AA DLAB 2024

In its 19th year, DLAB is a two-week program taking place at the AA London HQ’s unique atmosphere.

DLAB experiments with the integration of advanced computational design, analysis, and large-scale prototyping techniques. The program builds on its expertise in complex architectural design and fabrication processes, relying heavily on materiality and performance. DLAB brings together a range of experts—tutors and lecturers—from internationally acclaimed academic institutions and practices, Architectural Association, and Zaha Hadid Architects, amongst others.

The research generated at DLAB has been published in international media—ArchDaily, Archinect, Bustler—and peer-reviewed conference papers, including SimAUD (Simulation in Architecture and Urban Design), eCAADe (Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe). 

DLAB investigates the correlations between form, material, and structure through the rigorous implementation of computational methods for design, analysis, and fabrication, coupled with analog modes of physical experimentation and prototype making. Each program cycle devises custom-made architectural processes by creating novel associations between conventional and contemporary design and fabrication techniques. The research culminates in the design and fabrication of a one-to-one scale prototype realized by using robotic fabrication techniques, intending to integrate form-finding, material computation, and structural performance.

Applications and more information...