges created by the changing city on this scarce resource. The event is scheduled to take place on the 5th-14th of January 2011 at Universidad Iberoamericana. More event description after the break.

In the past, we’ve told you about the AA Visiting School, a worldwide network organized by the Architectural Association School of Architecture in collaboration with each country they visit. They have conducted events and workshops all over the world including Beijing, Madrid, San Francisco, Santiago, Sao Paulo and Singapore among others.

Some months ago, they continued with their events in Tehran, Iran and Muscat, Oman. In recent years Iran has emerged as a cultural and economic hub within the Middle East; with its illustrious history in architecture it offers a fertile ground for research and investigation into a number of topics ranging from manufacturing to urbanism. Tehran, its capital city, has become a major laboratory for contemporary cultural production in terms of architecture and has recently undergone massive changes to its infrastructure and urban boundaries to cater for expansion.

Oman has been careful and cautions in its expansion and approach to development, with recent events in the region it is now set to profit with massive increase in tourism. With the existence of a void in architectural thinking and identity in Oman it will be incredibly interesting to see how its will approach issues relating to architecture and urbanism. You can see some photos of the workshop after the break.