The morning session runs from 9.30-1pm and the afternoon session runs 2-5.30pm. You can sign up for either or both of the sessions here.

You will engage – in a physical way – with the tectonics and poetics of stone as well as soil, sand and plants – all those coming from the earth. As part of the deconstruction process, your participation will directly contribute to the material recycling and reuse of the drystone house foundation on Bedford Square, as part of the Ripple Ripple Rippling exhibition.

Dry stone builders typically learn dry stone construction by deconstructing historic walls in order to learn how master craftspeople built the original walls. Dry stone walling is known for its re-use after demolition, acting as a circular method of construction.

This workshop has a morning and afternoon session. Each session will start with a conversation on architects’ physical engagement with proximal environments. Laura and Timothée will give an overview of dry stone construction to provide architects, builders, and curious visitors an understanding of how irregular stones have the capacity to create spatial conditions using weight and friction without the use of mortar. AA Material Arcade will introduce their work and how they enable the circulation of salvaged components at the scale of the School. This will be followed by deconstruction activities.

The workshop is free to attend. No prior experience working with stone is required. The structure has a living garden with potted herbal plants. You are welcome to take one home to continue the nurturing.

Health and safety tips:

• Wear a rain-protective outdoor working outfit in case of poor weather

• Wear sturdy footwear with good grip

• Bring a pair of protective gloves if you have

• Bring a bottle of water to keep yourself hydrated

LAURA STARGALA, founder of studio Of Here and co-founder of architectural practice Ryala

Laura is a licensed architect and a certified dry stone builder. Through research, design, and physical engagement with construction she investigates the interconnectivity of the living and the inert. With a minimal rearrangement of materials found on site, Laura envisions an architecture that keeps the calibrated balance of an existing terrain. She works on dry stone construction across the UK and is completing works using local stone in the US and France. Laura graduated with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Architecture from Cornell University and has worked for Herzog & de Meuron, Junya Ishigami, and Pezo Von Ellrichshausen.

TIMOTHÉE RYAN, founder of Lyse and co-founder of architectural practice Ryala

Working at the intersection between biology and architecture, Timothée Ryan specialises in edificial ecologies. He has led agri-centric projects in Haiti, Honduras, and most recently in France, where he has been working closely with masons to redesign historic granite structures for an ecological centre. Timothée is also the founder of Lyse, a laboratorial-studio that develops carbon-based materials for remediatory architectures. Using microbial inoculation and organic chemistry, these structures work to sequester atmospheric pollution, filter contaminated waters, and bolster soil fertility. He holds a B.Arch from Cornell University and an M.Arch in Bio-Integrated Design from the Bartlett, UCL.

The AA MATERIAL ARCADE is a student-led initiative that promotes and facilitates the exchange of materials, objects and tools within the AA School by enabling the circulation of salvaged components. This initiative is available to all current students, staff and alumni. They utilise an internal credit system to monitor the carbon savings from circulating materials. Founded in 2021 by Diploma 18 students to formalise reuse ambitions of students at the AA, the Material Arcade seeks to reduce the consumption of new resources by the school community.

Gathering particles and stones,

accumulating dust -

on our body, our soils.

The rain washes off our skin, the leaves and the surface of the rocks.

Lunging into the living,

we seek shelter and nourishment.

Drinking from the springs,

moving stones for shelter.

Herbs growing from the earth,

creating fertile soil as time passes.

Sedimenting into layers of decomposed plant matter, silt & clay.

As the dust settles,

water runs down the stream,

past the roots,

and into our hands.

-- Material Relations, by Laura Stargala

Image: Construction of the drystone house foundation on Bedford Square, October 2024. Photo by Chen Zhan

Please get in touch to let us know of any access requirements that you might have and how we can best accommodate these by emailing publicprogramme@aaschool.ac.uk