Unique, dynamic, independent and international, the Architectural Association School of Architecture was originally set up in 1847 as a public forum and learned society, in/famously founded by 'a pack of troublesome students'​. The AA is much more than the UK's oldest school of architecture; the school is the nexus of a global conglomeration of contemporary architectural culture, as well as its pasts. The AA's incarnations include:a professional association;a vibrant membership organisation comprising more than 4500 members;a registered charity;AA Publications, publisher of books and journals;AA Bookshop, one of London's leading architectural booksellers; anda high-profile public events programme, including a wealth of exhibitions, lectures, symposia, seminars, conversations, research clusters and visits.All this takes place at the AA's newly consolidated campus home on its historic site in Bedford Square in Bloomsbury, central London and its site in Dorset for the development of rural architectures and sustainable technologies.