| Level | Series |
| Ref No | AA/02/02 |
| Extent | 4 boxes, 38 portfolios |
| Title | AA Student Related Records, 1847- |
| Date | 1847-2017 |
| Description | Comprises of material produced by the Architectural Association School of Architecture, 1847-2017. Includes student work and records relating to student societies and clubs, the annual AA Carnival, student pantomimes and AA Tutors.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CATALOGUING OF AA SCHOOL RECORDS IS AN ONGOING PROCESS AND ONLY A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE ARCHIVES' HOLDINGS ARE CURRENTLY DESCRIBED ON THE CATALOGUE. FOR FURTHER DETAILS OF HOLDINGS PLEASE CONTACT THE ARCHIVIST. |
| Accruals | new accruals expected |
| Arrangement | Records are arranged in 6 sub-series dedicated to student work, student societies, the AA Carnival, student pantomimes, student publications and AA Tutors. |
| Access_Conditions | Unrestricted access for AA students and members. Non-members are required to purchase a minimum two-week research membership. Please contact the Archives for further information: archives@aaschool.ac.uk |
| Use_Restrictions | Photography for personal study is permitted across the majority of the collections, however please confirm with the Archives staff before taking photographs. No flash photography or filming is permitted. Preservation restrictions still apply and photographs taken in the Archives are still subject to copyright, privacy and data protection legislation. The photographs must only be used for personal reference purposes, not for commercial purposes. |
| Access_Status | Open |
| Admin_History | The Architectural Association was, since its foundation in 1857, a membership association which had the additional benefit of evening classes. The AA Class of Design appears to have been the first such class to be established but was supplemented by the Voluntary Examination Class (1862), later named the Class of Construction & Practice (1867), an Elementary Class of Design (1869) and a Class for Instruction in Surveying and Levelling (1869). To these core classes, were added a Class for the Study of Colour Decoration (1872) and a Class for the Study of Architectural Science (1874). With the RIBA's compulsory examination system being introduced in 1882, the AA increased the number of classes held and underwent a structural re-organisation which laid the groundwork for a systematic, methodical course of study and the eventual founding of a day school in 1901. Additionally, the AA also operated a School of Handicraft and Design (1895 - 1909). In 1906 the RIBA granted exception from its Intermediate Examination to all students who successfully passed two years in the Day School and two years in the Evening School. Subsequently, 1920 saw the closure of the Evening School and the extension of the AA Day School course from 3 to 5 years, with an exemption from part 1 of the RIBA's final examination. From 1919 until c1925 and AA Atelier was also operated, catering for students who had all had considerable experience but wanted to further their design skills. In 1935 the AA established a School of Planning and Research for National Development, under E.R. Rowse, this post-graduate evening school lasted until 1938. Major changes to the AA course structure occured in 1971/72, under Chairman Alvin Boyarsky, when the current unit system was introduced and a Graduate School was started, which by 1977/8 was offering six courses consisting of Housing Studies, Energy Studies, Social Institutions and Theory, History Studies, Conservation Studies and Graduate Design. Also serving post-graduate students during this period was the AA's Planning Department (1964-1984) . In the 1990s the Graduate School expanded with the addition of the Design Research Laboratory (DRL) in 1997, followed in 1999 by the Landscape Urbanism programme, and the Emergent Technologies and Design (EmTech) programme, in 2001. |