Today was the Final Review and our last day of Events. We presented our schemes to three tutors, and to a lecture hall of our peers. It was an interesting experience, and we also got an opportunity to see the work of other groups.

On Day 5 we had a visit from Jim Chapman, a professional architect who works predominantly in Manchester and the North West. He critiqued our designs and gave feedback for us to work from over the weekend.

On Day 4 we had a visit from Polly Benthem, who is currently campaigning for ‘Save the Cornerhouse’. She explained what they are trying to achieve and her reasons for setting up the campaign. We then presented our ideas to her, after which she gave us feedback and ideas.

On Day 3 we spent the day in a design workshop, refining and developing our ideas. This culminated in a brainstorm, before putting all of our ideas on paper.

On Day 2 we conducted a site visit to both Oxford Road Station and to the new Home Complex, to better understand the brief. We both thought that the new building has yet to develop any character, and is isolated from the cultural and cosmopolitan heart of Manchester. This inspired us to develop our ideas for the original site. Whilst on site we took photographs, sketched the areas of interest to us and diagrammed the flow of people through the site.

On Day 1 we were introduced to the project, and given an idea on how to tackle the tasks we were set. We started by doing some research into precedents and coming up with ideas. In our pair we decided early on to focus on the façade of the Cornerhouse, preserving it whilst doing something completely new with the interior of the building. We found a suitable precedent in the Museum of the Arts of Asturias by Franco Mangado, which has a similar mix of façade and modern interior.