RCA appoints two heads to School of Architecture

The Royal College of Art has appointed two new heads of programme for its newly formed School of Architecture. Charles Walker and Ab Rogers will take up their posts in the summer term in the architecture and interior design departments respectively. They will join Professor Alex de Rijke who took up the post of Dean of the School of Architecture at the London postgraduate college in January.

A former cabinet-maker, Rogers earned his MA in design from the RCA. He has lectured widely and held various teaching roles, including in the RCA Design Products department. In 1997 he cofounded Kitchen Rogers Design with Shona Kitchen where projects included the Comme des Garçons store in Paris, the Al-Ostoura luxury department store in Kuwait City and the Michel Guillon flagship store in London. In 2004, he founded Ab Rogers Design where he has been designing hotels, restaurants, retail environments, domestic interiors, museum exhibitions, websites and brands.

Walker is an architect, structural engineer and industry leader on the effects of digital technology on modern architectural design and construction. Having studied architecture at the University of Waterloo in Canada he then received an MSc in structural engineering from Imperial College London. Walker has been teaching at the Architectural Association’s School of Architecture since 2003 where his students design and build the annual AA summer pavilion. He has worked with many of the worlds leading architects including Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, Oscar Niemeyer and Renzo Piano.

Professor de Rijke said: “Both are internationally recognised practitioners as well as skilled teachers. Charles combines wide ranging experience in architecture with an equally strong background in structural engineering and Ab’s impressive track record in embracing new materials and technologies will be especially valuable in framing and launching our new Interior Design programme.”

The RCA is currently in the midst of completing its new campus development with the aim of widening the masters’ programme to advance new developments in design and art, ensuring 21st century relevance. The new MA in Interior Design will receive its first intake of students in September 2012.