SAMANTHA HARDINGHAM IS APPOINTED LSA ACADEMIC DIRECTOR

Samantha Hardingham, a former director of the Architectural Association, joins the LSA’s senior team.

Following an internal search, the school is pleased to announce that Samantha Hardingham has been appointed to Academic Director, a new senior position starting in May this year to provide strategic leadership, management and co-ordination of the LSA’s academic activities.

The Academic Director is the first significant appointment to join incoming CEO Neal Shasore’s senior team, to support the school’s planned growth.

Samantha has over 25 years of experience in higher education teaching, research, management and leadership. Her most long-standing connection is with the Architectural Association, where she studied and later taught – for a decade across all areas of the school with Archigram’s David Greene – and culminated as Interim Director in 2017.

She gained senior management experience as a member of a small team charged with securing the AA’s successful application to the UK Privy Council for Taught Degree Awarding Powers (TDAP), a project that began formally in 2015 and saw the most significant organisational change in the AA’s recent history.

Samantha is an independent architectural writer, curator, designer, lecturer and scholar in the field of experimental architectural practice. She has published and exhibited internationally on both research and practice; and is the author of the definitive monograph on Cedric Price, on whom she is the world’s foremost expert.

Founder Will Hunter, who completes a decade of establishing and leading this school at the end of June, says:

‘When both Neal and Samantha joined the LSA team (in 2019 and 2020 respectively), I nurtured hopes that they would take root in the school and I am delighted this has come to pass.

‘I have grown to know them both well through their involvement in the teaching programme, and have the highest respect for their individual contributions, experience and capabilities.

‘As I contemplate my final academic term leading the school, I am extremely happy to be passing the torch on to my esteemed colleagues, and have every confidence the school will flourish in the next stage of its journey under this new leadership.’

Both Samantha and Neal start their roles part-time this May and will be fully in their roles from June and July respectively.