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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The Oshakan Project

Programmes

AA Visiting School

The Oshakan Project

The Oshakan Project Visiting School, 2024

Dates

Summer 2026

Brief

This summer will continue this multi-year programme aimed at introducing a series of public structures within the historic fabric of Oshakan, a rural village 26 km northwest of Yerevan, Armenia. Students will experiment with materials rooted in the historic context of the Aragatsotn region, working with craftspeople to explore both traditional and contemporary techniques of construction.

Last year, participants created an archive of sites of local heritage value, collecting histories and narratives in collaboration with the community. This year, the workshop will continue building relationships with residents, shaping a series of interventions that will be built over the coming years.

To inform their individual and collective material experiments, students will conduct a survey of available materials and resources, visit quarries, meet craftspeople and attend talks. They will work in the Soviet-era culture house in Oshakan and sleep in the guesthouse of the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory.

Oshakan’s dramatic scenery will provide the backdrop for experiments in heritage and sustainable construction; the village sits between an ancient Urartian fortress, a Soviet-era astrophysical laboratory, and the burial site of the 4th-century inventor of the Armenian alphabet, Mesrob Mashtots.

Armenia’s ancient and modern heritage is under threat. More than one million tourists visited Armenia in the first half of 2023, a 70% increase from 2022. The resulting construction boom often utilises quick and wasteful methods. Now is the time to propose new visions for the adaptive reuse of Armenia’s historic buildings and townscapes before they are lost to rampant development.

PROMINENT FEATURES OF THE WORKSHOP/ SKILLS DEVELOPED

Experience with hands-on construction with reclaimed materials
Knowledge of the principles of sustainable design and construction
Design concept development skills
Knowledge of local crafts and vernacular construction
Knowledge of critical approaches to sustainable development
Knowledge of key approaches to heritage in theory and practice
Experience with community engagement
Experience working individually and in teams
Exposure through an exhibition and/or public discussions
Experience collaborating with local Armenian participants
Knowledge from local experts in heritage and construction
Exposure to the architectural and natural heritage of the South Caucasus

Applications

Applications for this program will open soon.

Visas

All participants travelling from abroad are responsible for securing any visa required and are advised to contact their home embassy early. An official letter can be issued by the Visiitng School confirming enrolment onto the programme once an applicant has settled their full fees, this letter can be used when applying for an Armenian visa.

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

Aram Mooradian, Programme Head

Aram is the director of the London-based design practice, Mooradian Studio. Aram graduated from the Architectural Association with honours in 2011. He taught Intermediate Unit 14 at the Architectural Association between 2019 and 2023, and the graduate design studio in Architecture & Urban Design at the University of Cambridge between 2015 and 2022. He is currently the Director of Studies in Architecture at Downing College, Cambridge and is a trustee of the Armenian Institute in London. In 2022 Aram established Building Ways, a research and education initiative that promotes experimentation in heritage and the circular economy and runs workshops in the UK and Armenia.

www.mooradian.co.uk

Shant Charoian

Shant is an architectural designer living in Yerevan, Armenia. Originally from Aleppo, Syria, Shant studied at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He has run of design and surveying workshops at the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies in Yerevan and has co-taught a J-Term course at Harvard GSD, which resulted in several exhibitions and products. His current ongoing projects include a boutique hotel in Armenia and a pavilion in Germany.