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Semester Programme

Monday 9 January – Friday 11 May 2012

The Semester Programme is a full-time 15-week studio-based course open to undergraduate and graduate students from around the world. The programme is integrated with the AA’s undergraduate history and theory seminars and media and technical studies courses, and is designed to allow transferable study credits and the A A School awards a Certificate of Completion.

Bilbao will be the ground of experimentation for this year’s core design studio. A new arterial road is set to replace the A8 highway, leaving the vast infrastructure obsolete. An opportunity to incorporate this concrete barrier into the city and to question the future vision of the site will be the focus of our work.

The profile of Bilbao has been transformed over the past 25 years thanks to urban regeneration along the River Nervion, which centred on the Guggenheim. The A8 highway has the potential to be the backbone of a new transformation.

As cities grow at an increasingly rapid pace, strategies for urban transformation need to consider not just the potential for expansion but also the recycling of the existing urban fabric. The High Line in New York City reinvented the use of elevated rail-tracks, creating new architecture that became the main driver for the activation of the Meat Packing District.

Exploring ways to connect the city’s characterful areas with the recycled infrastructure we will develop new architectural typologies – hybrid volumes integrating mixed-use activities with sustainable and contemporary solutions. Our challenge will be to reinvent Bilbao’s A8 highway as a multilayered sky garden that roots itself in the city fabric through a unique hybrid architecture. To achieve this, we will use a design process based on constant experimentation through drawing, advance drawing techniques, model-making and conceptualisation via imagery and text. Students will formulate their individual vision to be exhibited in Bilbao. The completed research and explorations will inspire the new cycle of ideas for Bilbao’s next reincarnation.

Applications

Application and payment deadline 9 December 2011.

Fees

The tuition fee is £8,360 which includes AA Visiting Membership. The deposit is £3,000 made payable after acceptance onto the programme. The application fee is £40.

Entrance Requirements
The AA Semester Programme is open to qualified students of undergraduate and graduate standing currently enrolled in architecture school. A minimum of two years of study in architecture or urban design is required. Students should submit a portfolio consisting of 20 sheets (A4) that demonstrates their range of abilities. After submitting the application form, please send original academic transcripts in English, certificates and a letter of reference. All candidates are required to show proficiency in the English language.

English Language
Qualifications accepted: IELTS 6.5 (academic) www.ielts.org, Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English, Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English grade C or above, Standard Level grade 5 or Higher Level grade 4 IB English. Please note we do not accept TOEFL. We can accept successful completion of a qualification equivalent to a UK Bachelor degree or above, taught in English in the UK, Australia, New Zealand or the USA (not Canada). We can accept if you are a national of a majority English speaking country, for example Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the US. We can also accept if you successfully completed a course of study in the UK when you were under 18 (and a Tier 4 Child visa holder). This course has to be over 6 months in length, and have taken place no more than 2 years ago. A recognised English Language qualification is required prior to entry to the School.