Black Square will play host for the TYPE studio lecture on December 7 at the Architectural Association; co-founder Sam Nelson is a long-time friend of ours, as he graduated from AADiploma 14 (honours) in 2012, with a thesis tutored by Square's author Pier Vittorio Aureli and founder Maria S. Giudici.
Sam founded TYPE with Tom Powell, Ognjen Ristic and Matt Cooper. At the AA they will present a candid snapshot of their work as a young office, reflecting on their experience of the multiple, changing and often contradictory aspects of architecture in practice.
Their lecture will be part of the "What's next" series organized by Manijeh Verghese. The series returns after the successful run of last year, during which it not only provided an opportunity to discuss the different ways in which young architects construct their own career, but was also a perfect occasion to talk about where architectural practice at large is going, and what architecture means in the contemporary condition.
It is often said that the jump between school and real world is even harder for those who have been good students. Especially in the field of architecture, negotiating the constraints of materiality, economy, and feasibility, can be very disheartening. Moreover, in school all projects are rhythmed by terms, while in reality things sometimes simmer for three, five, ten years - or need to get done in two weeks. And there's the whole 'l'enfer, c'est les autres' chapter: coworkers, clients, engineers, you name it - in school, you never have to compromise that much.
But the story of TYPE is an encouragement: Sam's student projects were beautiful and thought-provoking, and so is the work he produces with his partners today. They will tell us all about the challenges they had to face, and what lies ahead, at the AA on December 7: don't miss it.
http://www.aaschool.ac.uk/VIDEO/lecture.php?ID=3271