In an utter basic perspective the relation
Hunter’s response was fast and convinced:
general. ‘The problem is that some of the
between an education and its professional
‘I completely agree. I think universities are
abstract thinking in current architectural
field is simple. People are prepared such
places to discover and generate knowledge
educations is too abstract, It doesn’t touch
that they can properly function within a
and the content of this should not just be
upon the richness of the way the world is
foreseen territory of practice. Especially for
down to the urges in the market. But I also
changing anymore. People get to focused on
architecture, however, the interpretation of
think that it is important to comprehend
a narrow idea of what architecture is . . .’
this purpose is peculiar. Not only do the
the difference between what architecture
professional and the educational field in
schools and universities try to do and I don’t
So where does Hunter position The London
architecture impact each other’s trajectory,
think that universities are the only place for
School of Architecture in relation to the
they are also subjected to changes outside
architectural education.’
academic and the professional world? ‘One
of the disciplinary enclave. This hardly
of the things we’ve tried to do is to make
predictable tangle of changes affects the
a new territory for interaction between
ideal for properly educated architecture graduates, and this has not gone unnoticed. As its name quietly unveils, the LSA is a response to the current compelling interaction
between
profession.
The
education
London
School
and of
Architecture. Not university, but school. A rather remarkable choice, as the LSA has been validated as a professional diploma by what they call their ‘Academic Partner’,
Some of the abstract thinking in current architectural educations is too abstract. It doesn’t touch upon the richness of the way the world is changing anymore.
practice and study, so I think that we are part of both. We are partner of the London Metropolitan University but we are also much more related with industry, practice and even other things in the wider world.’ The average week of a first year’s LSA student is quite a literal implementation of this targeted position of mediation. Three days a week students work on commissioned
1
projects at one of the collaborators in the
the London Metropolitan University. To
LSA’s professional network. The remaining
clear things up, we proposed the following
There are many claims that today architecture
two weekdays they work on their LSA
statement for the school’s founder to react
fails to be just another academic discipline.3
projects. A part of these projects are aimed
to: ‘Universities are institutions for higher
Architectural education is not merely a
as ‘between’ the practices; their contents are
education where research is not fully dictated
succession of knowledge production. There
decided upon by practice placements but
by the urge to solve urgent pragmatic
is the important component of creativity,
explored within the academic environment
problems, where research is not narrowed
which results in types of research that
of the school. The second and last year of
down to a number of isolated disciplines and
differ considerably from other disciplines
the programme, students go in to a full-time
where institutional autonomy prevails when
in the academic environment. This is where
studio, the content of which they determine
it concerns intellectual activities, regardless
Hunter indicates the different objectives
completely by themselves.
of time and place.’2
of architecture schools and universities in
31