AIA UK Student Workshop Builds Core Drawing and Representation Skills

AIA UK hosted its first Student Workshop on 18 October 2025 as an online event. The session strengthened manual drawing and digital representation skills for Part 1 architecture students. Many attendees also planned to join the upcoming Student Charrette, so the workshop offered early preparation and skill building.

Jamar Rock, Assoc AIA, Graphics Chair of AIA UK, opened the session with a focused talk on digital representation. He outlined his work in architectural graphics and showed examples that highlighted clarity, hierarchy and precision. He then offered guidance on portfolio layout. He stressed consistent structure, clear labelling and strong narrative flow. Students asked questions about page composition and the use of diagrams to explain design decisions.

Lulu Yang, Assoc AIA, JEDI Chair of AIA UK, followed with a session on manual sketching. She introduced her approach to observational drawing and explained how quick studies help you understand proportion, shade and character. She completed a short live demo using a still image. Students observed the process step by step and produced their own sketches during the exercise.

The workshop created an environment where students could test ideas, ask questions and receive direct feedback from practitioners. The combination of digital and manual methods gave participants a balanced set of tools for design communication. Many students said the session increased their confidence before the Charrette.

AIA UK plans to continue these workshops to support early career designers and strengthen communication skills across the student community.

Written by Paolo Mendoza, Assoc AIA

AIA UK STUDENT CHARRETTE 2015

On Saturday November 7th, 2015, AIA UK held its 21st annual Student Charrette – a juried, one-day design competition for UK students of architecture.

Kent School of Architecture students with mentor Francis Hur AIA

Taking place at the Zaha Hadid designed Roca London Galley, the Charrette gave students the opportunity to design collaboratively whilst being mentored by an experienced practising AIA UK architect.  The one-day event is intended to encourage students to work as a team and to represent their school or university. The competition, which is also open to individual students, took place in conjunction with the Roca London Gallery exhibition, Childhood Re-Collections: Memory in Design, featuring exhibits from Daniel Libeskind, Kengo Kuma, Zaha Hadid and others.

University of East London students with mentor Pierre Baillargeon AIA

“The AIA Student Charrette is an opportunity for architecture students from across the UK to work together in a fun, creative and competitive environment,” comments Robert Rhodes AIA, organiser of the Charrette, past 

 AIA UK President and current Zone 1 Director of the AIA International Region. “The Charrette is a cad-free event.  Students are required to produce only drawn, modelled or collaged presentations.  Students must rely on essential drawing and modelling skills to communicate their ideas and produce something substantial in a very limited time.  The event enables the tradition of the “charrette” as a friendly, productive competition to continue and gives participants something real to take away at the end of it.” 

University of East London students presenting to the jury

The annual competition is open to all second and third year students enrolled in any UK school of architecture. More than 50 students participated from universities from London, Liverpool, Sheffield and  around the UK. The theme this year was dubbed, “Interrupted Connections” and was focused on civic art, public space, way-finding and identity.  Groups were given the exercise of making sense of the neighborhood surrounding the Roca London Gallery, called the Chelsea Design Quarter.

The jury (R to L) Patrick Lynch, Nicholas Gilliland, Karin Templin

The wining team, mentored by AIA UK Director Bea Sennewald AIA, hailed from The University of the Creative Arts in Canterbury, Kent – with one student joining from University of Kingston (London). The competition was juried by an esteemed panel, chaired by architect and educator Patrick Lynch PhD RIBA (Lynch Architects, London).  Other jurors were Karin Templin, Design Fellow at University of Cambridge Faculty of Architecture and AIA CE member, Nicholas Gilliland AIA of Tolila + Gilliland Atelier d’Architecture (Paris).   

Winning Team University of the Creative Arts + Kingston presenting to jury

This year’s competition was made possible thanks to long-time AIA UK and AIA CE sponsor Laufen, and the generosity of the Roca London Gallery. 

Winners – University of the Creative Arts students, at the pub after the Charrette

Authors: Frederick Grier and Robert Rhodes