WHAT IS EVENTS?

The MArch students will work in collaboration with the BA Year 01 and 02 undergraduates in mixed-year teams which will run like an architecture practice. The collaborator acts as the project client, the MSA staff are equivalent to governing bodies such as RIBA, the MArch students act as the associates and partners of the practice and the BA students act as junior colleagues.
Aims for students for Events 20:
• To improve students understanding of the practical aspects of live projects and the role of the architect within society.
• To learn valuable skills such as conceptualising a project, developing a brief and delivering and managing a small project.
• To develop an understanding and explore design ideas beyond the discipline of architecture.
• To meet new people and organisations and develop connections which will be beneficial when students enter the working world.

ZONING OF THE SITE: SKETCH PROPOSAL


Our site is split into clear zones which create defined areas across the garden, this plan shows a rough idea of our design concept.
For example the the education zone which includes the existing site office and teaching space with a new build community class room space. The rest of the design is split by the needs given to us by our collaborator for example, the woodland walk, renovated glass houses and the pond zone.

We also looked at better connections to the existing site, for example a more clear entrance into the garden and a connection to the hotel at the rear to offer space for weddings and parties.

We will now look at three of these key areas in detail to better explain how each area can work separately.

ZONE: TEACHING SPACE

The teaching space zone creates an area for the garden to be used as an educational space, the existing building would be renovated to create an office, toilet and class room space and a new building would be proposed next door to create an area for the local community to use as a flexible space for teaching and running classes.
For example local primary schools could use the space to teach students about the outdoor environment or a local yoga group could use the space for classes facing onto the garden. The space would also be used by the University of Manchesters Biology department.

ZONE: GLASS HOUSE

The two existing grade two listed glass houses would be retained and renovated, glass would be renovated to match the historic design and the interiors redone to create defined areas inspired by the planting inside, for example the European room or the tropical room. These defined areas
teach visitors to the garden about the type of planting found in different climates with new signage and better information zones.
Finally as you enter the space the old brick building would be renovated into a clearer entrance hall to allow visitors to clearly find their way into the glass houses and experience the different planting.

ZONE: WOODLAND WALK

Finally, the area at the rear corner of the garden would be transformed into a woodland walk, currently overgrown with large trees and bushes, the area can be cut back to create a path which winds through the woodland and allows visitors to experience the planting. Inspired by the precedent at Didsbury Botanical Garden. The space would have places to sit around the path and creates a different atmosphere in the garden attracting visitors.