Architectural Design

1st ProofTitle: BA: Architectural Design

Job No: PD0710-67/3184

Chapter 1 final_.qxd:layouts to chapter one 7/23/10 8:51 PM Page 20

Case study

The design studio

Architectural Association: student pavilions

The Architectural Association holds an annual Projects

Review exhibition at the end of the academic year. This

provides an opportunity for the school to display their

students’ work and connect to the wider profession.

This case study documents some of the recent pavilions

designed, built and exhibited by the Architectural

Association at the Projects Review.

The projects

Between 2006 and 2009, second- and third-year students

in Intermediate Unit 2 built a series of pavilions in the square

outside the Architectural Association. The projects were

developed over the course of the academic year. Students

were encouraged to contribute an idea every time the

group met to progress the design. The most successful

proposals were shortlisted for more detailed development,

with students working in small groups to explore the viability

of each option. Eventually one design was chosen to be

progressed towards construction. Testing and construction

of the project involved the whole unit and tutors collaborating

in a manner similar to an architectural office, with consultant

engineers, material specialists and technicians giving

expert advice.

The brief for the pavilions keeps the programmatic

requirements relatively simple. Function is not prescribed

beyond the pavilion’s role as a focal point and space

enclosure. Shelter and seating provision are not

prerequisites. This looseness allows the designer to focus

on their own preoccupations and conceptual direction.

They also explored the possibilities of emerging digital

design and manufacturing techniques, and the potential

of innovative timber construction. Live student projects are

excellent ways to push the boundaries of what is considered

possible because educational environments can sometimes

offer the time and freedom to experiment and explore

solutions that may be dismissed as inefficient or risky

in a professional environment.

1st ProofTitle: BA: Architectural Design

Job No: PD0710-67/3184

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