Archinect - News

Will Hunter to step down from London School of Architecture

2020-07-07T14:55:00-04:00

Will Hunter, a founder of the London School of Architecture (LSA), has announced a plan to step down as the chief executive of the institution.

The Architects Journal reports that Hunter aims to transition out of his current role at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year. Hunter founded the school to help provide an alternative track for attaining architectural education and work experience back in 2012.

Shortly after opening the school Archinect spoke with Will on our podcast about his goals of creating a "cost-neutral" model of architecture education, where students work part-time – for pay equal to the cost of tuition – while also attending courses.

In 2015, the school was formed as an official charity organization. In 2017, LSA received "Part 2" accreditation from the Architects Registration Board as well as validation from the RIBA, AJ reports. Now, the school is aiming to earn its "Part 1" accreditation, as well.

Published on Archinect in 2017, 2 years after founding the s...

Teaching to the City: Archinect Sessions One-to-One #6 with Will Hunter, founder of the brand new London School of Architecture

2015-12-14T16:16:00-05:00

Complaints about the state of architecture education are easy to come by, both in academia and practice. It's expensive, long, and arguably ineffective in preparing graduates for the realities of the field. So who's actually trying to fix it?

Will Hunter, former deputy editor of the Architectural Review, has one idea – start a whole new school altogether. Back in October, Hunter opened the brand new London School of Architecture, starting 30+ postgraduate architecture students on a 2-year course working with local firms on local projects. As the school's founder and director, Hunter wanted to form a "cost-neutral" model of architecture education, where students work part-time – for pay equal to the cost of tuition – while also attending courses. Give students a vested interest in their city and practice, narrow the gap between education and practice considerably, and make their training financially sustaining.

We spoke with Hunter in August, about the thought process behind the school...

New London School of Architecture to open in 2015

2013-10-01T21:13:00-04:00

Rather than get trapped in the false dichotomy between ‘academia’ and ‘practice’ − where one is where ‘thinking’ happens and the other is about ‘buildings’ − we thought instead about ‘design’ and ‘research’ as activities that both students and practitioners would engage in throughout their careers. The question was how can you make a bridge to unite these two groups around those twin pursuits?

Will Hunter, the Deputy Editor of The Architectural Review, developed the London School of Architecture out of the "Alternative Routes for Architecture" think-tank, active in 2012. While much of the school is still being designed, Hunter will serve as Director and is seeking program accreditation by the ARB.