A new AA show at the famed London architecture school has opened exploring the relationship between architecture and makers. On display on the ground and first-floor gallery spaces of the Architectural Association (AA) on Bedford Square, 'Distillation of Architecture' brings craft to the spotlight through the lens of the Japanese creative. It aims at a playful distilling of architectural thinking and design into furniture and objects.
Four pairings have made an equal number of collaborative groups between architecture practices and material and craft specialists in an exploration of a distinct, traditional method or matter. Participants include Schemata Architects with Ikuya Sagara; Studio MNM with Kittaka Brothers & Corp, Bansyo, iskw_sss and Imatoku Kogei; Suzuko Yamada with Yuki Murakami; and Tsubame Architects with Hidakuma Studio.
Tour the new AA show ' Distillation of Architecture'
Each group has been asked to 'rethink a piece of furniture', resulting in weird and wonderful interpretations of things such as a mobile pub to lanterns, rugs and even an entire thatched canopy. There are timber constructions made of wood offcuts and blue-dyed fabric used in flexible furniture items.
Shin Egashira, Head of the Koshirakura Landscape Workshop Visiting School and Diploma 11 Unit Tutor at the AA who has been central to the school’s Maeda collaboration, says: ‘The architects and makers in this exhibition challenge the conventions of mass-produced and mass-consumed furniture in their designs. They combine architectural elements with furniture, playfully echoing the diverse forms that contemporary lifestyles can take. These practitioners pursue mobility, connectivity and compactness in their work, sharing an affinity with makers who apply traditional techniques to modern materials to achieve an economy of means.’
The exhibition, which is open at the Architectural Association AA) on Bedford Square, London until 7 March 2025, was made possible with the support of the Maeda Corporation and celebrates its 30 years of collaboration with the AA.
-
In Norway, remoteness becomes the new luxuryAcross islands and fjords, a new wave of design-led hideaways is elevating remoteness into a refined, elemental form of luxury
-
The rising style stars of 2026: Oscar Ouyang is taking knitwear into new realmsAs part of the January 2026 Next Generation issue of Wallpaper*, we meet fashion’s next generation. Born in Beijing, Central Saint Martins graduate Oscar Ouyang is inspired by anime, medieval folklore and his friends’ wardrobes
-
Zbeul Studio's 'future relics' merge traditional craft with unexpected materialsWallpaper* Future Icons: Paris-based studio Zbeul merges archaeology, craft, and design, taking the design process to innovative places
-
This curved brick home by Flawk blends quiet sophistication and playful detailsDistilling developer Flawk’s belief that architecture can be joyful, precise and human, Runda brings a curving, sculptural form to a quiet corner of north London
-
Arbour House is a north London home that lies low but punches highArbour House by Andrei Saltykov is a low-lying Crouch End home with a striking roof structure that sets it apart
-
In addition to brutalist buildings, Alison Smithson designed some of the most creative Christmas cards we've seenThe architect’s collection of season’s greetings is on show at the Roca London Gallery, just in time for the holidays
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthFrom wineries-turned-music studios to fire-resistant holiday homes, these are the properties that have most impressed the Wallpaper* editors this month
-
A refreshed 1950s apartment in East London allows for moments of discoveryWith this 1950s apartment redesign, London-based architects Studio Naama wanted to create a residence which reflects the fun and individual nature of the clients
-
David Kohn’s first book, ‘Stages’, is unpredictable, experimental and informativeThe first book on David Kohn Architects focuses on the work of the award-winning London-based practice; ‘Stages’ is an innovative monograph in 12 parts
-
100 George Street is the new kid on the block in fashionable MaryleboneLondon's newest luxury apartment building brings together a sensitive exterior and thoughtful, 21st-century interiors
-
Carlo Ratti reflects on his bold Venice Architecture Biennale as it closes this weekendThe Venice Architecture Biennale opens with excitement and fanfare every two years; as the 2025 edition draws to a close, we take stock with its curator Carlo Ratti and ask him, what next?
