DAY 10: PUBLICATION COMPLETE

On our last morning we finished setting up our publication, one of the final outputs that will be marked. This will be printed and bound at a later date.

DAY 10: PLANTER ASSEMBLY

A short clip demonstrating the knockdown joints that do not require nails or screws, allowing easy and collaboratively fun assembly on site rather than just transporting a finished object from the workshop.

DAY 9: PUBLICATION PROGRESS

Collectively figuring out our layout, binding technique and fonts to best represent the drawings and work produced during the Events project - the publication is almost ready.

Meanwhile in the workshop the wood has all been cut and some spare bits were made into impromptu smaller planters today, with some finishing touches tomorrow morning we will be ready to head over to Victoria House for their assembly and a celebratory BBQ.

DAY 9: PUBLICATION PROGRESS

Today we were working on our publication. Part of this will be a small instruction manual showing how our joints work, what pieces they require and how to slot them together. Some brief guidelines and suggested tools are also outlined. The aim is for someone to be able to replicate our construction processes easily and without necessarily having many resources or experience.

This will be printed on an A3 and will be folded in order to slot into a pouch in our final booklet; we will also give it to the residents of Victoria House for use with future donated wood.

DAY 7: WORKING ON PLANTERS

A group of M.Arch and undergraduate students were in the workshop today working on the planters. We did some preparation work on the wood using a wire brush to clean the surface, and cut and chiselled the grooves for the joints. At end of the week we will have finished up our pieces and assemble the planters at Victoria House and decorate them.

DAY 6: MURAL PAINTING

Cleaning the masonry paint off of these brushes was no easy task...
It did make for a good photo though

DAY 6: MURAL PAINTING

Exciting day on site today! Here is the progress from the mural near the end of the session.

Everyone was very happy with the result and the mural will be finished tomorrow when Joe completes the top half - due to our risk assessment we will not be using ladders so we will focus instead on our planters in the workshop and working towards our booklet output.

Many thanks firstly to Joe without whom this would not be possible, to the undergraduates that participated enthusiastically and to the staff and residents that joined us.

EDIT: Due to Tuesday's unpredictable weather the mural has not been completed yet. This will happen on Friday (day 10) or at a later date, depending on Joe's availability.

DAY 5 - DRAWING WORKSHOP

Our group's approach to the project is to divide the undergraduates into small groups and shuffle them in a way that everyone gets at least some involvement with all the skills offered, and can then choose what they prefer to focus on. On Day 5, Friday, students that were in the workshop on Thursday and didn't follow the drawing workshop had the opportunity to participate in a similar session, focusing on the joint they had crafted physically the day before. Working with one of the M.Arch students, the undergraduates worked on 3d modelling and drawing axonometric views of the joints and a finished planter.

DAY 4: AFTERNOON DRAWING AND POST-PRODUCING

During the afternoon session we worked on some presentation drawings for Victoria House and our final booklet. Again using the screen and everyone's individual laptop and continuing from the morning's 3d models, we exported an axonometric view of the entire planter and post-produced it in illustrator and photoshop. A similar workflow to the morning was used, showing the undergraduate students also how to add textures and cutouts in photoshop. It is important to note that the drawings were based on the dimensions of some of the donated wood, so this was an attempt to realistically depict what an actual planter could look like. The photoshop workflow shown can be applied to almost any drawing that is post-produced so hopefully the undergraduates will find it useful in the future.

DAY 4: MORNING MODELLING & DRAWING

During the morning in a group of 4 undergraduates and 1 M.Arch, we did a workshop and modelled one of the prototyped joints and planters in Rhino - we then used this model to create a series of vignettes explaining how the pieces slot together and are held in place with a dowel. Using illustrator we adjusted the line weights and line types to make the drawing clear.

The workflow (Rhino and Illustrator) was projected onto a screen and the undergraduates followed on their own laptops, with individual help where needed. They learned a standard way of producing axonometric drawings which we will be using more for our events project, but could also come in handy throughout their time at university and in practice. Well done to everyone for the enthusiasm shown today!

DAY 3: MATERIAL DONATION UPDATE

Yesterday (day 3) a small group of us visited Tree Station and selected off cuts that we can use for our project. Tree Station has very kindly agreed to deliver them to us tomorrow (friday); these will be used to develop planters based on the joints that are being tested in the workshop.

We would like to thank Ian and everyone at Tree Station for their help and generosity on this project, it wouldn't have been possible without their contribution.

DAY 2: SITE MODEL WORKSHOP

This morning we gave an introduction to Rhinoceros, explaining how to create a 3d model from a site plan. Using a projector, we showed the work flow on the screen, and everyone followed on their own laptop, with individual troubleshooting where needed. We ran over the basic 2d and 3d techniques necessary, which will be useful also as the project develops. At the end of the session all the students had learned how to draw and extrude 3d objects following the site plan's geometry. A small group of undergraduate students interested in learning more about Rhino will help the M.Arch students add details to the 3d model and prepare drawings from it later on in the project.

DAY 1: WORKSHOP PREPARATION

Tomorrow (day 2) we will have a workshop on the Rhinoceros software, in order to prepare a 3d site model to later generate a series of drawings and diagrams from. The skills learned will also be helpful in modelling and drawing up our designs. In preparation, during the site visit today we measured the dimensions of the various walls, fences, planters and other existing elements to make corrections to the site plan and begin constructing our 3d model tomorrow. Updates on progress soon!

MATERIAL DONATION UPDATE

We have picked up the first of the wood! Some of the Old Bank Residency's timber off-cuts are here, ready to be used as structural elements in our planters. They need to be trimmed to standard sizes in the workshop, which will be part of this week's activities. We are currently expecting the delivery from Tree Station which will offer us larger, thinner planks which will make up the cladding component.

MATERIAL DONATION UPDATE

Old Bank Residency, a creative/artistic enterprise affiliated to the Co-op/NOMA has also donated some wood off-cuts for the purpose of our project. The next step for Group AI is to collect the wood from the Old Bank space and arrange delivery with Tree Station, and use the actual dimensions of the donated pieces to drive forward our designs and prototype for Victoria House's garden.

To find more information about the Old Bank Residency project please visit the following link: www.oldbanknoma.com

MATERIAL & FUNDING COLLABORATORS

Today we visited Tree Station, a social enterprise that deals with a variety of wood related activities in Manchester. Group AI can now announce that Tree Station have generously agreed to sponsor our events project by donating and delivering timber off-cuts that will be used for our planters and potentially (at a later stage), other projects by Victoria House.

https://www.treestation.co.uk/

MATERIALS & CONSTRUCTION

As our project proposes, our team has the initiative to gain connections with additional collaborators who will assist in funding or providing materials. Using these resources and taking into consideration the materials available, both MA and BA Students will design, detail and construct an adaptable planter design which addresses the needs of the residents. Accordingly, we will discuss construction techniques suitable for the adaptable aspect as well as emphasising its simplicity and robustness for easy assemblage without the use of tools. We are currently assessing the suitability of brick and timber as possible materials for the project.

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

After three months of working behind the scenes, building relationships with collaborators and developing an exciting event, we are delighted to confirm we will be creating a project for a homeless shelter, working alongside staff and residents to enhance their garden space. In this project, we will address the existing garden area, whilst specifically focusing on delivering a proposal suitable, engaging and for the needs of the residents.

Currently our team is developing and polishing both a poster and proposal session plan which we will use to present to the BA Architecture Students at the end of this month.