Events 2018

Each group developed adjacency diagrams showing the arrangement and relationship between types of spaces. This then led them to create colour paper models showing the different types of spaces in 3D.

The teams are working hard together to create some amazing proposals for the project brief, we can't wait to see what designs they'll come up with!
#reimaginingmcr #northernsoul2018 #OurTownHall

Big day ahead!

We are continuing with the build of the seat and ticket desk components following a testing day yesterday.

Day 6// Giorgiana Padurean// Discussions were going strong yesterday regarding the final design of the desk. Today the plan is to finalise and do GA drawings. They have come a long way since last week.

Some more of our groups sketch proposals which are now being developed into final proposals ahead of our collaborator review next Tuesday.

Day 6// Sharanja De Zoysa, Giorgiana Padurean and Hailey Ho // Our all girls team were on Indesign putting our pitch for the MSSA. It's coming together with everyone's concept test models and contributions. Well done team!

Along side of construction of the ticketbooth, well done team for the taking the masterplanning further in the morning. It was continued in the afternoon with a small number of people from the team. It will be helpful for your record and portfolio all of you are ganding in!

Day 6 (25 Apr)
Fantastic day at Centrepoint. Students presented our design in form of sketches, diagrams and 3D models! After presentation, we also enjoyed the question time with Centrepoint's staffs! Feedback from them encouraged everyone to keep up work as well!

Some very productive and proactive discussions happening between academics and students at the end of the round table event today.

This event proved to be very engaging between everyone and we will be taking the information gathered from today, and feeding this into our community engagement event taking place next week! We are looking forward to it!

Roz Fox (Senior Lecturer in Social Policy at Manchester Metropolitan University and Non-Executive Director of ForViva Group Board). Roz has research expertise in social housing, regeneration, community engagement, community development, tenant involvement and user involvement. Research interests include anti-poverty strategies, development of neighbourhood services, methodologies to demonstrate social impact and use of arts in community work.

Today she discussed the pivot of her work at ForViva, which is bringing together the community, driven through eight domains which she thoroughly explained. A key part of the discussion was how there is embedded responsibility in the eight domains she discussed, what the Greater Manchester Council can do and why we are becoming more disconnected to society and fragmented between day to day life - not just towards architecture and design.

Sheila Peace (Professor of Social Gerontology). Her interests lie within ageing and social gerontology particularly within environmental gerontology.

She raised interesting questions to the rest of the table within the discussion we had at the round table today, in regards to adaptation and if social housing can expand.

She also elaborated on the work she has been involved in, ‘Option recognition’ in later life: variations in ageing in place. This touched on the point at which change impacts on an individual's independence and well being, when adaptive behaviour cannot rebalance the macro- and micro-environmental press. The ‘option recognition’, leads to a range of strategic responses including: modification of behaviour or environment; structural support using formal and informal services; and relocation; all of which impact on self-identity. This led onto wider discussions with the rest of the table, in specific relation to feeling a sense of belonging and identity within an environment, an alarming and significant issue when designing housing for the older generation.

Finished model of Town Hall's main hall ceiling.

On Wednesday we finished with undergraduate students model of a Town Hall's main hall and took photos of it.

Adam Park (Associate Architect at BDP). His expertise lies within age-friendly housing and environments. He specifically works on housing and healthcare projects at the interdisciplinary design practice BDP, with a particular interest on expanding the delivery and quality of housing for older people.

He gave an insight into the work he has been involved in, discussing the significance of co-deisning and participation with older residents in our communities.

He also briefly discussed a project he is currently working on at BDP in York, alongside York City Council, which includes varying housing typologies, in the attempt to improve the density and mixture of tenures within one scheme.

Paul McGarry (Strategic Lead of Greater Manchester Ageing Hub and Age-friendly Manchester), gave an adress stressing the importance of age-friendly strategies in the development of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework.

Planning for the future rather than reacting to crises is a key priority for developers in the Manchester city-region. Increasingly shifts in demographic forecasts represent an opportunity for real change amongst provisions for later-life, including new models for collaborative and flexible housing.

The real question is how we develop planning policy to enforce consideration as a built-in condition rather than just as a bolt-on or after thought?

The Merz '18 team taking stock and finding inspiration in the incredible surroundings found in the lake district. The walk was planned to show the students the the varied and sparse landscapes they are responding too in their designs.

Birthday boy Russell stringing up the UV cord, ensuring the correct lengths have been ordered.

The 3mm UV reactive coloured cord isn't cheap so if calculations had been incorrect and more cord needed to be ordered, a hefty chunk of the budget would have been lost.

Fortunately Russell's calculations were spot on!

A beautiful sketch by a student, highlighting a key element that interests him and aims to develop into a design.

The second half of the round table discussion allowed undergraduates to pose their own questions to the panel. This allowed for an engaging and informative conversation on both a local and national scale. It meant that the students could see how their work is applied to real and current situations, followed by an informal chat with the round table participants at the end.

Today's round table discussion saw individual speakers, ranging from academics to policy makers, discuss the issues with housing for an ageing population. The meeting ran through the whole afternoon, provoking interesting conversations regarding right-sizing, down-sizing, fit for purpose homes, health and social care. One of the main themes highlighted throughout was the importance of relationship and communication with the people involved - not just working to suit policies. The minutes act as a guide through the discussion, noting down the responses to questions amongst the round table participants and undergraduates, as well as the key ideas that were explored.

No. 70 Oxford Road hosted today's PHASE Academic roundtable, with members from groups 4 and 19 attending to oversee debate, contribute to counter-discussion and help coordinate proceedings.

The event brought together academics from Manchester Metropolitan University, researchers from the The British Society of Gerontology, and policy-makers from the Greater Manchester Combined Authorities for discussion and debate.

Today, the team made really good progress with their schemes. in preparation for their presentations to Pozzoni tomorrow, they also worked on key diagrams in explaining their proposals.

The intrepid explorers braving the rivers of Cumbria!

With well over 100GB of video footage captured in only 6 days, we have begun editing the small documentary that will feature in the event exhibition next Tuesday!

Members of återvinna, as part of Manchester School of Architecture, are constructing a prototype emergency homeless shelter in Cheetham Hill, Manchester. The project has attracted the attention of both local councilors and surrounding community centres, as well as, architects and engineers curious to explore the concept. Invitations have been distributed and we very much look forward to discussing the assembled prototype and further applications with you soon.

Day 5 (24 Apr)
Sketch for folding pods!

Day 5 (24 Apr)
Social space in the atrium!

Day 5 (24 Apr)
Sketch for atrium!

46//Detroit – Manchester - Zones of Urban Experimentation

Day six: Visit to Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI)
This is one of the engines used for goods train during the Industrial Revolution.

45//Detroit – Manchester - Zones of Urban Experimentation

Day six: Visit to Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI)
Comprises of 5 blocks, all the blocks house different theme and different exhibition. This is the Power Hall, where all the working engines and locomotives are exhibited.

Despite only making it half way through construction, the prototype shelter's basic structure, aided by a little tarpaulin, manged to successfully protect seven students from the onslaught of hail witnessed this afternoon. Many thanks to all the BA students on our team who have continued to push through this typical British weather.

Surprisingly, we have managed to remain on schedule with very few minor amendments made to the original manual. Lets hope this continues throughout the remaining few days!

44//Detroit – Manchester - Zones of Urban Experimentation

Day six: Visit to Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI)
To trace Manchester's era of Industrial Revolution, there's no better archive than this museum.

Almost there guys!!

Today we had a productive day and we were really happy to see the site model coming together! Tomorrow and on Friday we will be adding final touches to the site model.

The team have been churning out the designs over the past couple of days.

All of this on top of the reconfiguration proposals (for future interpretations of the installation when used at festivals) that they will be presenting to Decordia tomorrow!

Day 5(24 Apr)
Everyone focused on preparing for the presentation! 1st year and 2nd year students created a variety of sketches and diagrams for initial design! Just pin up some of them!

Lincoln Square was the last destination of our tour as it is the closest square to the Town hall and therefore Albert Square. It is named after the large statue of Abraham Lincoln standing in the middle of the square and the rich history of the statue. Although the square is currently going through some changes it's key location, almost like a bridge, connects the historic town hall with the contemporary architecture of Deansgate.

The historical picture on the post is taken from the following website where information about the history of the statue complement beautiful images of the square.
https://manchesterarchiveplus.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/abraham-lincoln-and-manchester/

http://manchesterhistory.net/manchester/statues/lincoln.html

The future picture is taken from the following website:
http://www.m3fx.com/mobile/projects/brazennose-house-lincoln-square-manchester In this website you can look into the future plans of development of the square and it's surrounding context.

For more information or queries please contact the 5th years

Thanks to the great work from the co-housing curation group we managed to have our first proof print of the swatch book ready for today's roundtable discussions.

It was a great aid to the conversation amongst the academics and policy makers, and we were able to demonstrate the variety and complexity achieved through atelier MSAp's co-housing solutions.

There are a few final tweaks to be made before we are ready for our community engagement event, where the swatch book will be used to engage with those who might speculatively be looking for a more aspirational housing offering.

A selection of the team's personalised designs for their 'sub-divided' panels. Fantastic creativitiy through variation in design, colour and combination of materials whilst being limited in size and choice of materials too.

Another successful day on site and the build is really coming along! The team have braved all matter of weather (including today's short hail storm) to get to this point and we are well on schedule to finish in time!

Lets hope for some sunshine to see us out!

Great contribution from the members of construction team has resulted in 2/3 of the exhibition being constructed so far.

Each group was asked to create a model to showcase the proposal and summaries the drawings. With limited resources and tight time restrictions imagination is key. #reimaginingmcr #northernsoul2018 #OurTownHall

Polishing up the edges.

Before the end of the event, all the ideas and conclusions were summed up by Stefan, who explained the importance of discussions between policy makers and researchers in creating best housing options for older people.

Day 6//
Details of the base, the connections in beween with flat plates and also the securing of plastic sheets.
We are very proud with what we have so far! It has been a very humbling experience.

Day 6//
Finally done with the base! We were very happy with it. We're experimenting with the plastic sheet for waterproofing,

Day 6//
It has been raining quite heavily for the past few days. We actually made a shade so we could work while it rained without getting drenched. Dismantaling the pallets are also super hard work! We had to asked for advice from the experienced volunteers from the welcome centre, and they've been nothing but kind with their knowledge.

After the round table meeting, students were encouraged to share their interests and ideas from the presentation with the invited academics. Some of their questions, ranging from co-housing design to housing policies, were further discussed. Everyone learned a lot from this great discussion.

Day 5//
Continuing with assembling the floor today. Learning more and more each day!

DAY 5//
MORE materials needed for our installation in the making :)

The topics presented by the invited speakers, came out to be very interesting for our undergraduate students. They took active part in the debate, asking questions and contributing to the discussions.

Finally, we had a short lunch break after preparing the room. Can't wait for the round table discussion!

We prepared the sample set of our board game and presented to the invited guests. Thanks to that, we gained valuable feedback on elements of the game that can be improved before the actual Community Engagement meeting on Monday.

We arranged the meeting room for afternoon round table discussions. To provide invited speakers with the possibility to present digital materials, we tested the screen facilities. Besides, we also prepared the coffee, tea and snacks for guests.

After arriving to the Corner House, we divided all the tasks between the students and started preparing the venue. With almost 40 people invited to the discussion, we had to make sure that everyone will be provided with a seat and refreshment.

Prepared and excited, we went with the team to the Corner House, where the 'Round Table' discussions took place. Our tutor from PHASE - Stefan White joined us today, to help with the venue preparations and participate in the event.

Our construction teams workflow- many hands make light work!

Reminder: Tomorrow at 2pm we will have a full team meeting to discuss and present the outcomes of each Gothic Revival group so far. As groups have been working in both workshop and studio, this will be a great opportunity to look at all work produced collectively, and share ideas for the next stage. See you all tomorrow.

Today we looked at the developed proposals into more detail,both landscape and internal spaces were considered. All groups created a variety of diagrams and plans to show their care hotel concepts.

We are ready for presenting to Pozzoni Architects tomorrow!

Some window details. Well done!

Models getting assembled today.

Sprayed componets waiting to dry.

The Great Confusion !

The team starting to model the town hall and albert square at 1:100. With hundreds of pieces we will have to work together to get this done.

Day 6
Nazra taking the lead in model making

Day Six: Excellent group work today in the B15 Workshop. A lot of process consideration and testing to get to the final outcome. This particular model required a number of stages to produced a positive cast window detail. Finishing touches tomorrow and planning for the exhibition.

OUR TOWN HALL//
Plans for the Albert Square regeneration are roughly explained in this statement from Manchester City Council. Check out the plans at: http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500323/town_hall/7297/town_hall_transformation/1

OUR TOWN HALL//
Manchester City Council are asking for people to share their memories of the Town Hall and Albert Square. Perhaps you can share your sketches from the tour and experiences from the event!

MODELLING MANCHESTER TOWN HALL//
In order to fully display the character of Albert Square on our 1:100 site model, we decided to model the Town Hall in greater detail. We laser cut windows, spires and columns to attach to the facade. The character, atmosphere and appearance of a square is defined heavily by the buildings which form the square. These key buildings are just as important as the landscaping of the square. Three first year students put in some great work to get this building model finished, using their own initiative to solve problems. They used hand cut extra pieces to support the structure. Good job guys.

Great start today guys! We are now more familiar with the construction process, which will make tomorrow's construction flow more efficiently. Let's meet at The Shed (Quad) @ 10:00. It's going to be a long day of construction, so get some rest tonight. See ya!

Further intervention development for Alberton House.

Detroit's Urban Farms have also been examined by students. Residents of Detroit adopted such schemes to rehabilitate depleted landscapes and create self-reliant communities. Again, basic principles of this approach have been applicable to Urban Greening proposals in Manchester.

Another productive day - Our First and Second years have been working on adapting designs with given constraints. Here is one that we like as it uses the festivals theme of science and connects with the project in a beautiful way... Thank you lulia for your great work !

Schwitterz liked to use and re-used items he came into contact with. On our travels we looked at how we could refashion random objects into our own work.

The High Line in New York is an example Urban Greening students have looked at for inspiration for their own designs. It presents a unique approach to incorporating vegetation into a dense but disused urban space.

We met Ian Hunter on site who gave us an in-depth tour of the area.

Cladding Panel 2 completed, very pleased with how well we have all worked as a group. We are all really impressed (including Tom, our artistic collaborator) with how the design has turned out. Managed to get some brilliant footage for the final production video.

Hopefully be able to varnish them tomorrow, then they can be brought to site ready for final construction and our event on Tuesday 1st May.

Day 5

Reviewing each groups response on the site of the Merz Barn.Each group have a innovative response to their own lspecific site locations.

To do list
- rubber non-slip matting apply to the flooring
- 45 degree bracing to the rear facade
- Fabric roof cover
- decoration of perspex graphic panels & bunting

Cathedral Quarry was one of the areas the team explored on the second day of the expedition. The cave had a beautiful, solitary atmosphere, playing with light and shadow. The site inspired the team with their collages and themes

The Merz '18 team arrived on Monday in sunny Windermere ready for the expedition ahead. We would firstly meet our collaborator at the site of the Merz barn before exploring the surrounding area for inspiration of the final collages and models

Structure on site! Testing Levels ready to show the clients and the structural engineer