Eva Franch i Gilabert takes up her role as the first female director of the crisis-hit Architectural Association in London next month. In this interview, she explains her vision for the influential school and her views on the problems facing architecture.
The Catalan was elected as director of the Architectural Association (AA) in March this year, and joins the school following a period of turmoil that has seen protests from famous alumni including Rem Koolhaas, Toyo Ito and Richard Rogers over a round of redundancies aimed at cutting costs.
Currently director of Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York, she pitched for the job with a commitment to respect the school's non-conforming traditions, while making it more relevant to the contemporary world. "The AA has played a seminal role within architecture culture," she told Dezeen. "I consider it seminal that one of the most radical and influential architecture institutions in the world continues to inspire and to transform the way we teach, communicate and produce ideas and architecture."
Franch i Gilabert says architectural education needs to change
In her vision statement for the school, Franch i Gilabert is forthright about how the world has changed, while architecture and architectural education has not.
"The sense of historical responsibility and radical playfulness within educational and cultural institutions has languished," she wrote.
"Architects and architecture instituti...