Architectural Association (AA) Istanbul Visiting School 2017

The Architectural Association (AA) School of Architecture, being one of the world’s most renowned international and influential schools of architecture, gives great importance to growing and developing through its international activities with the established AA Visiting School Programme. The AA Visiting School is about learning, exploring, collaborating and experimenting with a diverse group of international partners – schools, cultural institutions, local teachers and practitioners – in order to reimagine the shape, form and expectations of architectural education.
 
I am writing to you to announce the upcoming AA Istanbul Visiting School 2017. AA Istanbul Visiting School, in collaboration with Istanbul Bilgi University, is a unique learning and making experience. The programme will be held in Istanbul Bilgi University campus during 28 June – 7 July 2017.
 
AA Istanbul Visiting School will investigate the inherent associations between form, material, and structure through the rigorous implementation of innovative design and fabrication techniques. Computational methods for design, analysis, and fabrication will be coupled with physical experimentation, fostering ‘learning-by-experimentation’ in an active collaborative studio environment. Throughout the design and fabrication processes, the associations between various computational platforms will establish correlations between form-finding, material computation, and structural performance. These discoveries will formulate new means of interpreting conventional fabrication processes towards their advancement within the domain of advanced computational and robotic methods. The key objective of AA Istanbul Visiting School will comprise the design and fabrication of a one-to-one scale prototype realized by the use of robotic fabrication techniques.
 
Prominent Features of the workshop/ skills developed
 
• Participants will be part of an active learning environment where the large tutor to student ratio (4:1) allows for personalized tutorials and debates.
• The toolset of AA Istanbul includes but is not limited to Rhinoceros, Processing, and Grasshopper, as well as analysis software.
• Participants will have access to digital fabrication tools such as 3-axis CNC router, laser-cutter, and 3d-printer.
• Design seminars and lecture series will support the key objectives of the programme, disseminating fundamental design techniques and relevant critical thinking methodologies.
• Robotic design and fabrication processes will formulate the physical prototyping phase of the programme.
 
The design agendas of AA Athens and AA Istanbul Visiting Schools will directly create feedback on one another, allowing participation in either one or both Programmes.
 
The deadline for applications is 14 June 2017. The AA Visiting School requires a fee of £600 per participant, which includes a £60 Visiting Membership fee. Discount options for groups or for those wishing to apply for both AA Istanbul and AA Athens Visiting Schools are available.
For more information and applications please visit http://www.aaschool.ac.uk/STUDY/VISITING/istanbul and http://ai.aaschool.ac.uk/istanbul/. Discount options are available on http://ai.aaschool.ac.uk/istanbul/apply/ .
 
Upon completion of the programme, participants receive the AA Visiting School Certificate and AA Visiting Membership.