The AA

Visiting School

One – three weeks

The Visiting School encompasses diverse learning programmes, workshops and site-based agendas shaped by participants working intensively in small groups over varying periods of time from one to two weeks. Central to each programme is the idea that experimental, new and provocative forms of architecture are best learned by doing. These programmes take place all over the world, including Bedford Square in London and Hooke Park in Dorset. The Visiting School welcomes applicants in any moment of their studies and careers, from within and outside of the architectural realm. The AA Summer School Programme, also part of the Visiting School, is equally open and takes place for three weeks during the summer period.

DTA Students’ education and architectural practices post AA

Incubators

Join one of our Visiting School short courses happening around the world.

Location

Course Title

Dates

Programme Heads

Full Moon Theatre

28 February 2026 - 4 March 2026

Limbo Architecture Lab

7 March 2026 - 15 March 2026

Unreal Worlds

23 March to 4 April 2026

Reimagining the Space.Body

Summer 2026

AA Summer School Latin America

Summer 2026

Latent Space Avenida Paulista

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Emerging Ecologies Lab

Programmes

AA Visiting School

Emerging Ecologies Lab

Arnau-Bach

Dates

Summer 2026

Brief

EMERGING ECOLOGIES (EE) is an innovative research and design laboratory exploring post-colonial spatial challenges for future resilient and inclusive territorial synergies.

The EE Lab embarks on a rigorous exploration of Marseille’s spatial dynamics of a selected issue, such as displacement, urban inequality, and the climate crisis, examined at the human scale of the impacted communities The lab’s methodology emphasizes hands-on investigation, aiming to foster creative dialogue and inspire innovative designs that contribute to urban mitigation, spatial resilience, and sustainable development.

EMERGING ECOLOGIES pursues a dual objective: crafting a spatial intervention that serves as a community incubator for future emancipation while simultaneously developing urban visions to enhance local policy agenda.

PROMINENT FEATURES OF THE WORKSHOP/ SKILLS DEVELOPED

- on-ground analysis

- urban drifts

- three dimensional mapping

- community engagement

- theoretical and sensitive spatial understanding

- on site implementation

- cross-cultural visions

Fees

• £60 — mandatory, non-refundable deposit (paid on application) that covers the AA Digital Membership for a year and is deducted from the total programme fee.

• £650 — Standard Programme Fee (including a 1-year AA Digital Membership)

• £590 — AA Member Fee

• £472 —AA Full-time Student Fee

• £562 — Fee for Full-time students of Melbourne University

Fees do not include flights or accommodation, but accommodation options can be advised. Students need to bring their own laptops, digital equipment and model making tools.

Applications

• Click "Apply" button on this webpage.

• Create an account or log in, then complete the online application form. Pay the £60 deposit to proceed.

• Log in to your Application Portal to finalize full fee payment and monitor your application status (step-by-step guide on using the Application Portal)

Deposit payment holds your place on the course but does not confirm it. A CV, Portfolio or Cover Letter are not required for standard applications. Full-time AA Students and Melbourne University Students must register with their university email to automatically apply the reduced fee. If you cannot apply online, contact the Visiting School Office.

Eligibility

The programme is open to current architecture, urbanism, design and engineering students, PhD candidates and young professionals.

Visas

All participants travelling from abroad are responsible for securing any visa required and are advised to contact their home embassy early. After full payment of course fees, the AA Visiting School can provide a letter confirming participation in the workshop.

Insurance

All participants are responsible for securing their own travel and health insurance. Please ensure that your travel insurance also covers your personal belongings i.e. laptop, equipment, tools, passport etc. The AA takes no responsibility for lost/ stolen property.

Biographies

Programme Heads:

Soraya Ghezelbash

Soraya Ghezelbash, artist . architect . researcher, drifts between spatial manipulations, artisanal experiments and conceptual thoughts in search of a universal relational aesthetic close to the divine. Inspired by mystical thought and wandering on Mediterranean and Levantine territories, her work attempts to reveal both the depth and preciousness of the banal as well as the symbolic power of the elements. Believing that craftsmanship is a way to support and feel identities, her creations emancipate the intelligence of the heart as a timeless way to develop knowledge and build spatial resonance.

Iulia Cistelecan

Iulia Cistelecan is an architectural designer, researcher and educator advocating for spatial justice. Her work focuses on real-time issues such as global displacement, urban inequality, socio-spatial disparities, informal and transitional settlements. She is interested in promoting an ethical approach to practice based on creative and inclusive design solutions and multidisciplinary collaborations which foster knowledge exchange centered around humanitarian and environmental cohesion.