London’s Architectural Association School of Architecture Names New Director

Dr. Ingrid Schroder's appointment follows two years without leadership

Photo © Sue Barr

Dr. Ingrid Schroder Photo © Sue Barr

The Architectural Association (AA) School of Architecture in London today announced Dr. Ingrid Schroder as its new Director. Schroder is a British-American architect and academic and Head of Design Teaching and Director of the MPhil in Architecture and Urban Design (MAUD) at the University of Cambridge Department of Architecture, where she has taught for over twenty years. She is the co-author of African Modernism (2014), which documents the architecture of the independence movements in Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Zambia, and Kenya.

In March, the AA, one of the world’s most prestigious schools of architecture, had announced a shortlist of five candidates to serve as the school’s next director, after being without a leader for almost two years. Former director Eva Franch i Gilabert was fired in 2020 when her strategic plan suffered a staff and student vote of no confidence.

Schroder’s selection follows a vote by students, faculty, and Council members in line with the school’s constitution. Schroder will take up the role of Director of the AA in August 2022, in time for the next academic year.

Josephine Minutillo is editor in chief of Architectural Record. Trained as an architect, she began writing for RECORD in 2001 while practicing architecture, and has held several positions at the magazine over the past two decades. Her articles have appeared in many international publications. She has been an invited critic at Washington University in St. Louis, The Cooper Union, Columbia GSAPP, Pratt Institute, The City College of New York, and Yale University.
Instagram: @josephineminutillo_