Architecture and other spatial practices have changed direction to become a reflective and analytical arena for social and cultural thought. This recent paradigm shift (which is also reflected in recent transformations of Domus magazine) has focused architectural attention on the urban and geopolitical scale.

The new centre recently inaugurated at London University’s Goldsmiths College has already attracted substantial attention by recruiting some of the most inspiring young architects and researchers (many of them familiar to our readers) as well as organising several international events, such as the recent conference “Archipelago of Extra-Territoriality.”

The centre aims to provide an alternative to traditional postgraduate courses in architecture by inaugurating a unique studio-based combination of professional design experience and critical architectural research at MA and MPhil/PhD levels. The centre develops the innovative idea of practice driven theory, where theoretical architectural research is stimulated by professional knowledge. Educational development and production are made possible through considerable active field research and direct interaction with prominent figures in various sectors. For this reason the programme’s organisers have decided to operate independently of the British system of architectural qualifications – RIBA.

According to its organisers, the programme seeks to reinforce the image of the architect as a public intellectual. The programme brings together architects and other professionals whose work involves space, who aspire to further their architectural research and practice by incorporating aspects of other fields into their work: art, philosophy, communications, film, literature, the Internet, political theory, cultural studies. The programme of the centre progresses with interaction between eminent guest lecturers and an international group of students.

About half of the centre’s students are architects, with the other half being made up of filmmakers, artists, activists and writers, all sharing an interest in themes of implemental spatial design policies. The PhD candidates, who run much of the teaching at MA level, include the architects Shumon Basar, John Palmesino, Manuel Herz, Srdjan Jovanovic-Weiss, Joseph Grima (who is an editor at Domus magazine), Markus Miessen, the filmmakers Eyal Sivan and Florian Schneider, the artist Ursula Biemann, the curators Sarah Herda (Storefront NYC), Francesca Ferguson (Basel Architectural Institute), Pip Day and Anselm Franke (KW Berlin).

The research centre is directed by Eyal Weizman, an Israeli architect and writer-curator who was previously a professor of architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. The guest lecturers include some of the most innovative contemporary theorists and architects, such as: Teddy Cruz, Keller Easterling, Stefano Boeri, Michael Sorkin, Scott Lash, Thomas Keenan, Stephen Graham, Amos Gitai, Avery Gordon and Laura Kurgan among others. Their wide range reflects the variety of interests being promoted by the centre, from political sciences to human rights and literature.

The MA programme is open to graduates from different disciplines who wish to pursue studio-based spatial research in the context of theoretical work. The MPhil/PhD programme is aimed at architects and similar professionals who would like to develop long-term research projects within the professional environment.

https://www.goldsmiths.ac.uk