Architectural Association School of Architecture

ISOLATED BUT CONNECTED II

‘The human mind discovered a means of perpetuating itself which was not only more lasting and resistant than architecture but also simpler and easier. Architecture was dethroned. The lead characters of Gutenberg succeeded the stone characters of Orpheus. The book was to kill the building.’
– Victor Hugo, translated by John Sturrock, Notre-Dame de Paris, 1831

Use your finger to press Like or double-tap. Now swipe, then use your finger again to stop the scrolling. The image now in front of you is the form of your project, and the third word in the caption + architecture, will become the title of your project.

On what terms do we favour a design process over the other, when often the end results are so similar? The contemporary city grows as if it follows an algorithm, and the common endeavour of this course is to modify these patterns. This course continues to explore the seemingly contradictory relationship between the universal and singular qualities of a context.

Doing so at the beginning of the twenty-first century is a difficult task. Indeed, theoretical confusion, rapid technological shifts and political turmoil are matched only by the ecological crisis or the economical instability of our times. This global context cannot simply be accepted as a backdrop but must, on the contrary, be understood as the landscape we navigate in search of new opportunities for change.

While seeking out these moments we will drive and direct our attention to the mundane. Drawing on Hugo’s analysis of the medieval downfall of architecture’s symbolic power due to the printing press we will focus our methodology on space rather than image. The expected projects are de ned by several successive outcomes: a small-scaled or handheld object showing detail and direct physical manipulation, a spatial sequence establishing a set of geometrical tools and lastly a building with an explicit relation to order, form and context.

Extended Brief

Unit Staff

Taneli Mansikkamäki is a Finnish architect based in London, founder of AGO and has taught at the AA since 2011. His practice focuses on the multiplicity of urban life and the fundamentals of space. Since relocating to London he has worked with several architectural offices, including the erstwhile Future Systems. Max Turnheim has founded UHO in 2013 after running the studio École alongside Nicolas Simon in 2007. He currently teaches at the AA and at the École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Paris-Malaquais. His theoretical contribution to the eld of architecture can be read in publications San Rocco and Real Review.

Intermediate School

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  TOOLS FOR ARCHITECTURE – THE AGE OF HEDONISM

  Intermediate 1
  Lara Lesmes and Fredrik Hellberg,
  Extended Brief (pdf)

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  THE DISEASE AND THE REMEDY

  Intermediate 2
  Ana Araujo
  Extended Brief (pdf)

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  THE NEW FOREST AND ITS DIGITAL CREATURES

  Intermediate 3
  Nannette Jackowski and Ricardo de Ostos (studio NaJa & deOstos)
  Extended Brief (pdf)

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  POSTVACANCY: VANISHING AND EMERGING, COMMUNITIES AND ARCHITECTURES

  Intermediate 4
  Arantza Ozaeta Cortázar and Álvaro Martin Fidalgo
  Extended Brief (pdf)

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  ARCHITECTURE 'IN THE EXPANDED FIELD': 0° 0" 00" ≤ ≥ ∞

  Intermediate 5
  Ryan Dillon, David Greene
  Extended Brief (pdf)

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  KISS (Y)OUR PRIMITIVE FUTURE: A CITY WITH NO HOUSES, A HOUSE WITH NO ROOMS, A ROOM WITH NO WALLS

  Intermediate 6
  Brendon Carlin, James Kwang-Ho Chung
  Extended Brief (pdf)

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  A HARD DAY'S NIGHT

  Intermediate 7
  Amica Dall, Anthony Meacock and Giles Smith
  Extended Brief (pdf)

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  POLITICS OF A STRIP BLOCK: COMMUNITIES BEYOND TWO HAVANAS

  Intermediate 8
  Francisco González de Canales and Nuria Álvarez Lombardero
  Extended Brief (pdf)

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  DEEP-FRIED PIG'S HEAD WITH PICKLED GOOSEBERRY: OPPOSING PLACELESSNESS

  Intermediate 9
  Christopher Pierce, Christopher Matthews, Amandine Kastler
  Extended Brief (pdf)

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  POST

  Intermediate 10
  Valentin Bontjes van Beek, Winston Hampel
  Extended Brief (pdf)

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  SECOND NATURE – ARCHITECTURAL GRAFTING

  Intermediate 11
  Silvana Taher , Matilde Cassani
  Extended Brief (pdf)

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  CRUDE HINTS TOWARDS AN ARCHITECTURAL ACADEMY OF THE FUTURE

  Intermediate 13
  Lily Jencks, Jessica Reynolds, Alex Butterworth. Unit Collaborators: Pablo Bronstein , Sean Lally
  Extended Brief (pdf)

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  CITY OF BEDS

  Intermediate 14
  Aristide Antonas, Georgios Eftaxiopoulos
  Extended Brief (pdf)

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  THE SCHOOL OF ATHENS

  Intermediate 15
  Xristina Argyros, Ryan Neiheiser
  Extended Brief (pdf)