AA Launches Digital Archive of Tropical Architecture Department
The Department of Tropical Architecture Archive has been unveiled by the Architectural Association (AA) in London, providing a digital resource that showcases the initiatives and contributions of its academic branch. After more than two and a half years of dedicated research, this archive includes works from 540 alumni, featuring previously unavailable drawings and photographs. Established by Dr. Otto Koenigsberger from 1957 to 1971, the department focused on climate-responsive design. Key projects highlighted include the Maas Family Summer House (1927) and the Central College for Women in Nagpur (1940). Noteworthy alumni comprise Kenneth Frampton, Maath Al Alousi, Ashok Behari Lall, and Valentine Gunasekara. AA director Ingrid Schroder has noted the archive's importance as a public resource, which is now accessible online.
Key facts
- The AA has launched the Department of Tropical Architecture Archive, a digital platform.
- The archive documents projects, pedagogies, and legacies of the AA's historical Department of Tropical Architecture.
- The research took over two and a half years and covers 540 AA alumni.
- The department was founded by Dr Otto Koenigsberger, director from 1957-71.
- Koenigsberger's work includes his student work under Bruno Taut and his role as federal director of housing in India (1948-51).
- Notable alumni include Kenneth Frampton, Maath Al Alousi, Ashok Behari Lall, and Valentine Gunasekara.
- The archive includes drawings, photographs, and other media previously inaccessible.
- The archive is live but remains a work in progress, with plans for further documentation.
Entities
Artists
- Otto Koenigsberger
- Bruno Taut
- Kenneth Frampton
- Maath Al Alousi
- Ashok Behari Lall
- Valentine Gunasekara
- Ram Karmi
- Velayu Kandavel
- A.N.S. Kulasinghe
- Patrick Wakely
- Francis Akobia Amanfi
- John Nutsugah
- Francis Segbedzi
- Walter Akude
- Marwa el Mubark
Institutions
- Architectural Association (AA)
- Department of Tropical Architecture
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
- Colombo Planetarium
- Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD)
- Abu Dhabi Municipality
- Aga Khan
- Central College for Women, Nagpur
- TIFR
- Jahangirnagar University
- Kingston School of Art
- Saqqra
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Be'er Sheva
- Israel
- Colombo
- Sri Lanka
- Gurgaon
- India
- Baghdad
- Iraq
- Nagpur
- Mysore
- Dar es Salaam
- Tanzania
- Mithapur