The Academy of Architecture in a nutshell

The Academy of Architecture is an internationally-oriented educational and research institute where students are trained for the national and international field of architecture, urbanism, and landscape architecture. The artistic and personal development of the student is the key focus within the intensive education, which is characterised by a high level of expertise, where a culture of innovation, collaboration and experimentation challenges students to look beyond borders and break new ground.

Students study and work simultaneously to become spatial designers and thinkers, with strong roots in practice, as well as critical thinking focused on the future of the respective professions. Architecture, urbanism, and landscape architecture courses are offered concurrently and in an interdisciplinary manner in order to prepare students for integrated and future-focused professional practice, thus paving the way for a transformation of the design professions.

The world around us is constantly changing and at a rapid pace. The new generation of designers faces major, cross-border and wide-ranging questions. The challenges – related to climate change, resource scarcity, energy transition, social inequality and declining biodiversity – are urgent, complex, and also all spatial issues for which answers must be sought now in order to maintain perspective on a sustainable and inclusive future.

Climate Emergency

The academy is a design and research institute that generates solutions and perspectives for the future. It is up to the current and next generation of architects, urban designers, and landscape architects to create spatial conditions for a sustainable and inclusive future. These conditions must reflect on both the climate emergency and the urgency to become nature positive while at the same time achieving a more inclusive and just society. 

We see a shared responsibility; as designers to put urgent spatial tasks on the public agenda, using the study projects, visions and ideas developed at the Academy. In addition to the educational program, the Academy of Architecture is organizing public debates with designers across various disciplines, and with people from other disciplines including politicians, opinion makers, scientists, policy makers and others. During the forthcoming academic years, the Academy will continue to publish the results of the debates and projects, the ideas, and the possibilities for the future in various ways.

For designers, by designers

During your studies, you will spend half your time studying and the other half in the professional field. This concurrent model gives you the opportunity to build a peer network and gain experience in professional practice during your studies. After completing one of the Master's programmes, you will immediately be included in the Dutch Architects Registry, giving an excellent headstart to your career.

Those who graduate from the Academy often remain involved in the degree programme. The student becomes an employer and, on the basis of that position, a lecturer or mentor for a new generation of students. Our 300+ guest tutors are invited based on their expertise in particular subjects. In this way, students are prepared for the current, integrated professional practice that is required in today's world of design.

International and interdisciplinary

The three different Masters within the Academy of Architecture are closely linked. We are a small-scale and personal Academy focused on providing you with space and attention for your development. Interdisciplinary collaborations and regular meetings between students from the three directions are important pillars within the school. This cross-pollination ensures that our students are trained to be both designers and critical thinkers with a broad view of the world and the field.

Working in an international context is becoming increasingly important. The Academy therefore maintains an active international  network, with which it exchanges students and teachers on a small scale, and is a member of the European Association of Architectural Education (EAAE). The Academy's curriculum includes a good number of international and intercultural elements (guest lectures, design studios, Summer Schools, excursions). By participating in our international programmes and Summer Schools, students can acquire international skills. Landscape Architecture offers an annual joint programme through EMiLA (European Master in Landscape Architecture), which also includes Summer School workshops. Projects, study visits, workshops abroad are:

The Amsterdam Academy of Architecture offers students from all over the world a Dutch study programme (in English) with a worldly perspective. We are convinced that Dutch design has much to offer the international professional community. Any programme that prepares students for a sustainable career should offer them opportunities to gain first-hand experience with and within a diversity of cultures and circumstances. This will help students develop their own vocabulary and position themselves within the field. Our aim is not only to make students internationally competent, but also internationally fluent in their future practice in architecture, urbanism or landscape architecture.

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