Study Abroad Q&A: London AA

This week we’re featuring a Q&A with students who studied abroad during Spring 2018 at the London AA. Maria Diavlova (C ’18) and Erisa Nakamura (C ’18) give their thoughts about what it was like to attend the London Architectural Association’s Semester Programme and to live in London.

What were your reasons for doing study abroad? And why the London AA in particular?

Erisa

I had wanted to study abroad coming into Penn because I’ve always loved seeing how different cultures are reflected in their buildings and being exposed to different architecture would help me grow as a student. I also wanted to travel and I knew this would be a great opportunity to do so.

Maria

When I was applying to university after high school, I applied to both professional and liberal arts programs in architecture. I received my Penn acceptance just as I received an interview with the AA. I did some digging and found out Penn had an exchange with the AA. So, I withdrew my application to the AA and came to Penn instead, knowing I’ll get the best of both worlds.

I did an AA Visiting School in Norway the summer before going abroad, which convinced me that I wanted to be educated in their ‘system.’ They place a greater emphasis on observation of the current and the past as a springboard for discussion, theory and design. I appreciated this approach and the tools they used to represent it. I found that the program could add another dimension to my thinking as a designer.

How would you describe your adjustment to studio at the AA? Did you feel prepared enough?

Erisa

The first few weeks were definitely intimidating. I think I had the benefit of having three other people from Penn because I knew they were in the same position as I was. I got over the intimidation because I think our studios at Penn gave us a solid foundation and from there, you have to be willing to experiment. The advanced works of some of the other students became inspiring and opened my eyes to a different level of drawings and presentation.

Maria

I think that the Visiting School had given me a taste of what to expect, but it still took a couple of weeks to adjust to the expectations. Our program at Penn doesn’t place much emphasis on drawing as a tool to convey meaning; on drawing a narrative. However, we definitely had the technical (i.e. software) skills to succeed, which was a relief and I think does help reduce the anxiety associated with the new way of working.

And what do you think the biggest differences between Penn studio and the AA studio were?

Erisa

The biggest difference was the overall emphasis and lesson the instructor wanted the students to take away from the course. With Penn’s curriculum, you become familiar with what the instructors expect of you, but that wasn’t always clear with the tutors at the AA. They really emphasized the narrative of your project tying together which was a simple concept that took me a long time to understand…

Maria

The biggest and fundamental difference is the design methodology. You’ll see less ‘rigor’ – i.e. morphological analogues, geometrical patterns, geometry as ethos. You’ll see more context, observation, argument, typology, urbanity.

And logistically, it’s primarily based on desk-crits and few, interspersed pin-ups. Deliverables are not as clearly outlined as at Penn, because the process is very much driven by your own vision and initiative. The tutors are very kind and genuinely want you to succeed, but they will place more weight on your own initiative than on their demands.

Keep in mind that you’ll be surrounded by people, in studio, who are also abroad. They may not be working at their usual pace, which sometimes felt demotivating. When the overall studio has momentum, I find it much easier to have momentum myself.

What was it like working with students from other programs and what do you feel that you gained from seeing different varieties of work?

Erisa

It was cool and intimidating at the same time. I think it’s important to see the works of other schools and their students, which may be overwhelming when they’re much more advanced, but also you can learn so much from them.

Maria

I loved seeing how different schools approached design and representation!

How would you describe your study abroad work/life balance? Do you feel like you were able to enjoy living abroad with studio or do you feel like studio work made it hard for you to enjoy the experience of living in a different country?

Erisa

I really enjoyed the work/life balance abroad. I was relieved from all the extracurricular activities at Penn which opened up my schedule so much more than I thought. Studio can be a lot more demanding than the ones at Penn, but you have much more time to devote to them so overall it didn’t feel difficult.

Maria

You have so much time! – it’s up to you how you choose to spend it. It definitely took some adjustment after Penn’s hectic schedule, but it’s a good time.

Is there any other advice you would like to share with students thinking about studying abroad?

Erisa

It’s a hard transition from Penn, where you’re constantly surrounded by people you know, to a city where you hardly know anyone, so you have to learn to become adventurous on your own. I wish I had gone on more solo adventures through the city since London has so much to offer! (Hmu if you want any restaurant/activity recommendations :))

Maria

Try to make friends at the AA, even (and especially) if you go with other students from our program. The students at the AA are a tight-knit group as they spend all of their time together, but I think it’s worth giving a shot at getting to know them.

Explore London as much as possible! I spent a lot of time in central London while at the AA and it’s beautiful and eventful (and expensive!), but I spent the summer exploring Northeast London and I highly recommend. Hit me up if you need any recommendations!

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If you have any additional questions for the interviewees, please reach out to the ArchTank team at pennarchtank@gmail.com for the relevant contact information.