Events 20

Hannah O

FUNDING

The client is looking to fund the project through grant schemes. They will apply to the Wellcome Trust, National Lottery fund and internally at the University of Manchester. In order to win funding from these bodies we had to look at what the funding requirements were. They all stressed the importance of providing something for the local community.
The criteria for the National Lottery funding states that it looks for projects that:
• bring people together and build strong relationships in and across communities
• improve the places and spaces that matter to communities
• help more people to reach their potential, by supporting them at the earliest possible stage.

It is with these considerations in mind that we shaped the brief in order to give the client the best chance of winning funding.

Posted 22 Mar 2020 15:28

Patrick M

FARM FACT

In 2016, Urban Farms supplied food to around 700 million city dwellers, equating to just above one quarter of the worlds urban population.

Posted 22 Mar 2020 15:24

Bismah Z

A meeting with Daniel Boulger

We were given the opportunity very early on in preparation for the Re:Think Bradford Project to meet with Daniel Boulger who is a lead project manager for venue partnerships from NEC Group and is currently working on the Bradford Live Project.

Dan has been working on the Bradford Live project since 2014 and as a non ‘Bradfordian’ he was able to share his views and thoughts of Bradford City, the potential the city has and what he would hope to see as the City undergoes a huge redevelopment. During this meeting, Dan was able to give us some key facts about the city which he has learnt by spending a vast majority of his time working on the Bradford Live Project.

Some key facts mentioned by Dan:
- The city is actually quite large and widely spread
- It is the 6th largest metropiltan district in England
- People that live in the City Centre are actually quite poor

Dan was also able to share some aspects of the city that could be improved and incorporated into the ‘City Village’ proposals. This included;
- An aspect which could attract the students who studied at Bradford University and the college to stay within the city
- An improvement to the marketing side that can encourage people, sponsors and businesses to come together which would improve the economy.
- Introduce green spaces, a ‘night life’ for the younger generations.
- An element of sustainable living and circular economy.

The information that Dan was able to share was really useful and gave us an insight into the city of Bradford. From this meeting we were able to take key things forward which we can share with the rest of our Events team when working on the proposals for the ‘City Village' in the upcoming months.

We would like to thank Daniel for taking some time out to share his views, experience and thoughts of the City and our collaborator for organising this meeting!

Posted 22 Mar 2020 15:22

How To Reach The Site

Posted 22 Mar 2020 15:07

Site Characteristics

Posted 22 Mar 2020 14:58

The Senses - SMELL

Posted 22 Mar 2020 14:46

The Sense - TASTE

Posted 22 Mar 2020 14:45

The Sense - TOUCH

Posted 22 Mar 2020 14:45

The Senses - HEARING

Posted 22 Mar 2020 14:45

The Senses - SIGHT

Posted 22 Mar 2020 14:44

Sophie C

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

The reason why the Botanical Blueprint scheme is important to Fallowfield and the wider community is that the project will create links to the community, schools and private businesses in a bio-diverse, visually rich space.

The benefit of these connections is that the botanical garden creates a safe, beautiful, inclusive place to learn, grow, develop for school children and adults alike.

It also provides key links to local businesses and boosts mental wellbeing, social outlets and revitalises a currently underutilized space.

Posted 22 Mar 2020 13:49

Hannah O

THE BRIEF

We will put together a pack of feasibility drawings for an initial design proposal for the Manchester Botanical gardens. The proposal will be a mixture of new build and renovation work. The design will then be submitted by the client to grant and funding schemes such as the national lottery to try and raise funding for the project.
We understand that the proposal must include:
1. Temperature controlled greenhouses along the side of the grade II listed wall to be removed and replaced in the same location due to certain plants.
2. New purpose built space to host visitors such as members of the public and school groups.
3. Existing staff building to either be replaced or renovated to make fit for purpose. Space to include mess room and an office big enough for 3 people.
4. A lockable store where landscaping and gardening equipment can be housed - please indicate what equipment would need to be stored so we can allow enough space.
5. New boiler house to be smaller and can be relocated on site.
6. Large open garages to be removed.
7. Dark, damp greenhouse at back of site to be renovated.

Landscaping:
8. A connection and access route to be made between Botanical gardens and the Chancellor’s hotel so that spaces can be used in conjunction for functions such as weddings.
9. A new pond to be relocated on site.
10. A woodland walk to support shade loving plants.
11. A variety of different planting beds.

Posted 22 Mar 2020 13:37

Double Diamond Process

When developing our session plan we researched design strategies to get the most out of the two weeks of events, and to ensure our preparation set us up to get the most out of the student input. The double diamond design process is one adapted by many different professions and is used to ensure a wide scope of opportunities are explored, whilst still delivering the desired outcome on time.

This can be summarised into 2 diamonds, each with 2 stages. The beginning stage is the expansive and explorative stage, and the second is the synthesising and refining stage. The first diamond is the work we will complete before the 2 weeks of events starts, and the second diamond is the work carried out during the two weeks of events with the first and second year students.

Our preparation work benefited from having this structure as we primarily focused on exploring all options, communicating with the committee to gain ideas, exploring potential guest speakers and site visits.
We then transitioned into defining a clearer brief, setting up templates for the outcomes and completing the relevant documents such as the risk assessment.

Understanding this double diamond process was especially helpful when developing our session plan and helped us understand what tasks may be included in each week, and also ensured all the work we completed was refined down to the outcome. This ensured we included tasks which gathered ideas, explored design options and research were mainly done on the first week. Whilst the second week's focus was purely on condensing the work into the document, developing presentation skills and coordinating the exhibition.

We found having this structure useful in the preparation as it kept our efforts focused onto what we were aiming to achieve. This will also be helpful during events as we will include this explanation in our introduction presentation so that all students involved share a common goal of the desired outcome.

Posted 22 Mar 2020 12:29

TECHNICAL RESOLUTION (II)

It is important to consider two other technical design concerns. Structural loading is something we’ll only need to consider once, but maintenance will be an ongoing responsibility. Luckily, as you’ll see, our duties will be quite light!

A structural engineer’s opinion is often necessary to determine whether a particular roof can bear the weight of a garden safely. We are glad to announce that a special guest from Bell Munro consulting will be coming in to give us a talk about roof gardens. They can offer advice where the best place to locate the planters might be. After all, all that wet soil is going to be heavy!

Planters don’t require a significant amount of maintenance. They must be weeded and watered regularly, and fertilised a few times a year. The weeding will be fairly simple, as rooftop gardens get fewer wind-blown weed seeds than gardens on the ground. The good news is that, unless the planters or furniture become damaged somehow, that’s all there is to it.

Remember, gaining practical experience is very useful as a future architect!

Posted 22 Mar 2020 12:29

TECHNICAL RESOLUTION (I)

Now that we know what we want our rooftop garden to achieve, we can get down to the technical details. The most important might be drainage, waterproofing and wind protection.

Our planters can’t be watertight, or the plants inside can easily ‘drown’ when they fill up with water after a rain. Proper drainage is vital to healthy plants. But that means water spilling out onto the roof on a regular basis, so we have to make sure that the entire area is well drained.

One of the best ways to protect the roof itself is to lay down or apply a sturdy waterproof membrane – one that won’t tear and leak when someone accidentally scrapes it with a spade, and won’t cause a trip hazard. You’ll also need to locate the planters near a roof drain so that excess water will flow away.

The wind is simply stronger atop most roofs than it is on the ground. That means soil tends to blow away, and plants can easily be damaged on blustery days. In all cases, make sure that both the waterproofing layer and the planters themselves are firmly fastened down!

Posted 22 Mar 2020 12:28

DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Planters need to be well designed to have the greatest success. This is going to be challenging, but also exciting. The design needs to be suited to its intended users, and should accommodate their needs. Will it be the kind of rooftop garden we stroll through, or the kind of space where a few people could have a good chat?

In this case we’ll be building planters, but we’ll have to think about the scale and a few technical issues. We’ll need to decide where to place them, ensuring that we allow easy access and safety for ourselves, but also giving the plants all the sunshine, drainage and shelter from the wind that they need to thrive. We’ll also need to consider what works for the building itself. Our end goal is to enhance the underused space without damaging the roof.

Next, we’ll follow up with a few key design principles we need to follow. Building the planters is going to teach us a lot about carpentry, engineering and technical skills.

Strategic planning is the key to success!

Posted 22 Mar 2020 12:26

Sophie C

EXISTING SITE PLAN

The site is located on Whitworth Lane in Fallowfield, Manchester. With a variety of different of buildings located around the site from Student Accommodation, Hotels & Educational Facilities the site has great potential to bring an accessible green link to these facilities that would enhance the quality of the area creating an environmentally friendly, beautiful space that can give back o the local community.

Which we have the exciting task of creating and shaping this space!

Posted 22 Mar 2020 12:18

Bismah Z

Bradford City has a strong vision to transform the city centre by creating new and diverse opportunities for all. The City has many proposed and ongoing projects. One of which we will be informing you about...

REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT 1 : Bradford Live

This is one of Bradford's first redevelopment project where a main iconic landmark building is being transformed into a world class entertainment facility with a capacity of over 4000 people.

Let’s start with the history of this building…

The building what is currently known as the former Odeon first opened in 1930 as the New Victoria. The renaissance revival building complimented the adjacent Alhambra theatre and featured a large multi-functional auditorium, a ballroom and a restaurant. In 1950 The theatre was renamed the Gaumont and hosted The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and many more world-renowned artists in the music venue. After closing as a music venue in 1968, the building reopened as the Odeon Twins, featuring two cinema screens and a bingo hall with a third cinema screen opening in the late 1980s. In the year 2000 the building closed to the public and remained unused for a few years. From the year 2004 to 2012 many redevelopment proposals had been expressed and scrapped that included the building to accommodate offices and a hotel.

At the end of 2014, following a rigorous competition, the Council awarded Bradford Live the right to re-develop the building. In September 2017 they announced the internationally renowned NEC Group as the operating partner. The plan is to re-instate the original huge auditorium, creating the biggest ‘mid-size’ venue in the country outside London and will attract national and international performers and with flexibility to host other events.

Bradford Live’s vision aims to support the city’s rebirth and believes that the former Odeon is key to that end as well as becoming a new cultural hub for the region, bringing the beat back to Bradford.

Posted 22 Mar 2020 10:59

Week Two

Week two will begin by hosting a Crit with Laura, a member of the Friends of Beech Road Community. This will be an opportunity for students to practice presentation skills and gain invaluable feedback to the design process. We will continue by fine tuning design, to match the feedback. As we move into the week, we will be joined by a guest, Jack Badger, who will introduce construction drawings and joinery details. We will use this time, to progress our design outcomes in terms of how it will be constructed. We will then begin to think about how our final outcome may look. We will head to the Library to find magazines and journals which may influence the design/layout of our final booklet. This will lead us to finalise our graphic style, followed by printing for our exhibition. On our final day, we will travel to site, where we will set up our exhibition, and present our aspirations for the Tool Shed to the local community.

The key aspects and opportunities for week two, is to gain confidence speaking in front of people, presentation skills, teamwork, construction design, Professional relations, learn new skills e.g. photoshop.

Posted 22 Mar 2020 10:04

Week one

Week one will focus on initial stages of design. We will spend time on the site, where students will have the opportunity to interact with the site, sketch and ask questions. From here we will begin with initial concept design. At this point we will introduce Precedents with ambitions to inspire students at the first stages of design. Throughout we will discuss our outcomes between one and another, and later show our work through a ‘pin up’ exercise. Using feedback from earlier activities, we will push forward with design process with goals of finalising design responses. We will them spend an afternoon away from university, as Hulme Garden Centre, this is a great opportunity to understand structure, and materiality of successful garden builds. To end the week, our goal is to prepare a set of plans and sections, as part of an informal Crit for the following week.

The key aspects and opportunities of week one, are to understand/develop the initial stages of concept design, teamwork, gain presentation skills, visit new places with ambitions to inspire creativity, learn new skills, gain confidence.

Posted 22 Mar 2020 10:04

Parti on site

Communication of ideas and information will be a key aspect during the events, to exchange ideas between the design team but also representing ideas to the collaborator and committee. One method we will be exploring throughout will be that of Parti Diagrams, and these will be used to represent information gathered on site, analysis of precedents and to communicate design decisions.

Parti diagrams can be used to show elements such as:

- Form and geometry
- Solid and Void
- Light and Shade
- Axis vs centre
- Territories vs enclosures
- Thresholds
- Routes

The purpose of a parti diagram, in contrast to other types of diagrams, is their simplicity and how concisely they portray information. One of the tasks when we are onsite will be for each person to summaries the site in a small number of diagrams and later present their ideas back to a small group. This builds up the skills of hand drawing but also to break down thoughts into smaller elements for easy and effective communication. Learning how to do effective parti diagrams will be a transferrable skill that the students can use in future portfolios.

Posted 22 Mar 2020 08:43

No Photos, No Problem

Exploring alternative methods to record the site.There are many ways to observe and record a site. Beech Road park is a family friendly place for local people to go and enjoy, therefore photographs are not welcomed due to the sites proximity to a children play area. As part of an initial site analysis, we often assume that there will be some sort of photography that captures the essence and character of a place.
So what other forms of analysis can you do to still obtain this information?

Sketching:
Sketching is a great tool that allows you to capture a lot of information in a relatively short space of time. As well as recording the intended view, drawings also have the ability to tell a lot more about a place. Drawings can be extremely powerful as the process allows you to understand the space in a lot more detail than taking a photograph.
Sketching also encourages a sense of freedom and it can be a quick process that can produce valuable information to tell the story of the place, without a photograph in site.

Modelling:
Although harder to achieve whilst on site, modelling can also be a credible process to understand how a site works. It enables an overall 3D picture of a space which can help to figure out scale and proportions when designing proposals. Speed modelling can be used to quickly explore form while a presentation model can showman intricate details of a building.

Storyboarding:
Creating a storyboard of the trip to site could also be an effective way of recording information. Through recording the journey of the site through this method, a sequence of the trip can be realised, with a clear understanding and timeline of events. A storyboard can be a useful way of separating a space/journey into lots of small frames/views which can build up a picture of what is important.

Situationist mapping / Psychogeography
Mapping the site visit through how you felt and experienced it from a personal point of view. Using a base map, this technique allows personal reflections and to encourage playfulness through notes, collage and drawings to understand the place and the journey. It is an inventive strategy to explore the site and could be an interesting response and alternative approach to taking photos.

Verb and Adjective Analysis:
An alternative method of analysis could be using words to describe what is being experienced. Through the use of verbs and adjectives, such as playing, words can enable an understanding of the activity that is happening on the site or in a place as well as any particular features that may be important. E.g. strong brown tones. This information could be extremely valuable for understanding how a space is used.

These methods can be used individually or a combination of them can be used to build up an in-depth picture of the site. They can also be analytical tools and be post rationalised to identify key opportunities or constraints of the site and identify key themes. During our site we will encourage everyone to use these methods to capture their version of the site.

Posted 22 Mar 2020 08:38

Brief Revisited

After further meeting with our collaborator we discussed how we could enrich our brief to make it more of a viable outcome that could be built in the future. The developments included:

1. Costing
Completing a costing exercise along side the design, to allow for the committee to compare design options through financial feasibility in the future.

2. Social Impact
As the brief is centred around social impact, and the park is used by a wide variety of people the aim of our project is to appeal to and provide uses for everyone involved.

3. Portfolio skills
To ensure the end publications is of a high quality and to learn transferable skills for future portfolios.

4. Site Visit
Visiting Hulme Community Garden to gain some knowledge about plants, garden structures and wildlife habitats that can be integrated into the design.

5. Precedent
A visit to the library will be conducted to gain inspiration for the final document. This will include looking at examples of professional publications to gain knowledge of graphic styles, effective compositions and eye catching designs for the exhibition.

Posted 22 Mar 2020 08:30

Collaborator inspiration

As part of our project, we want to deliver an outcome which is both exciting for the students to create, but also fulfils the requirements and aspirations of the Friends of Beech Road community.

During meetings, our contact Laura along with the Friends of Beech Road community created a wish list. The wish list included elements to the design, which we should consider in our outcome.

The wish list included: Storage for tools, ability to access the shed (protection from Manchester’s elements), a bug hotel, Security (this shed could be considered to have valuables inside so it was important that it could not be broken into), rain water collection (this would store water which could be used to water the park) and storing tools secretly (this could be within a bench, or in a cupboard. This makes the shed more secure if its left unlocked during gardening times and creates storage space), running water (For ease, and a cuppa tea)

As the project develops, we are going to begin to include as many of the aspects above, combined with the student’s responses to the design brief to get the most out of a shed at Beech Road Park.

Posted 22 Mar 2020 08:29

Henry George B

Hulme Garden Centre Pavilions

During the group trip to the HCGC, we will be taking a look at two impressive examples of micro-architecture, produced by students at the University of Sheffield.

1. The Volunteer Hub bridges the space in between two storage containers, one being used simply for storage, the other as a “mess” area for the volunteers to use. The aim was to provide an informal shelter within this space, that can be used for timber and wheelbarrow storage. The shelter uses entirely recycled, natural materials that were reclaimed from the site wherever possible. The hub features a structurally efficient timber truss that stays true to various existing structures on site, while promoting an organic aesthetic.

2. The Shade House is a fully enclosed, curved, timber structure creating an internal space for displaying plants and aquatics. It’s location is a focal point for the site on the street edge drawing many people into the garden centre. The gabions are filled with waste and natural materials, encouraging biodiversity and providing a habitat for much of the local wildlife. The structure was built using reclaimed materials with a permeable bamboo cladding.

If you would like to find out more about these projects, visit the SSoA’s Live Project website at: http://www.liveprojects.org/

Posted 22 Mar 2020 01:49

On day 3 of Events, we will visit Haigh Woodland Park in Wigan, which will hopefully be a fantastic opportunity to get inspiration towards our emerging design proposals.

Posted 22 Mar 2020 00:36

In the second week, we will focus on developing our proposals, through drawing and modelmaking and creating presentation boards ready for final presentation to the client on the last day of Events.

Posted 22 Mar 2020 00:35

In the first week of Events, we will visit St. Cuthbert’s Primary School in Manchester to meet the collaborator and survey the site, followed by a talk from playground., a Manchester based design studio and a site visit to Haigh Woodland Park in Wigan for some inspiration. We will also work on improving our skills in architectural software and start working on initial designs.

Posted 22 Mar 2020 00:35

Our event will provide an opportunity to learn architectural software including Photoshop, InDesign, Sketchup and Revit. We will also work on improving our presentation skills, as well as site surveying, model making and sketching.

Posted 22 Mar 2020 00:35

On the 31st March, Unicef will assess St. Cuthbert’s Primary School for the silver award. Ahead of this meeting, on the 24th March, our MA members will visit the school to work with pupils in the Unicef team to share their ideas on how the recreational space in their play garden could be developed. We are hoping to get some great ideas from them!

Posted 22 Mar 2020 00:33

The following will be the final part of this 4-part informational series!

PART 4- STRATEGIC AMBITION

The ambition is a city centre that is transformed to enable new and sustainable styles of living that are attractive to all our communities, provides economic opportunity for all and is the cultural heart of the district. A place-based approach will be taken, drawing on local strengths and assets and putting people at the heart of this transformation.

The Future High Streets Fund will be used to catalyse the transformation of the city centre and revitalise Bradford, improving perceptions, increasing investor confidence and rekindling local pride. Bradford will harness the energy and entrepreneurial spirit of the young population and diverse communities to dive and innovate the city’s productive business community.

Bradford City Plan addresses a social and placemaking agenda with proposed actions organized around five priority outcomes:
• A Place of Dynamic Business and Entrepreneurship
• A Centre of Excellence for Learning
• An Exemplar of 21st Century Urban Living
• A Major Transport Hub
• A Destination & Experience

The Council has worked actively with Historic England to introduce the UK’s first Local Listed Building Consents Order which alongside a Local Development Order allows conversion and change of use of listed buildings without the need for planning consent.

A programme of Heritage Streets public realm investment has transformed much of the city centre pedestrian area. One of the most significant investments has been the delivery of the multi-award winning £25 million Bradford City Park.

The city centre is identified as a Spatial Priority Area for investment in the Leeds City Region Strategic Economic Plan 2016-2030 and is designated as an Urban Growth Centre reflecting its importance as a hub of economic activity and a centre of residential, leisure and cultural significance.

Regional Growth Fund monies received in 2012, matched by Bradford Council, has supported the wider City Centre through improvements to the streetscape and visitor navigation as well as creating a development platform for new build office accommodation in City Park.

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Strategy 2040 identifies the city centre as a focus for housing and job growth in Bradford District alongside the Bradford Shipley Canal Road Corridor.

The Bradford Civic Society has secured letters of support from many stakeholders across the city, district and beyond, including support from the Leeds City Region. There are multiple letters of support from the private sector including key city centre partners and investors; wider business interests are also represented.

Working with Born in Bradford, one of the largest research studies in the world looking at childhood health, to jointly involve schoolchildren using smart technology to get their views on what they want from their future place.

It was announced at MIPIM and the LGA that Bradford is to be one of only five beneficiaries of the Future Places Initiative.

Involvement with the ‘Design in the Public Sector’ initiative and are presently working collaboratively with Homes England, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and other key partners on preparing the City Village ‘master delivery plan’

In the end, these details will better inform us on our approach towards our project coming soon. Until next time!

Posted 21 Mar 2020 23:57

PART 3- CHALLENGES AND CONSIDERATIONS (continued)

FOOTFALL
Based on monitoring of footfall on Darley Street, the key street in the former retail core, a reduction is shown on its quarterly footfall of 1.48 million in 2012 to 1.04 million in 2018. The lack of footfall creates deterioration of the environment, increasing concerns around safety and the occurrence of crime. The cause of it is a combination of consumers’ changing shopping habits, competition with online retail and out-of-town shopping centres.

HOUSING
Whilst the UK trend towards greater urban living and urban lifestyles have been less pronounced in Bradford than in many other cities over the past decade and a half. Compared to other major cities, Bradford city centre has witnessed a slow but steady growth in its residential population. The City Centre Area Action Plan aims to deliver a minimum of 3500 new homes by 2030, 1000 of these proposed within City Village Boundary. In this plan, there are specific needs to ensure housing choice in tenure and size to meet more local needs. There is also a requirement to support a sustainable city living through close proximity to new schools and healthcare.

ENVIRONMENT
The topography of Bradford is rather drastic, with steep inclines around the City Village area, accessibility needs to be maximised to create a more walkable city. Policies evaluated to reduce car use, congestion and air pollution via clean air zones, traffic management, smoke control, active travel interventions, and travel planning to increase public transport usage. The City Village will present an opportunity to create public living green areas and community gardens that create safe, accessible and inclusive spaces, enabling pop up markets, street festivals and cultural events (Healthy Streets)

TRANSPORT AND CONNECTIVITY
Bradford is one of the most congested cities in the UK with Leeds-Bradford placed eighteenth on the list of the 25 most congested UK towns and cities. An integrated response should be developed that considers cars, public transport, cyclists and pedestrians. The city centre therefore acts as a transport ‘hub’ where the cars, public transport, walking and cycling all work together so that the city centre is connected both to Bradford residents and the wider world.

TECHNOLOGIES
To prepare for future transport needs, Bradford’s planned infrastructure provision is necessary for increasing numbers of electric vehicles and the demand for rapid charging points. In the medium to long term, car-sharing schemes, predicted reduced car-ownership and eventually autonomous vehicles may reduce demand for car parking and multi-stories in the city centre. Data will be used to better inform and enhance city centre managements and forge new and stronger links between local people, businesses and the city centre. Information sharing will also integrate wayfinding information with local information on events, cultural and destinations and retail offers to extend dwell time and support local businesses and grow the economy.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 23:55

Next, we shall explore the challenges and opportunities present in Bradford city centre. There are 10 in total, therefore the next upcoming blog will cover the second half.

PART 2- CHALLENGES AND CONSIDERATIONS

VACANT PROPERTIES
The most recent Centre for Cities Report lists Bradford as the city with the third highest level of high street retail vacancies in England and Wales. The report shows that 24% of Bradford’s retail premises were vacant in 2017-18 compared to an England and Wales average of 16%. There is also an increasing number of unused upper floors, underused surface car parks, and vacant sites. Key losses of many big brands, such as Marks and Spencer, Burton Group, WH Smiths, Argos, etc.

BUSINESSES AND JOBS
The city centre needs to become a recognised business investment choice and showcase for Bradford. Resources are required to demolish redundant low quality buildings, bring back into use empty buildings and sites to ensure a vibrant and functional area and facilitate repurposing for alternative uses. Adaptable and flexible accommodation will be a requirement for micro-businesses, such as artist studios, independent retail, co-working spaces, makers-spaces, and micro-manufacturing. Collaboratively, they will work together and complement products and services which allows more appealing opening hours, driving the evening economy.

FOOD AND LEISURE
The cultural diversity in Bradford has the potential for a wide range of food on offer. Added to this is a strong tradition of festivals and events, many of which celebrate the distinct cultural blend within the district. These include the renowned Bradford Literature Festival and the annual Bradford Festival. Bradford also has a strong Asian influence, with leading Asian fashion stores and restaurants which have yet to significantly permeate the city centre.

EVENING AND NIGHT ECONOMY
The city centre suffers safety fears during the night, caused by the presence of homeless and beggars, street drinking and groups of youths congregating. There is a need to promote a safe, welcoming and vibrant night-time economy. This can be done by repurposing vacant properties to create food and beverage and leisure venues which links both universities and their students to the city centre.

RETAIL OFFER
A Retail Survey done in 2017 shows that the city centre does not capitalise on the workforce present in the centre for shopping, food/drink and leisure. There is a lack of linked ‘multiple’ usage patterns, shoppers shop and workers work. Shoppers yearn for greater choice and variety for night-time and greater crossover between daytime and early evening offering.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 23:10

Hello, how’s it going fellow viewers?
This is a 4-part summarised information packet that goes into further detail about Bradford city centre that was extracted from the Bradford Council Expression of Interest for Future High Streets Fund. The first part would be an introduction to Bradford and its overall characteristics:

PART 1- DEFINING THE PLACE

Bradford is a great northern city with a rich history built on industriousness, entrepreneurism and global connections. It currently has half a million population and boasts the youngest population in the country. Moreover, the city centre enjoys substantial Victorian architectural heritage with over 100 listed buildings.
Bradford and Leeds are closely linked cities within the Leeds City Region, having the highest level of commuting between any two cities in the UK with 44,000 workers travelling daily between them, 75% by car.

With more than 150 languages spoken, the abundance of international connections brings people together, leading to creativity and innovation.
Bradford is the youngest city in the UK with 141,600 people under the age of 18 in the district (26.5% of the total population). It has the potential for a powerful culture of entrepreneurship with 32,500 self-employed people and a large student population but also has high levels of economic inactivity and an unemployment rate of 5.4% compared to the national average (4.2%).

The city centre is an important shop window to the district with a strong cultural offer – Bradford is the world’s first UNESCO City of Film and is home to the National Science and Media Museum. Annual visitor estimates include 25m shoppers, 4m visitors to City Park, around 500,000 visitors to the Science and Media Museum including the Bradford City of Film and over 250,000 theatre goers.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 22:47

Yitian L

FARM FACT

Urban farming has been developed alongside the growth of its cities. it was so efficient in fact, that many of china’s largest cities almost exclusively sustained themselves with local produce- most was sold within 10km of the farm, and within a day of its cultivation, explains the wwf. in shanghai particularly, the government refined a very effective system for not only food production but waste management as well, recycling biomass into usable clean energy. in the late 20th century, shanghai produced ‘nearly 100% of chicken, eggs and milk, 80% of vegetables and freshwater fishes, and 50% of pork’ in a 300,000 hectare city-managed green ring integrated into the city- a cyclical and veritable urban farm.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 22:14

What is a Shed?

A simple definition of a shed is ‘a simple roofed structure used for garden storage, to shelter animals, or as a workshop’, but does this mean that a shed should just be 4 walls and a roof? Or could a ‘shed’ be reimagined?
When we see the word ‘Shed’ most of us will form a pre conception of what this should look like, but what if this image was changed to something more architecturally exploratory? Just because a shed is usually for storage, doesn’t mean it has to look uninspiring and dull.

How can we reimagine a shed?
There are many different ways in which a shed could be reimagined, but firstly the fundamental uses it must cater for must be understood. For our shed in beech road park these include: running water, tool storage, shelter from the elements, working space and links to the outside. This shed will form an integral part of an existing community and it will be located in a very visible location within the Beech Road Park Area, therefore it is important that it serves its valuable intended use but also it that it makes a statement within the park, something for the local people to be proud of.

Let your minds come away from what we see a traditional pitched roof garden shed and move more towards seeing this intervention as a piece of architecture that will sit at the heart of a strong and engaged community. The challenge is how this is done in the context and with limited budget, but there are low tech solutions out there and this should not stifle creativity.
Through taking inspiration from small architecture, such as containers, pavilions, installations and even micro homes to understand how they deal with small spaces and storage solutions as well as architecturally appealing.

Something to think about: How would you reinvent the shed to make it a useful and pleasing space to spend time in?

Posted 21 Mar 2020 22:08

What is social value and why is it important?

Social Value has been formally recognised within the world of Architecture since 2012 when the ‘Public Services (Social Value) Act was passed. This act was put into place to primarily help voluntary and social sectors, but since it has had a larger affect on the architectural sector as a whole. It introduces a new dimensions to ‘value’ that is not financially orientated.

This concepts asks the clients to think about their investment in a wider scope that just the completion of the project, but also how investing their money could better the lives of a much bigger group of people. With this in mind, the social value of this project is both centred around the primary users (the gardeners), the extended users (the committee and local residents) and the wider community (Residents of Chorlton). The aims for this tool shed is not a stand alone piece of architecture, but something that can contribute to the wider social network when the park is hosting events throughout the year. These events are aimed at user groups of all ages to promote social inclusion and often hold an education value such as ‘Arts in the Park’ for children and the gardening events. The tool shed will contribute and enhance the park’s ability to host these events and enrich the social connections between those who use them.

This introduction of social value has expanded the role of the architect, and places a new importance of the reach a project can have - not just the immediate users but the local community aswell. This has seen the participation of end users within the design process, to ensure the needs and requirements are met within the brief. This is especially true in community lead projects when the community is involved in the build process too. The outcome of this event is a ‘how to build’ document for the committee and volunteers to later use a reference for when they build the shed in the park. The build process will include a variety of people who will learn and share skills, and promote a sense of ownership over the toolshed as it is the result of collaboration within the community.

Reference:
Morris, N. (2018) ‘Unlocking the social value of design’ RIBA Architecture. [online] Available: https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/knowledge-landing-page/unlocking-the-social-value-of-design [Accessed 09.03.2020]

Posted 21 Mar 2020 22:07

Group 02 / MANMUS

Tianyuan H

On March 10th, we had a discussion with Stephen about this activity. The discussion was a great help to us. He gave us many useful suggestions. Stephen is satisfied with the session plan of this activity, but the form of the table is not intuitive enough, so he wants us to show it in the form of a timeline. At the same time, we also discussed the content of the site model. We believe that the site model is only used to deliberate on the form of furniture, but Stephen thinks that they should be displayed as a part of the results, not just as a tool for scheme deliberation. In the end, we also discussed the material and its use.
After this discussion, we gained a lot and then made subtle adjustments to the session plan to enrich and complete the entire activity.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 21:52

Eleanor S

HIVE'S PASSION: THE SOCIAL VALUE OF URBAN FARMING

Annie Gardiner-Piggott is one third of Hive's team. Annie has a great passion for urban farming and shared her enthusiasm and devotion the the field each time Farm Follows Function met with Hive.

Annie spoke to us about why urban farming is important, what it means to Hive and herself and explained the social value of urban farming:

"The main reason I got into urban farming is because I believe we should all know where our food comes from, and because everyone deserves local produce - even in cities. We live in a global society now, where our food is shipped from farms in countries hundreds of miles away with no public knowledge of where it's from - but that's not right. For centuries we always knew where our food was grown and by who, and it was a crucial component of the structure of our communities. These days, we don't have that - and it shows. I want to change that, I want people to be able to buy produce from me and know that I grew it, I cared for it, and I delivered it. It makes for much better quality food, and much happier people as a result of both the quality, and more importantly, the human element too. We need to be connected with our food, and we at hive want to make that connection again with the city of Manchester."

Posted 21 Mar 2020 21:10

Group 16 / VICTORIAN HIGH-TECH CHURCH ROOF

Eleanor S

INSIDE HIVE'S FARM

Hive are currently located in a shipping container at Pollard Yard in Ancoats.
They chose shipping containers as the architecture of their urban farms as they are cheap to retrofit and more importantly can enclose artificially created micro-climates specifically and perfectly created for the desired crops inside.
Their current crop of mushrooms requires no natural light, another reason why the shipping container is ideal. They use UV strip lighting to stimulate the growth and create an environment with very a high humidity which is the perfect growing conditions for Hive's mushrooms.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 21:00

Linyu L

- l TIMETABLE 02 l-

This week we will focus on the project. We make physical models and draw diagrams for the booklet. In the process, we also meet and communicate with collaborators. Your modeling and drawing skills will improve this week. At the end of the EVENT, we will have a small celebration.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 20:28

Group 16 / VICTORIAN HIGH-TECH CHURCH ROOF

Linyu L

- l TIMETABLE 01 l-

This week you will have the opportunity to get a complete picture of the project. In addition, you will have the opportunity to visit Victorian architecture and lectures on heritage preservation in preparation for the future!

Posted 21 Mar 2020 20:24

The figures for Manchester rough sleeping had increased to 123 in 2018, from 94 in 2017. Of those 123 sleeping rough 95 were male, 23 female and 5 were listed as ‘Gender not known’. The number of females counted in 2017 was 14, so the figure of 23 this year represents a 64% increase in females counted. The number of young people (18-25) counted on the streets also saw a rise to 12 in 2018, from 5 in 2017, which is a 140% rise.
The rough sleepers count is widely regarded by homelessness organisations as inadequate, due to it being perceived as severely under counting the problem. Greater Manchester’s (GM) strategic lead for homelessness Mike Wright criticised the street count last August, when the street count was 278 for GM and the mayoral Bed Every Night scheme had recorded much higher figures:
“We always knew the annual rough sleeper count was a blunt instrument…You may have someone who has been on the streets for 364 nights a year but found a bed that one night and they don’t count on the statistics. Now we know that there are at least 500 people regularly rough sleeping in our region.”
Andy Burnham’s campaign to end street homelessness, is helping homeless people find shelter (see previous Meteor report), but whether he achieves his campaign pledge of ending street homelessness in GM by 2020 remains to be seen. Similarly Manchester City Council’s Big Change scheme is helping people of the street, but their recent billboard campaign seen across the city claiming to be ‘Ending Homelessness’ in Manchester, rings hollow with the release of these latest statistics.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 18:59

Areeje S

Our collaborator is keen to host an event in the form of an exhibition, in which we can showcase the work we have collated over the period of the events weeks.

Bradford Civic Society are "interested in gathering people's positive thoughts on what their vision for the future of Bradford City Center is".

This event will be hosted on Thursday 7th of May, 2020
18:00- 21:00

This provides an opportunity for our ideas to be seen by local residents, members of the council and other stakeholders. This project is a real potential to make an impact on Bradford City Center, so we intend to make full use of the exhibition.

The venue for the exhibition is the Assembly, the same venue in which the meeting was held. We plan to dedicate some hours of our trip to Bradford during events week to working in the Assembly, in order to familiarize the students with the space that we will be designing an exhibition for.

As well as creating the work for the exhibition, we plan to include students in the process of designing the exhibition space, which includes the layout, materials needed, strategy for transport of work and materials, as well as potentially creating a video/animation that will be played in the exhibition space.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 17:56

Areeje S

We were invited by our collaborator to attend a meeting held in The Assembly, Bradford.

Among the people who attended were members of the Civic Society, Bradford City Council, local Geographers and Architects, Planners and local Residents. Members from the Bradford City Council Planning Transportation and highways service gave a presentation which communicated the city's goals, funding, proposed projects and aspirations for the future.

Upon some of the main points of discussion in the meeting included Forster Square Station & Square Development, and the City Center Transport plan & its relation to the wider highways strategy. We got a good idea of the current Bradford scene, a good insight on the city as a whole will contribute towards our development of the "City Village".

The meeting was a great opportunity for us to meet key people involved, our conversations at the meeting allowed us to gain a good idea of what Manchester School of Architecture students can provide. There was an energy of excitement towards the potential of student ideas being portrayed.

We left this meeting with ideas flowing, keen to develop a strategy for our outputs in the coming weeks.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 17:27

The skills that will be acquired over EVENTS20 will include exposure to 4 main components to a successfully modern day architect. Modelling softwares, Adobe Creative suite, presentation skills and model making.

2D and 3D softwares, CAD is the grandfather of it all and is mainly used for 2D design. Revit is where the commercial architectural world is heading with many consultants embracing it, allows for an easier workflow. Rhino is a complex yet simple 3D modelling software. You aren't subject to planar extruding and is considered the program to use for complex shapes. Sketchup is Google addition to the modelling world. Simple, intuitive and effective.

The Adobe Creative Suite has been instrumental in the graphics world and an architect nowadays needs a graphic eye. Photoshop is how you transform one of Cinderella’s ugly sisters into Cinderella. Illustrator is a vector based and the fairy godmother for your line weights. InDesign is the pumpkin coach that will allow you to compile your presentation. Touch ups, text and all the good stuff that will get you ready for the ball.
Presentation are key to securing clients and selling your idea. A very underrated skill amongst us students, not only should the work do the talking but you should guide them through the narrative. Simple preparation techniques are there and available, we will just guide you.

Model making is now a lost art amongst architects as many practices can easily outsource companies to do it for them. There has been a disconnection between designing through model making within our current technologically driven society. A model should be more than a selling pitch, there should be a story. We want to know how you got here.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 17:20

Current social outreach

The Beech Road Park committee is made up of local residents, and gardeners all of which share a common aim to improve and maintain the pocket park for the use of the community.

The current uses for the community that the park and its committee provide are:

Recreation, Leisure & Play - A children play area is located in one half of the park which in fenced off from the rest of the park which is popular for dog walkers.

Events & Activities - These include dog training activities, Christmas lanterns parade and light switch on, and the park development strategy public consultation. There are year round activities hosted in the park for all age groups.

The park is also used by other groups in the community such as Scouts who ran a Chorlton litter pick event

Annual Children's Festival with Unity Arts - A painted wall can be seen at the perimeter of the park which was created during the festival. Unity Arts continues to host events at Beech Road Park in the summer, including spray painting, circus and mono printing.

Monthly Gardening Group - The committee includes some gardeners, and a lead gardener Jo, who attends the meetings but also run a monthly gardening group which is open to anyone to join.

Arts in the Park - The outcomes of this are the parks contribution to the Chorlton Arts Festival. The outcome of this project will also be included in the festival along with the continued work of Arts in the Parl.

Friends of the Park meetings - A committee who regularly meet to voice the needs of local people and liaison with Manchester City Council to improve the park. The project will be discussed in the next committee meeting and the feedback incorporated into the design.

Future Projects
The committee are working on some additions to the park to increase the activities held there, this includes the addition of a permanent outdoor table tennis table. This is a collaboration between Table Tennis England, Manchester Active, Richard (Neighbourhood Park Officer) and MCC Ward Neighbourhood Investment. The lead gardener is feeding ideas into the events project, and when complete will enrich the area surrounding the new shed with new planting.

The community play an important part in all events run within the park, this is why an important aspect of this project will be working closely with the committee members throughout the design process to ensure the final outcome best meets the needs of those using it.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 17:17

THE AIM!

A Design Charrette is a collaborative inclusive, hands-on workshop that brings people from different disciplines and backgrounds together with members of the community to explore design options for a particular area. It differs from a traditional community consultation process in that it is design based.

Our workshop will be to design a POD for us to then develop the idea as part of our Events20 module. A publication will be created and will be presented to you. Budget limits us to a theoretical project but in previous years, some have come to fruition after the event is over.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 17:13

Posted 21 Mar 2020 17:13

Posted 21 Mar 2020 17:12

Group 18 / YOUTH CENTRE 422

SAFETY FIRST!

Rooftop gardens are wonderful for many reasons, but any time you’re working with tools (or on top of a building) you need be careful.

One of the best ways to protect yourself while gardening is to wear proper PPE (Personal Protection Equipment). Sturdy shows, long trousers and a good thick pair of gloves will often be plenty. Safety goggles might be helpful as well. And finally, protect yourself from the sun. A big floppy hat or sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher is a must!

99% of the time, injury care is straightforward. Most of the injuries possible while gardening are minor, and easily taken care of.

We’ll have a safety induction before we start. This will be delivered by the workshop which is loaning us the tools and equipment we’ll use. They’ll explain about the potential hazards each piece of equipment might present, and the use of PPE.

Safety is our top priority, after all!

Posted 21 Mar 2020 17:02

Daniel W

Youth Centre 422 - Social Value - Job Opportunities

With Manchesters job growth on the rise, the inclusion of business/office spaces within the scheme is an important one. Playing our part to the wider economy.

The scheme includes a whole basement floor for start-up businesses that need a space to grow and expand. Meaning more job opportunities for the area. We will be designing spaces to maximise efficiency, to hopefully allow for great companies to be discovered.

This will be a way of funding all the charity work that takes place within the centre.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 16:48

Group 18 / YOUTH CENTRE 422

Daniel W

Youth Centre 422 - Social Value - Teaching and Learning

Within Manchester, many children do not have access to after school facilities, this new space will be open for kids to come and study or socialise with children from different communities.

Various educational facilities will be able to use the space such as local schools and colleges, for meeting spaces to the large hall space on the first floor, allowing for a wide variety of communities to use the building.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 16:47

Group 18 / YOUTH CENTRE 422

Daniel W

Youth Centre 422 - Social Value - Community

Manchester is the fifth most deprived local authority, with over half the kids growing up in poverty. This is a concerning matter with children going to bed hungry and starved of basic nutrition.

The whole idea of the programme is to renovate the youth centre to create a new communal hub for the people of Manchester. This will aid families in poverty, giving them somewhere to have fun, a healthy meal and social space to interact in.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 16:41

Group 31 / RISING ARCHITECTS

WOAH (Without A Home) is a student-run initiative, based in Manchester School of Architecture, addressing the homelessness crisis in Manchester from an architectural point of view. The primary focus of WOAH is to raise awareness and provide solutions to people without a home. Currently, there is an exploration of the potential of WikiHouse designs, working on a project that allows the public to experience what it’s like to be homeless. WOAH has also teamed up with an MSA Events group, to tackle further issues and try and coordinate a masterplan for places and service people can go for help.

architecture:unknown believes design and construction should be an inclusive dialogue where everyone takes part, one where architecture becomes more than just the route to a building and create social connections where none previously existed as people construct a shared understanding of place. They use their expertise to enable both the clients and local communities to emotionally invest in design and promote Wiki House as a platform for people to collaborate in construction. Both Charlie and Daniel love helping people benefit from this approach; it is their purpose, their profession and their passion. They are enthusiastic to come share their knowledge, tips and tricks for both BA students and MA students to benefit from.

Website: https://www.architectureunknown.co.uk/

Let’s hope that together we can remove the stigma around homelessness and ensure we do our best to help those without a home!

Posted 21 Mar 2020 15:39

Andrea Gabriela N

Rising Architects - The Schools

Our brief aims to target a variety of students interested in the field of architecture, across different schools, academies and colleges in Manchester. The schools identified demonstrate the ambitions to encourage the engagement of student from different institutions to ensure we have the widest possible outreach. Creating our architecture summer school, establishes a link between the University and the schools, providing lasting impact that will continue to benefit upcoming students.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 15:21

Group 11 / HUMAN NARRATIVE

Sally Anne L

SOCIAL VALUE?

What is social value? And why is it so important?

As budding architects and designers we have a responsibility and influence through our work that is far reaching and long lasting.
We can often get bogged down with profit margins, providing efficient designs to commercial developers and loosing that connection with the people who will inevitably inhabit the spaces we have designed. These people will turn our lines on paper into their homes, offices, spaces to chat, spaces for activities, spaces where memories are made.

The introduction of humans turns space, into place.

It is with this in mind that we must consider if we can make a bigger difference or impact through our architecture, by creating extra spaces that provide value to the society around which our building or interventions are located.

RIBA stated in 2018 that:
"Social value has become the holy grail for the profession."

Through this events program we hope to reinforce the importance of the added value we can try to install through our working practice to benefit occupants and communities.

We will provide social value through hour work with Nightsafe and this will hopefully benefit all the students involved too. Making them consider how we could take this out into the world of work and throughout our continual architectural education.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 12:55

Group 14 / CENTRE STAGE

Thomas Charles K

Group 14 // Centre Stage // Stuart Wheeler @ SimpsonHaugh

We're delighted to have organised a talk from Stuart Wheeler, an architect at SimpsonHaugh with predominant experience in the early stages of design. Stuart will talk us through some examples of community centres and theatres he's worked on during his career honing in on what makes a successful concept design and how to respresent key aspects of architectural design with imagery.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 12:46

Group 14 / CENTRE STAGE

Thomas Charles K

Group 14 // Centre Stage // Case Study - HOME

We're delighted to announce a guided tour of HOME on Wednesday the 29th April. This gives us a great perspective of a modern day theatre, cinema and community centre.

We can understand from HOME how theatres work in a human scale, this tour should help us to understand the underlying atmospheres community centres and theatres create as well as how architecture generates this so that we can portray these themes in our publication.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 12:18

Jasmine R

INSPIRATION:

Our collaborator, Lynn, sent us some great precedents. Here's one in Kings Cross, London.

The use of fabric planters allows for easy set up. But once the soil is added it gives it the weight it needs to stay in place.

We love the mix of the urban setting and gardening with these planters and they add lots of colour to the grey paving. They also soften the harsh city landscape.

This can be applied in our project because currently the materials on the terrace are very harsh and grey. But through our project we will brighten up any grey Manchester day!

Posted 21 Mar 2020 11:56

Jasmine R

WHAT'S THE PLAN - WEEK 2:

Week 2 is all about building! By the end of week 2 we will have 3 innovative and well made planters.

We will be using tools in the Chatham courtyard to build our planters out of recycled materials. Following our "How to" guides should make for a quick start.

Throughout the week we will continue to share where we are with the build progress. Then on the final day we will present our final build to our collaborator, textile Senior Lecturer Lynn Setterington.

It will be a fun filled, productive two weeks where we will learn lots about the design and building process.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 11:51

Group 21 / MAKE * SHAPE * DISCOVER

Jasmine R

WHAT'S THE PLAN - WEEK 1:

For our event we have two weeks to reach our final goal of creating 3 beautifully made planters.

Week 1 is all about preparation. We will visit the roof terrace to understand the context the planters will be placed in. Then we will visit a succesful garden and speak to the cultural park keeper and the landscape gardener at Whitworth Park. This will be an inspiring day to give us lots of ideas.

Then we will split up into 3 groups, each designing a planter. Initial ideas will be shown by sketches with research from plants and precedents informing the designs.

Producing final drawings will help us to understand how we will build the planters. Each team will make a "How to Build" manuals so that we can have a smooth build in week 2!

Posted 21 Mar 2020 11:51

Cheuk Ki M

THINKING THROUGH MODEL MAKING

We will use computer software programmes such as Autocad and Sketchup to digitally model the developing designs for the project, however, for the early stages of the design process, it was decided that physical models will be produced in order to quickly and efficiently test our ideas, particularly for the flexible furniture designs, where we will work to a scale of 1:2.

This will be completed in a workshop environment, where we will invite undergraduate students to aid our conceptual investigations. Through an iterative process, we will combine a general understanding of ergonomics and the application of anthropometric data with a creative exploration into the possibilities of flexible furniture, which will ultimately result in a collective critique of a series of tangible design solutions.

The primary objective of the workshop scenario is to efficiently test multiple ideas so that we can provide TASC studio with a thoughtful and innovative design solution that will not only enhance their workspace in terms of improved flexibility and adaptability but also one that will encourage social interaction and creativity.

After a series of mock-up models have been tested, the design for the flexible furniture concept will be finalised before we produce a final presentation model. We will then present the final model alongside a digital publication that will exhibit the overall design of the renovation of the TASC studio.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 11:28

Group 11 / HUMAN NARRATIVE

Sally Anne L

During our two-week events program B.Arch students will have the opportunity to visit the Nightsafe offices, activity day centre and shelter located in the centre of Blackburn Town Centre in the Boulevard building.

We will take the train from Manchester for a whole day trip on Friday 1st May. Nightsafe's day centre is called Platform 5 due to the close proximity to Blackburn train station.

During the trip we will be introduced to the staff and facilities, we will then give a short presentation on what we are doing and what we have learnt so far during the workshop week. Following a lunch break we will host architectural-craft based workshops, such as building paper straw sky scrapers, pasta bridges and more. We will provide refreshments and get to intreat with the hardworking staff and volunteers at the charity and the users of their services.
We will be spoil into teams to help organise the event and document the activities during the day, including recording conversations, photographing interactions and making a vlog for Nightsafe.

We are really looking forward to this hands on and interactive day and know it will be great fun and a success for everyone involved!!

Posted 21 Mar 2020 11:26

Sarah D

SKILLS:

Our curation of the planters must be sustainable, from recycled or up-cycled materials. Our collaborator Lynn Setterington currently has a surplus of material mesh and she will be providing us, and the undergraduate students a masterclass on how this unique material can be reused to manufacture planters from it. This is a rare opportunity to learn and develop textiles skills with collaboration with the textiles students.

Ourselves, as year five students with practice experience will be providing short tutorials to the undergraduate students. This will develop throughout the week from hand drawing techniques to graphic representation using the adobe suite to a range of 3D modelling and rendering software. In the second week we will be focused on model making which we are all proficient in.

This will be an exciting two weeks where we will all learn, reinvent and develop ourselves.

Posted 21 Mar 2020 08:21

INDESIGN WORKSHOP
DATE: 29/04

The MMU Tech Lab will be leading us through an InDesign workshop. The go to software for publication design, Adobe InDesign is a great tool to learn. Not only will this help you put together a cohesive Zine, its a software often used to create portfolios, planning packages and brochures in University and in practice, skills that will look great on a CV.

We'll be looking at the basic overview of the software to get everyone to a good level, but as we begin to apply a Zine aesthetic you'll have the opportunity to build on these skills with the help of the MArch team.

Posted 20 Mar 2020 23:12

'TALKAOKE'

Hosted by the Building Bridges team we will be engaging in a talkaoke, an open discussion platform used in the community in Nelson. We'll be bringing forward questions from our discussions at MMU and engage with the BBP team and members of the community to get to the heart of what they need from the space and what life in Pendle is like.

Posted 20 Mar 2020 23:12

SITE SURVEY WORKSHOP

In groups of 3-4 students we will be leading you through a site surveying workshop. We will show you the basics of site surveying and help you to document the site though measurements, photographs and more before a cross validation to see where any details might have been missed out.

During this period we will also be talking with you about concept ideas and sketches and how they might relate to the surveyed information to take forward into the design process.

Posted 20 Mar 2020 23:11

Group 16 / VICTORIAN HIGH-TECH CHURCH ROOF

SITE VISIT: GROUP VISIT TO NELSON
DATE: 30/04

On the 30th we'll be going to the site in Nelson. We'll introduce you to the collaborators who will talk to you about the amazing work they do within the community. We'll also have a chance to talk with members of the community and to really get to know the people this project is for.

After lunch we'll be leading a guided site survey workshop to help you understand the site and document it properly, skills that you'll use throughout your careers.

Posted 20 Mar 2020 23:08

Linyu L

- l YOU WILL LEARN l-

For BA students:
Join us, and you will have the opportunity to learn image and video processing software Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Indesign, Premiere, and modeling software CAD, REVIT, SketchUp, Rhino.
During these two weeks, we will fully assist you in learning to use this software, which will be very important for your future studies.

Posted 20 Mar 2020 22:21

Sara H

Precedent 3:

Dome sleeping unit is a modular sleeping POD in Los Angeles, designed by architecture firm Perkins and Will.
The unit was designed by Perkins and Will's LA studio in response to a city initiative called A Bridge Home, which is focused on creating emergency shelter for homeless residents.
The Dome system responds to "the urgent need for specialised furnishings that can be rapidly deployed at a low cost", said Perkins and Will in a project statement.
Each contains a lockable wardrobe, a standard power outlet, and a frame for a twin bed. An optional fabric canopy can be used to cover openings, helping increase privacy.

Solid surface panels and Birch plywood for the wardrobe door are used as materiality.
"Solid surface is low maintenance and resists scratching, while wood accents give the unit a residential character," the team said.

Posted 20 Mar 2020 21:22

Sara H

Precedent 2:

Street tree Pods is a treehouse to provide starter homes on London, designed by Matthew Chamberlain.

"Street Tree Pods seeks to offer a fresh insight into urbanisation and community living within London, tackling and challenging both the current housing crisis and the growing pollution issues within the city," explained Chamberlain.

Taking up the same amount of space as a single car-parking bay, each structure would offer short-term accommodation to a single occupant. It can be occupied by students, young professionals and first-time buyers, or to homeless people.
"It is not enough to simply move it out of the way for our architectural interventions. Trees are imperative to the success, health and wellbeing of all people and only ever provide advantages to our quality and way of life."

Posted 20 Mar 2020 21:20

Sara H

Precedent 1:

Homed is a new type of temporary housing in New York City by Creative agency Framlab.

It comprises partly 3D-printed hexagonal pods that use scaffolding to attach to the sides of unused, windowless building facades. The modular units could be easily customized for different uses and transported from site to site.

The main approach is to offer a practical and aesthetic option in a very dense city. To maximize space, the proposal develops on a vertical axis, in a shape very similar to a honeycomb.

Homed’s hexagon-shaped housing modules could form temporary micro-neighborhoods and a type of private and attractive housing that most shelters are unable to provide.
The flexibility of the modules allows a wide array of uses that include sleeping, showering, and socializing.

Each aluminum-framed pod features interior modules 3D printed from recyclable bioplastics and clad with wood laminate. PMMA smart glass lets in ample natural light, while the layer of thin-film diodes provide privacy and can be used to depict artwork or commercial content on the outside.

Posted 20 Mar 2020 21:19

Group 22 / NEWTOPIA

Hayden W

SARAH HARDACRE EXHIBITION

Sarah Hardacre is a renowned artist who lives and works in Manchester and exhibits her work internationally. Her work is held in major public collections as she presents a series of collages and prints that use architectural photographs from local historical archives. Her work regularly features modular forms, brutalist blocks and a female figure that contrasts with the dominance of male architecture.

As a team we were fascinated by Hardacre’s work, but found further inspiration in the exhibition of her artwork. We found it useful to see how a portfolio of work is organised within a space to encourage a full range of movement and circulation around a gallery space. This is something that we have taken away from our visit and would like to implement in our group event.

For more information on Sarah Hardacre's exhibition please follow the link: http://modernist-society.org/events/penthouse-and-pavement

Posted 20 Mar 2020 21:17

Group 28 / SPINSPACE

Aslan Gabriel L

On Wednesday 29th April we invite Dominic Sagar for a talk on social housing in which he will discuss the current housing crisis and potential creative solutions to the lack of social housing.

Posted 20 Mar 2020 19:26

GUEST SPEAKER: SAFFA KHAN
DATE: 06/05

Introducing illustrator and zine-maker: Saffa Khan! Saffa is also a graduate of MSoA, who now resides in Glasgow. Their work explores important themes such of community, social belonging, identity and mental health - often recreating their intimate thoughts and feelings as printed works; in the form of illustrations, prints and mark making.

Saffa is a zine-producing elite! They have self-produced and published over 17 zines throughout their career, and have collaborated on many more. They now run workshops on zine-making and printing, hoping to provide marginalised voices with the skills required to represent their ideas in a tangible form. Saffa encourages collaboration, skill-sharing and community engagement through DIY culture.

Saffa is an undeniable source of knowledge for all things zine, boasting a strong design aesthetic and technical prowess. Her talk will be an insightful window into the world of zines, and equip all students with a strong base knowledge to move the project forward.

Further information on Saffa and a collection of previous work is available to view on: www.safka.co.uk

Posted 20 Mar 2020 17:22

GROUP VISIT: ZINE COLLECTION AT MMU SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

MMU Special Collections (located on the fourth floor of MMU All Saints Library) is a valuable resource for students at Manchester School of Art, holding a wide range of artist books, poster collections, decorated papers and design ephemera. Following the lead of forward-thinking institutions such as the British Library, the Tate, and Glasgow School of Art - MMU Special Collections introduced a small collection of zines in 2017, reflecting the ongoing interest and scholarship around zines and their history within the contemporary design world.

The focus of the collection is to demonstrate the growth of the zine as a medium for creative self-expression through a DIY method of production and design. Zines are a legitimate form of printing which is often overlooked by established print collections. The zines held in the current collection were produced across different decades, spanning a wide range of topics and graphical techniques.

Visiting the collection at MMU Special Collections will be an important point of our EVENTS calendar, providing the team with the opportunity to see a wide range of different designs in a physical form and to emphasise how loose the restrictions of a zine can be. The final product should be personal, graphical and fun. It will be important to note the differences in paper quality, printing methods and binding techniques - which will be of use when we begin to look at printing our final product.

Posted 20 Mar 2020 17:22

GUEST SPEAKER: LIAM FALLON
DATE: 04/05

We are excited to confirm that Manchester based artist and MSoA alumni Liam Fallon will be joining us on 04/05 to discuss his design approach, and offer advice on translating conceptual ideas into a 3D form. Liam's expertise will be particularly useful as we move into the final stages of concept design for BBP's office space, and begin to explore which mediums are most suitable to convey our ideas. Sketch models are a simple tool which allows the designer and audience to explore a space in 3D, which some groups may feel inclined to explore further.

Liam is an award-winning sculptor who graduated from MSoA in 2017. Since graduating he has exhibited in Glasgow, New York, Valencia, Seoul and London, and opened his first solo show at the Turnpike Gallery, Leigh in 2019.
Liam's joint show with German conceptual artist Cathrin Hoffmann will open in Berlin in April 2020.

Further information on Liam and a collection of previous work is available to view on: www.liam-fallon.com - alternatively you can find him on instagram: @lfallon

Posted 20 Mar 2020 17:21