This book is the first to document the history of the International Institute of Design (IID) Summer Sessions (1970–72). An experimental school of architecture founded and directed by Alvin Boyarsky (1928–1990), the IID launched a global educational platform that convened architects, educators, historians, planners, and students from across the world to explore and debate emerging design strategies, teaching methods, research and theoretical positions. The book brings together a selection of texts and presentations by participants, in addition to correspondence, photographs, and a trove of ephemera from the personal archive of Boyarsky—a figure best-known for his chairmanship at the Architectural Association (1971–90). Illuminating an overlooked yet formative episode in the career of this seminal architectural educator, this book also opens up new perspectives on the history of the globalization of architectural education, as well as the intersection of post-’68 pedagogical reform and postmodern discourses.

Alvin Boyarsky (1928–1990) was a pioneering architectural educator. Born in Montreal, Boyarsky trained as an architect at McGill University and studied regional planning at Cornell. He taught at the University of Illinois in Chicago from 1965 to 1970, where he was associate dean and professor. From 1970 to 1972, he directed the International Institute of Design Summer Sessions. Boyarsky was chairman of the Architectural Association from 1971 to 1990—a period of groundbreaking leadership during which he overhauled design pedagogy, launched expansive publishing and exhibition initiatives, and transformed the AA into an internationally renowned hub of avant-garde architectural activity.

Irene Sunwoo is an architectural historian, curator, and educator. She was associate curator of the 2015 Chicago Architecture Biennial. Her scholarship has appeared in Grey Room, Journal of Architectural Education, AA Files, Getty Research Journal, andDomus, among other publications. She has taught architectural history and theory at Parsons School of Design, Bard College, and Oberlin College. Sunwoo’s research has been supported by fellowships, grants, and awards from the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Princeton University, and the Graham Foundation. She received a PhD from Princeton, an MA from the Architectural Association, an MA from the Bard Graduate Center, and a BA from New York University. Currently, she is preparing a book on the history of the Architectural Association.

Established in 1847, the Architectural Association is the oldest independent school of architecture in the UK. Its wide-ranging program of exhibitions, lectures, symposia, and publications have given it a central position in global discussions and developments within contemporary architectural culture. The school has a broad commitment to bringing issues of contemporary architecture, cities and the environment to a large public audience, and remains focused on the highest standards possible for the education of young architects. The Architectural Association publishes titles that explore developments in architecture, engineering, landscape and urbanism, as well as the fields that touch on them—philosophy, history, art, and photography. Founded as a means of examining influential contemporary projects and opening up ideas to debate, AA Publications has a long tradition of publishing architects, artists, and theorists early in their careers.