MSA Live 21

Group 35 / SKYSCRAPERS THE LIMIT

Xiaowen L

DAY 2

As part of our video workshops, we're creating example outputs (such as photographs, models, and sketches). Above is a series of clips as an example for our Model making workshop.

Posted 12 May 2021 16:42

Ryan D

Here is the finished result, look forward to seeing how these models will develop once stacked combing multiple students' designs leading to the creation of a highrise.

Posted 12 May 2021 16:38

Group 35 / SKYSCRAPERS THE LIMIT

Ryan D

Today we tested the task we are creating, the model-making team focused on testing the nets that were designed by the group.

Posted 12 May 2021 16:37

Group 25 / IN THE OCEANS OF DIVERSITY

Nuwar D

A photoshop workshop was held on teams and mainly led by the MArch students Nadezhda Yordanova and Christina Markaki.
Where they have explained to the BA students how to use photoshop starting from the basic tools on how to navigate through the program using each tool for a certain purpose going more into detailed explanation on how to add textures, materials, trees, and people to an elevation. BA students have engaged and learned new skills and techniques using photoshop and all of their questions have been answered clearly in order to use this program by engaging all students in our next step in the project.

Posted 12 May 2021 16:35

Group 23 / SPACE INVADERS

Afrah B

One of the ideas produced was to find a middle ground for the young and the old. In the age of flexible architecture, we are working on sustainable and innovative ways to bring different generations together to enjoy public spaces. Work by Anita Luburic, Ke Han Oh, Oliver Chard

Posted 12 May 2021 15:59

Group 33 / ECOTSWOLDS

Michael Thomas W

Padraig is a sustainability leader at IBI and has recently relocated from Vancouver to be based in the UK & Ireland. He is at the cutting-edge of sustainable design, specifically the ‘Passive House’ standard, which promotes low energy consumption by creating a comfortable internal environment that does not require continued heating and cooling.

Padraig will be talking to us about one of his most recent projects which is the fourth tallest residential building in Vancouver and the tallest Passive House Building in the world. The presentation will show how Passive House principles are transferable across all sectors, from commercial and hospitality, through to large-scale healthcare environments.

Find out more:

https://www.ibigroup.com/

https://www.dezeen.com/2020/11/23/wkk-architects-1075-nelson-street-passivhaus-skyscraper/

https://vimeo.com/515251723?ref=em-share

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/the-pacific-grosvenor-americas-arts-culture-hub-825-pacific-street-vancouver

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/1500-robson-street-vancouver-rental-tower

Posted 12 May 2021 15:44

Group 30 / OUR PROUD PAST

Tim S

Paper Models

One of the main outputs discussed at the start of the project was for the team to produce a scale model of the old building. Due to having to work digitally for the project, we came up with the task to create a mini model of the buildings. To do so, we needed to create a net for the buildings using plans and elevations taken from the Manchester planning portal.

Before we started on the buildings, we ran a small workshop with the modelling group to understand how they work. Once we had practiced simpler nets, we then started to work on the building models. Using a range of software such as AutoCAD and Sketchup the team started to develop models which should be finished by the end of tomorrow.

Once finished, the models will be uploaded to the website, that means that anyone around the world can build their own mini LGBT+ Centre of the past and future!

Posted 12 May 2021 15:29

Group 30 / OUR PROUD PAST

Tim S

History Timeline

Now that we had extracted the data from the archives, it was time to collate and organise it into its specific year groups and themes. This will become the main body of the website as well as used throughout the ZINE. To go alongside the text, the team also started to work on some images that will help narrate the story of the LGBT+ Centre, see Draw/Create post for more info!

The medium in which the final image was in was up to the individual, with an emphasis being put on making them bright and eye-catching.

Posted 12 May 2021 15:29

Group 15 / PLAY BY THE BEECH

Premdyl Singh S

Day 3

For our final guest lecture we welcome Javier Gonzalez to our MSA live Project, he is a partner and director of 100Architects, an international practice that specialises in Street Architecture and Public Realm Design . He presented many of their projects including Creek Play in Dubai, Starfish Hub in Abu Dhabi and High Loop in Shanghai. Javier explained to us the ‘recipe’ of creating hyper stimulating play areas that accommodate for both children and adults. As an alternative mean to a traditional park, he mentions that contrast in context, aesthetic independence, controversial design, instant function, fostering interactions and surprises create successful playgrounds for all. The designers of 100Architects uses colours and shapes to create outstanding playscapes all over the world!

Posted 12 May 2021 15:24

Group 36 / COLOUR THE CITY

Muhammad Ifwat Bin Z

After confirming the layout for our booklet, both groups have spent the day drafting some possible designs for the poster using few sketch examples from yesterday's meeting. Looking forward to seeing the progress!

Posted 12 May 2021 15:23

Group 33 / ECOTSWOLDS

George Edward W

"Phi reflects their design philosophy with ‘smart’ architecture, sustainable and environmentally responsible design, combined with the application of Phi Φ, the golden section, to create beautiful proportions in design. Phi is committed to cost efficient design and construction culminating in highly energy efficient solutions.

Phi Architects are a team of Architects and Passivhaus Designers whose expertise is in the design and delivery of low energy houses and housing. We have also worked as consultants for other architects and designers, supporting them in their efforts to achieve low energy housing and helping them to meet the Passivhaus standard."

https://www.phi-architects.com/about-us/

Sara and Jeremy will be joining us to discuss all things Passivhaus, including how to become a Passivhaus architect and a selection of their current projects, including 'The Chapel, New Mills' - the re-use of a dilapidated Methodist church into a workspace, studio and residential building.

Posted 12 May 2021 14:54

Group 34 / LIVE WIRES

Joseph T

Inspired by urban transit maps, we created a diagram to schematically present the existing charitable food infrastructure in Hulme and Moss Side. This furthered our understanding of the existing networks and interactions in the locality. Additionally, we spent the the day developing our understanding of the site as well as beginning to test design ideas and strategies for the site to be developed after our site visit tomorrow.

Posted 12 May 2021 14:44

Group 14 / RE-SHAPING MARPLE

Kefei Q

Day 3 - Presentation from Eamonn

Eamonn gave the team a presentation regarding the key principles of Urban Design, using examples from his students who are on the Architecture + Urbanism course. Eamonn explained the following principles: Patterns, Narratives, Monuments and Spaces. Each of these had a strong correlation to the work we had already done as a group including the exploration of Marple using Noli maps, the importance of the history of Marple in creating a narrative and more. And so, the following questions were raised: Can the redevelopment of Marple Memorial Park reinstate the productive nature of Marple? Can the new community hub become a monument through a striking design or aesthetic? These questions will be explored in the remaining days of MSA Live in the hope to produce an exciting, yet sensitive output.

Posted 12 May 2021 14:43

Group 21 / INSPIRE BRADFORD

Cameron S

The footage from yesterday’s filming is looking great and our first day editing videos is going well. We are all learning lots of new skills editing videos through Adobe Premier Pro, YouTube tutorials are coming in very helpful.

Posted 12 May 2021 14:43

Catherine Zena P

Sharing Site Analysis // Following the sub-group work we completed yesterday, one task we engaged in today was sharing the findings as a whole group.
The historic analysis sub-group began the talk, discussing the findings and history of Little Germany, its rise and fall over time. They established that a lot of the site buildings are Grade II listed and found some really interesting photographs of the site throughout time!
The social analysis group focussed on the current social amenities within Little Germany, identifying the area as one in which has little open to the public or for recreation. The site borders the Broadway Shopping Centre, which is a large retail site for the city, it is also in close proximity to the Cathedral and on the periphery of the city centre, meaning it is a great location to introduce new social amenities.
The pragmatic analysis group studied aspects of the site including site geometry, street hierarchy, access routes and environmental analysis. The diagrams and analysis collated by the group have already started to inform decisions for the masterplan including arrival and access points.

We look forward to seeing how the collated analysis from all of the Inspire Bradford team begin to inform the first design decisions!

Posted 12 May 2021 14:28

Group 40 / ARCHIVING ALBERT

Farah Nadhiera Binti MF

HERITAGE TEAM: REFINING STORY OF ALBERT SQUARE

After an informative sharing session with Meg McHugh and Tamara Karim, the Heritage Team went back to our Miro board and start discussing refinement on the topics to be covered within our interpretation of Albert Square. We have narrowed down 7 main topics which aligned with the current proposal of the Heritage Team of the restoration project, which Meg was a part of. They are:

1. Introduction to Albert Square and Town Hall
- covering background information of the two important landmarks
2. Historical facts
- narrating why it is built? How? Where? And when?
3. Existing sculptural/ art collections
- showing current collections on display including one of the most celebrated 'treasures', the 12 Manchester murals
4. People behind the scene
- stakeholders directly and indirectly working on and affected by the changes of the square and Town Hall over the years
5. Conflicts and controversies
- informing past issues such as protest on Town Hall demolition
6. Manchester and the World
- inclusivity of the space to be a medium that tells the story of everyone, 'Voice of people' , blurring the division between people in the city centre and those outside
7. Digital infrastructure
- representation method to ensure inclusivity for all

Our refined story topics will be integrated to go hand-in-hand with the visitor experience centre and QR code display concept produced by the Design Team

Posted 12 May 2021 14:21

Group 21 / INSPIRE BRADFORD

Catherine Zena P

Live Talk // Peter Mitchell from Feilden Clegg Bradley joined Inspire Bradford this morning to introduce us to the master-planning principles they incorporate. Peter shared precedents from FCB’s portfolio which were completed in similar scales or themes to the Little Germany site and brief. One precedent we enjoyed discussing was the Circle Square development, on the previous BBC Headquarters site on Oxford Road. The inclusion of a large, open park space is something we think could provide benefits to the densely built-up area of Little Germany.

Peter introduced us to how he would initially approach a masterplan project. The importance of creating a ‘design code’ and outlining principles to which the masterplan will employ and follow. This started an informative discussion within the group, allowing us to identify aspects of the site which we read as opportunities or constraints, based on the site analysis work we completed yesterday.

We all found this talk very informative and again would like to thank Peter for his input and time!

Posted 12 May 2021 14:15

Group 21 / INSPIRE BRADFORD

Catherine Zena P

Day Three // Wednesday’s Timetable
10:00 – 11:00 Peter Mitchell from Feilden Clegg Bradley live talk!
11:15 – 13:00 Sharing our site analysis and findings from yesterday. Discussion of thoughts from the mornings talk, establishing initial approach to master-planning.

Posted 12 May 2021 13:58

Group 37 / PAY INN DISPLAY

Andrew Cameron K

Today the groups presented the work that they have been doing so far. We were really impressed with their outputs!

The groups are people, culture, the valley, and the building, which can be summarised as focussing on the social and the physical aspects of the project. They really investigated the local area through the architecture and the community, and in the discussion after the presentation brought their ideas together to be able to take them forward.

This image, created by Sam explores the materiality of the building and brings to life the physical aspects of vernacular building in the Lake District.

Some base images used in this design were provided by Grizedale Arts.

Posted 12 May 2021 13:49

Group 26 / OWNHAUS

Aadil N

DAY 3 // DEVELOPING THE BRIEF

MICRO SITE ANALYSIS

To get the most out of the site, we needed to take a closer look and study the aspects we can exploit in order to provide the best livable social housing.

We found the range of buildings in the immediate context would greatly impact sunlight on the ground, especially in winter. We also found the immediate context is loud and can be oppressive.

We studied the views from and of the site from the surrounding buildings, and wanted to explore how create a beacon of social housing in the context of oppressive city centre apartment blocks.

We concluded that much work will be needed to make a quite and peaceful space of communal living, but the nature of site can allow for this to be accomplished, by connecting well to the water and creating airy communal spaces with plenty of sunlight.

Posted 12 May 2021 13:48

Group 26 / OWNHAUS

Aadil N

DAY 3 // DEVELOPING THE BRIEF

MACRO SITE ANALYSIS

As we discussed the benefits the ownHaus system could provide for social housing, it became clear that our proposal would need to relate to its surrounding facilities.

The site is well connected with multiple transport links closeby, and is quite lively, with bars, clubs and restaurants close by.

We also studied the greenspaces in the area and found the even substantial spaces were 10 mintes away.

We therefore concluded that the context is well suited for young people, so the site should focus on making older people feel welcome.

Posted 12 May 2021 13:42

Group 27 / CONNECTED COMMUNITY

Hannah B

DAY 3

The third day started with forming a brief from the tenant’s requirements and wants. The tenants kindly sent us letters expressing what they would like from the community centre. Using these, we produced word clouds and brainstormed the common themes and spatial requirements. These were then translated into spatial adjacency diagrams and then into photomontages of the individual spaces. Some great images were produced.

We are looking forward to Day 4 and seeing how these diagrams and images play out into designs!

Posted 12 May 2021 13:23

Group 07 / PLAY BOX

Noson Eliyahu P

DAY THREE...TALK BY JOHN LEE

Today we were joined by John Lee to discuss Projekts MCR shipping container scheme, based in a skatepark in Manchester. John covered this fascinating community based project, providing insight into the conceptual and technical rationale.

We have all been inspired and are using this improved knowledge of shipping containers to enhance our concepts, thank you John!!!

Posted 12 May 2021 13:18

Group 02 / MIXED SPACE

Lian L

In the first day we organized a game called ice breaking game - Kahoot! The game is about some important information relating to Tetley. Everyone had a very good performance! This is our honorable ranking! Cheers!

Posted 12 May 2021 12:41

Group 22 / PARKTOPIA

Thomas C

Day 2 has been very creative with our trips to nearby parks. These are our responses to how we felt and the way we have perceived the park through abstraction using elements from the parks

Posted 12 May 2021 12:40

Group 42 / CAN WE FIX IT?

Tejin P

Day 03: Precedent Research

We have been researching the current working environment in non-construction industries. Looking at examples from across the world, such as Acciona Ombu offices by Foster&Partners and Paddington Works by Threefold Architects, the team has been able to analyse these spaces and create adjacency diagrams. It became abundantly clear that there is a disparity between the construction industry accommodation and almost all other industries. This led to discussions concerning which elements our scheme can bring across from other sectors to increase health and mental wellbeing as well as creating conducive working environments.

Posted 12 May 2021 12:25

I am currently completing my second year at Manchester School of Architecture. I am interested in sustainable and innovative design solutions focused on creating healthy, productive spaces that address environmental concerns within a framework of user comfort and aesthetic. In my personal time I enjoy painting and working with traditional art mediums as a creative outlet.

I aim to raise awareness about women's architectural achievements in an industry that is still widely dominated by men and where male achievements in the field are sadly more often recognized and publicized over female achievements.

Posted 12 May 2021 12:24

Ruby is in the second year of BA Architecture at the Manchester School of Architecture. Born in Hong Kong, where the male patriarchal culture still exists without people realising actively, she is eager to explore what the future holds for women in the architecture industry. Throughout the course, she found the sustainability and well-being aspects of building design very interesting and will continue exploring for the rest of her degree.

Posted 12 May 2021 12:10

First year, MSA
I am interested in the move towards a greater level of equality, and therefore how we can use architecture as a tool in the feminist movement. Successful architects that have made a positive change are very inspiring to me, and I think to learn more about these individuals is very important for me, in such an early stage of my education and career.

Posted 12 May 2021 12:07

Group 20 / HAVE WE KILLED THE PLANET?

Bima is in the second year of the BA Architecture program in the Manchester School of Architecture. His current interest in how women navigate spaces within the city of Jakarta, and fascination with the way cultures of economic, environmental, political, and societal extract building materials has pushed him into an interesting course within architecture. At the heart of it all is his interest in creative writing, in particular essay writing.

Posted 12 May 2021 12:06

Joshua B

AAS// GUEST SPEAKER

We are pleased to announce that Scott McAulay, founder of AAS, will be joining us for a live presentation followed by a Q&A at 10:15am on the 10th May.

The Anthropocene Architecture School started its life as an event at Scotland’s Architecture Fringe in 2019, and then with Extinction Rebellion he led a session for the public, NGOs, activists, and architects to look at what was holding back their cities’ emergency response.

Next came his Crisis Studios which paired industry tutors with students to design sustainably and it has gone on to offer sessions in climate literacy in CPD slots at practices and public sessions.

Posted 12 May 2021 11:59

Group 18 / ARCHIKIDS

Wiktoria N

Our First Workshop!!!

We had our first workshop today and we learnt how to use a variety of tools in Adobe Photoshop to create our own collages of pods!

It was so exciting to learn new things and figure out how to bring our designs to life!

Tune in later today to see how our own collages turned out!!

Posted 12 May 2021 11:49

Group 41 / SKETCHY BUSINESS

Rodica Teona E

DAVID CONNOR//WORKSHOP

We are excited to announce David Connor, a distinguished architectural designer and tutor at the MSA will be joining us for a live presentation and a drawing workshop at 11:30!

David Connor is a British interior and architectural designer, who, in the early 1980's, was one of a few pioneers who changed perceptions of what design could be. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, Connor began his career as an interior designer before branching out into architecture. His clients and collaborators include Vivienne Westwood, Anish Kapoor, Malcolm McLaren, and Adam Ant.

Posted 12 May 2021 11:49

Ebunofe A

Aaya is a first year Architecture student at MSA. She enjoys applying a multidisciplinary approach to her work, especially in exploring how art & design, psychology and anthropology influence the built environment. She is excited to unravel and learn about the women's role and impact in the industry.

Posted 12 May 2021 11:47

Group 41 / SKETCHY BUSINESS

Ebunofe A

Maria is a second year student at the MSA, experimenting and exploring what her potential interests may narrow down to later in her career path. At the moment she remains open-minded and will take on any design challenge with a high level of enthusiasm.

Posted 12 May 2021 11:47

Rodica Teona E

COMPLETE THE SKETCH

It is fascinating how our brain creates an image out of a few lines and this is what we explored in our first exercise today! This was a great method of pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones and draw something we imagine, rather than replicate an object we can see and analyse. We are so proud of everyone taking place in this quick experiment!

Check more sketches on our Instagram page! https://www.instagram.com/msa_sketchy_business/

Posted 12 May 2021 11:43

Group 18 / ARCHIKIDS

Millie Jessica Tracy E

Precedent Analysis Time!

As a group we looked at existing precedents and discussed what was and wasn't successful about each. We looked at materiality, colour, texture, structure and much more to see how they could be incorporated into our pods.

We then had a really fun exercise cutting up the precedents and using our favourite parts to form concept images of our own pods!

We sketched, collaged, modelled and annotated different work and came up with amazing 3 concepts which we cannot wait to develop!

Stay tuned and see how our first workshop tutorial goes, turning these ideas into fun abstract collages!

Posted 12 May 2021 11:41

Group 02 / MIXED SPACE

Zhengyang Z

LECTURE
Great lecture from Wallaceliu!
They described in detail the design and construction process of Chongqing Industrial Museum. And they answered a lot of questions for our group. Thanks a lot!
If you are interested in Wallaceliu, please visit the website: https://www.wallaceliu.com/

Posted 12 May 2021 11:40

Group 20 / HAVE WE KILLED THE PLANET?

Joshua B

Check out the schedule for Day 1!
9.00 - Group Welcome
10:15 - Guest Talk with Scott McAulay
11:15 - Project Outputs
12:30 - Housekeeping
14:00 - Topic Breakdown and Presentation
15:15 - What's a Workshop?
16:00 - Presentation & Discussion
16:30 - Debrief

Posted 12 May 2021 11:35

Group 05 / MODULARCH

Christian Anthony Cunha B

After some insightful talks from Michael Swiszczowski of Chapman Taylor and Philip Watson of HLM Architects, it was apparent that there were some hurdles when it comes to implementing modular construction. Both highlighted the issues that come with public perception, initial capital and building control. As a team, we hope that we can jump these hurdles and show the effectiveness of modular construction through our proposals!

Posted 12 May 2021 11:15

Group 41 / SKETCHY BUSINESS

Rodica Teona E

COMPLETE THE SKETCH

Welcome to our third day of MSA Live! We are thrilled to kick-start a new day doing what we love: SKETCHING!
This creative exercise consists in giving everyone a page with only a few lines, leaving it up to them to complete the composition with their own drawings! We encourage any type of media and the brief is easy – draw ANYTHING you imagine. This is an excellent way to push your creativity and we invite anyone to take part in this exercise!
Let’s start drawing folks!

Posted 12 May 2021 11:13

Group 27 / CONNECTED COMMUNITY

Jack W

Join us on Day 4 for our Guest Speakers and Workshop!

Who: Sophia de Sousa and Elly Mead

Practice: The Glass-House: Community Led Design

About: The Glass-House are a national charity dedicated to connecting people with the design of their places and connecting design with people.

The Glass-House has enabled people and organisations to work collaboratively to improve the design of their buildings, open spaces, homes, and neighbourhoods. They engage with live projects providing hands-on support, training and practical resources and constantly seek to experiment, innovate and inspire new thinking and debate through action research, events and knowledge exchange.

Find out more information about ‘The Glass-House’ here:

https://theglasshouse.org.uk/

Posted 12 May 2021 10:48

Group 02 / MIXED SPACE

Yuxin J

BA students do some case study and share their ideas about space design for different groups.

Posted 12 May 2021 10:47

Group 22 / PARKTOPIA

Thomas C

During our work we asked for pictures of each team members views from their windows. This has worked beautifully as we have diverse group in a variety of places around the world that helps us show a rich exploration into what parks are.

Posted 12 May 2021 10:09

Group 14 / RE-SHAPING MARPLE

Dilan V

Day 3 - Guest Presentation

We welcome Eamonn Canniffe for a guest presentation today on Urban Design Principles in the hope that our interventions will sit nicely in Marple and enhance the area. This will be interesting for the entire team as it is not something we have explored previously! Eamonn is currently the head of the MA Architecture & Urbanism course at the Manchester School of Architecture and with his experienced background in teaching, and some publications on the topic of Urbanism, this will be particularly valuable!

Posted 12 May 2021 09:38

Group 28 / RE-USE

Rebecca B

DAY 3 - SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY 12th MAY 2021

10:30 Lecture given by Liam Bentley who is Project Manager on the Our Town Hall refurbishment project

11:45 Exploring possibilities for the ‘Re-Use Frameworks’

12:15 Making Graphic Representations of the ‘Re-Use Framework’

Posted 12 May 2021 09:28

Group 36 / COLOUR THE CITY

Nurhassanah Binti K

Colour the City #DAY3 schedule

10.00 a.m.: Morning catch up and briefing
10.15 a.m.: Colouring booklet development
12.45 p.m.: Run-through #DAY4 schedule
1.00 p.m: End of #DAY3

We are really excited and looking forward to the sessions!

Posted 12 May 2021 09:28

Group 36 / COLOUR THE CITY

Nurhassanah Binti K

HIGHLIGHTS OF #DAY2

After a great session on #DAY1, today we started with a brief introduction about Invisible (Manchester). We met delightful tour guides - full of useful pieces of information, easily understood and open to our questions at all times, absolutely loved every minute of it!

"I really enjoyed our tour with Danny! You could really tell that he was much more knowledgeable about the city than regular tour guide, and his personal experiences made everything that he was describing much more meaningful. His poems were also integrated really well throughout the tour and made the tour have a better flow (:" -Damla Tunc

In the afternoon session, we had the opportunity to meet a talented graphic designer, Dan James from birthdaystudio. It was a very cool graphic and productive session that enabled the students to understand and learn the graphic knowledge.

#DAY2 done! More fun activities are ready and waiting for you, so join us on #DAY3. Looking forward to seeing all of you!

Posted 12 May 2021 09:27

Group 15 / PLAY BY THE BEECH

Premdyl Singh S

Day 2

We were extremely excited to host Caukin Studios as one of our guest lectures today!

Caukin Studios presented their projects Playscape Koh Long,Slinky and Playdium. All these projects perfectly exemplifies their ethos of democratic education and quality design that are accessible for all.

Their presentation demonstrated to all of us how architecture can add value and bring a community together. It also teaches us to never be restricted by ‘low tech’ construction methods and recycled material as they can still lead to powerful and meaningful architecture when driven by passion and creativity.

A big thank you to Harrison and Joshua for taking time out to join us.

Posted 12 May 2021 09:26

Group 12 / SMART COMMUNITY

Yoanna B

GUEST SPEAKER

Today at 10:00 am, we will be joined by Derek Horton, who is is an artist, writer, teacher and curator and is a regular visitor to exhibitions at the Tetley since it opened. He will be talking about his background in &Model gallery in Leeds and his views on the Tetley at the beginning of the meeting, which will be followed by a more casual discussion about where our project is heading along with some Q&A. We will be sharing with him our points of view on the extension and some initial design ideas in order to receive some feedback. Derek also founded and co-edits an online art magazine called “Soanyway”, where he tells stories using any combination of words, images and sounds. We are trying to incorporate a similar idea of telling the stories of different characters visiting the site and how they can influence the design of the extension.

Posted 12 May 2021 09:20

Group 14 / RE-SHAPING MARPLE

Oladipo Timothy S

It's day 3! We will start off the day by finalising yesterday's research task and following this, we will introduce research task 3.

Finally, we are very excited to welcome Tara Gbolade, Director and Co-Founder of Gbolade Design Studio, co-founder of the Paradigm Network, and RIBAJ Rising Star Winner, for a Q&A and open discussion on the topic of 'Black and Asian representation in the built environment'. This event is optional to attend; however, we strongly encourage all of the Mapping Colour Team to come along for what will be an insightful evening with valuable discussions, you will not want to miss!

DAY 3 HIGHLIGHTS:
10:00 - Introduction
10:15 - Finalising Research
12:10 - Intro to Research Task 3
12:25 - Collating research Information
13:10 - Debrief
18:00 - Q&A with Tara Gbolade!

Posted 12 May 2021 09:12

Kefei Q

DAY 3!

Posted 12 May 2021 09:02

HIGHLIGHTS: DAY 2 ETHNOGRAPHIC WALK

One final snippet of yesterday's session before we begin Day 3. This study by Titi uses sketching and tallying to document the frequency of cyclists and people walking through a park in Manchester.

Posted 12 May 2021 09:00

Beena N

It’s Day THREE!

After a great session yesterday, today we will start off with an Illustrator Tutorial to ensure all of you have the basic skills to place your strategies on site. We hope that you will go on to use Illustrator in your own projects at MSA in the future as it is very useful and easy to use for diagramming your ideas and creating maps.
You will all be developing some diagrams to further portray your strategy in the context of Rochdale and wider community.

Posted 12 May 2021 08:51

HIGHLIGHTS: DAY 2 ETHNOGRAPHIC WALK

A small snippet of the timelapse from Bella's ethographic study of her local area in Manchester. Her notes were: 'There are a couple of people walking in the area. They all have some form of backpack. The area is predominantly inhabited by students and young professionals and is close to the university and offices in the city centre.' From this she concluded that the people moving about were likely going to university or work.

Posted 12 May 2021 08:45

Group 05 / MODULARCH

Lok Hang Harry C

Day 3! We have invited a guest from the MSA to talk about social housing and 'The Workhouse Project'! We will then Continuing with the site analysis and concept ideas.

10:00 - Briefing
10:15 - Client, Stakeholder and Site analysis
11:30 - Break
11:45 - Guest Talk (Dominic Sagar)
12:45 - Debrief

Posted 12 May 2021 08:45

HIGHLIGHTS: DAY 2 ETHNOGRAPHIC WALK

This study was produced by Aidiel who was observing a building estate in London. He noted that the wiremen were fixing an electrical cable, basic needs such as power were receiving immediate attention for maintenance and that the building was poorly attended. He then went on to document the type of cars to infer what the class demographic of the area might be.

Posted 12 May 2021 08:11

HIGHLIGHTS: DAY 2 ETHNOGRAPHIC WALK

This study was produced by Katherine who is currently based in Manchester. She decided to observe and compare the diversity across two local construction sites. She found there to be predominantly White workers at the site, with a few Black workers too but very few Asian workers.

Posted 12 May 2021 08:03

HIGHLIGHTS: DAY 2 ETHNOGRAPHIC WALK

We had many great examples of ethnography after yesterday's workshop, and we have selected a few examples just to show some of the excellent research that was done in a very short amount of time!

This study was produced by Zhustin of his local area in Bulgaria: 'I decided to focus on the whole neighbourhood, rather than on only one street. I observed many art installations and shops which suggests an area with a predominantly young working population.'

Posted 12 May 2021 07:54

GUEST SPEAKER!!

We have managed to confirm our guest speaker for this Friday 14/05. Mr. Alex who is our main collaborator alongside Lifeshare will be speaking to us about his journey and interaction with Lifeshare, he will also specify the design elements that he would like to see in the app, and will look at the work the students have done so far and give feedback on them.

Posted 12 May 2021 04:40

DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS!!

Group 3 - Home screen and Building Elevation group

The third group focused on redesigning elements of iconic buildings that are found in Manchester. They looked around in maps for Iconic building in Manchester and then made an expressionist illustration of it in illustrator that symbolises it. All of these designs are related to our collaborators and are buildings that our client is fond off.

Posted 12 May 2021 04:37

DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS!!

Group 2 - The Avatar and Clothing group
The students from breakout group 2 focused on creating several designs for clothing as well as for the avatars after looking at different inspirations and ideas. they then went into sketching their own ideas using pen and paper and scanned it afterwards to vectorise them in Illustrator.

Posted 12 May 2021 04:30

DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS!!

Group 1 - Achievement icons and Learning platform group
For today, students in the achievement icons and learning platform in the first breakout group has started to cater their icon designs to represent the course or the collaborator. These designs were first explored by hand sketches and are later vectorised into working icons using Illustrator.

Posted 12 May 2021 04:27

Background

Culture is defined as the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of society. Culture reflected in architecture helps create or maintain identity. We wanted to be able to add further identity to the town and its church in order to advertise Rochdale for tourism. We have looked at the motif of a mosaic as a key driver in this project, as mosaics covey the image of the Rochdale church.

Concept / Strategy

We looked at the idea of creating a decorative pathway or pavement made up of colourful mosaic squares going from the main exit of the train station to the main entrance of Saint John the Baptist’s Church. The colourful mosaic tiles on the pavement could intrigue and lead the visitors to the church and the tiles could become increasingly brighter and more colourful once getting closer to the church. This would draw attention to the church but would also make the mosaic artwork on the interior seem like the thing they have took a journey to reach. This path could also become a tourist attraction (along with the Cathedral) which would then be shared online and attract further tourists from seeing these images of Rochdale’s famous pavement.

Furthermore, we looked at adding simplistic Dome installations around Rochdale to represent the cathedral and its culture. They would be big enough for one person or so to step inside where they will be surrounded by a mosaic interior. This adds something memorable to the town and contributes further to the identity of Rochdale. Again, viewers may also take photographs of these installations and share them online which advertises the tourism of the town.

Finally, we would add QR codes near or on placards on the installations which would allow tourists to learn about the cultural identity of the town through mobile. When visitors want to educate themselves on the culture, for example through the minimalistic Dome installations, information is easily accessible to them, and even share the information that they have learned through social media with friends and family with the press of a button. This aids the viewers interest in the town's culture and allows them to learn more about it. This could further lead to tourists seeking out the church when they learn that it is key part of the town's identity.

Posted 12 May 2021 02:07

Background

Rochdale has a rainy climate. Providing protection from the rain is something the church could do with a shelter to embed itself in the community.

Concept / Strategy

Creating a space for the people to come together out of the wet and cold. Furthermore, this space could be dynamic in its purpose. During the day the church could use this space to facilitate local entrepreneurs and hold a small-scale market for the local community to interact with the church. As the sun sets and the lights dim the structure is illuminated by projections of the mosaic inside the church giving this space an entirely new aesthetic.

In addition, this structure could be used to host events for the people and become a community hub. Using the projection system movies and shows could be plastered on the walls creating a viewing event under the stars. Bollywood movie nights to entice the Asian portion of the community and Christmas matinee in the winter for those who are in festivities.

This dynamic space brings the vibrance of the church into its exterior and is very malleable to accommodate for the community. Moreover, the church being the first building seen when entering the town by train this new façade would better embody Rochdale. An energetic and moving space was envisioned where people could interact and enjoy the space together all under the gaze of the church building. This solidifies the relationship between the church and the Rochdale community.

Posted 12 May 2021 02:07

Background

Oswald Hill, a man whose story needs to be told. He was an architect and a patriot, so much so that he died commanding a squadron in World War 1. Nevertheless, his work has managed to live on more than a century later, one such structure is St Johns Baptist Church in Rochdale. Initially built to combat a growing population of Catholics in the area, it has now become intertwined into the history of Rochdale and it’s people. It is therefore important that the church is as visible as could possibly be in the context that it can be embraced and respected as part of the rich heritage that is Rochdale.

Concept

To increase it’s visibility we came up with the idea of a path that would be created leading towards the church. The inspiration for the path was from a maze as the path would implore a similar design. Along this path we would have readings that explained the history of the church and Rochdale. One would be able to walk to the church and at the same time learn about it and Rochdale. Furthermore, the path itself could double down as its own attraction apart from bringing traffic to the church, as it is bound to attract intellectuals.

Strategy

1) Learn about the history of Rochdale and St Johns Church, this could be done by research from secondary material with information available in hard and soft copy. The same information will be present in the readings along the path depending on the gravity it weighs.

2) Show research methods and sources, this is necessary as most of the information we would be using would be secondary sources (journals, articles, books) therefore credit must be given to the original author. Use this information to map out a plan in solving the issue of bringing more people to the church, this will be where we now place the information into our designs for the path as this is the solution we conceptualized.

3) Think about materiality and how the history will be visualized, this can be done by providing a timeline for the church and Rochdale as for materiality, the best way to go would be with the materials that provide the most aesthetically pleasing structure/design.

With this strategy we aim to remind the people of the role the church plays in the history and heritage of the town.

Posted 12 May 2021 02:06

Kicking off!

The team was divided into sub-groups that were based on different themes of History, Community and Culture. Students started off by researching for precedent studies. They then required to synthesis relevant concept and strategy that could be applied in the proposal. These were documented in a mind mapping exercise and 400 words write up. For the second half of the day, diagrams were generated for each proposal to visualize their design strategy. A final drawing from each group was then produced. We wrapped it up by having students presenting their proposal to the larger group with the full set of research and drawings.

Students have shown great understanding of three themes. They progressed from having a basic understanding of site and aims, to synthesizing site specific solution. These ideas were then brought to paper where the final drawing encapsulates the space, the scenario and the intervention. The proposals presented were interesting. They show the different strands of approach dealing with the issue of heritage. We are excited to see how all these ideas would progress further!

Posted 12 May 2021 02:06

Trisha P

DAY 2

Creative Set-Ups!

Filming has started! There were some really creative filming setups today! Here's one of a camera phone held onto a table lamp with some good old masking tape, which also happens to be the support for the lamp neck!

Posted 12 May 2021 00:00

Thanks, Saul for sharing!

Saul shared how to design their mission cards and how to relate the history of Infrastructure/ national planning/ policy. Saul is a student at the Manchester School of Architecture. He and his team designed the ''Connection' game. Today, BA students and game designers have more ideas by the sharing session.

Posted 11 May 2021 23:56

Trisha P

DAY 2

As part of our video workshops, we're creating example outputs (such as photographs, models, and sketches). Above is a series of clips as an example for our Architectural Sketching workshop.

Posted 11 May 2021 23:55

Through further game testing, we today obtained more brilliant ideas. Looking forward to your new board game！

Posted 11 May 2021 23:53

Welcome to Infra-Game!

Thanks to Richard and Paul introduced the background information about infrastructure and concepts of game design! We first tested the board game - 'Connection'. Many BA students put forward interesting ideas about the game. Hope to get more fantastic feedback from further game testing tomorrow!

Posted 11 May 2021 23:50

Based on the enthusiasm of most students for game design, we updated the first-week plan. We will have more time to test and optimize the game. Thanks for all guys' ambitions! The game will be comprehensively improved from rules, models, packaging and manuals!

Posted 11 May 2021 23:48