ABSTRACT
Architectural education in the UK has been gripped by the pattern set by the Oxford Conference in 1958. When Stephen joined the Architectural Association in 1961 the revolution that it brought was in full swing. In 2017 the school reached a significant milestone – it had more students than ever before and only 50 per cent of them were taking accredited programmes. Non-accredited programmes have been running for many decades and this tipping point has become accelerated with their proliferation, including new collaborative programmes with UCL Engineering, which in turn are seeking accreditation. Chartered architectural practice is increasingly isolated in its associated undergraduate and postgraduate degree structure. Engineering, for example, is now largely based on a four-year integrated master’s degree. The academic component of the placement year is a design research exercise that is aimed at linking the research needs and interests of the placement practice with the research capability of UCL.
