MSA Live 24

21st May – LEEDS CONFERENCE
Mariam (MArch) and Grace (BA) had the chance to showcase our ‘Interweaving Futures: Bradford 2025’ project to the stakeholders involved with Bradford’s regeneration schemes at the annual UKReiff event in Leeds. This was a professional environment and we received amazing feedback for our project and its presentation.
We spoke to members of AJ, Arcadis, and once again were able to discuss the project with Jade and Dr Saira Ali (Team Leader for Landscape, Design and Conservation at Bradford Council), who expressed interest in continuing the collaboration into next year as the Heritage Action Zone project progresses.

Thank you!

Today we had our final project meeting with our client represented by Amanda Aitken. Through this post, we would like to thank everyone who made this experience possible starting with Healthy Me Healthy Community. We have learnt a lot during this project and we are very excited for the future plans for this community garden. Thank you to all the volunteers that spoke to us and guided us on site. Also, thank you again to the whole team and have a great summer everyone!

...AND THAT'S A WRAP!

We want to give a big thank you to our collaborators Alex, Rob and Sheron from Always Ahead for providing an opportunity for us to explore the rich history of Crewe and Flag Lane Baths. We would also like to thank our lovely BA1 and BA2 students and all their hard work and dedication to the project.

DEEP DIVE is excited to see where the future of Flag Lane Baths will go, and hope it continues to be a symbol of history and memories for the residents of Crewe.

A CONCLUSION

We concluded the day with a group photo with everyone from the team. This was an amazing experience and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. Interacting with kids and inspiring them to create was super fun. Witnessing the manner in which young minds work was a refreshing aspect. Thanks to each and everyone who contributed to this workshop and a special thanks Laura and the teachers of Year 4 at Oswald Road for making this happen!

The final day in MSA live - presentation for the collaborators and community in Height Library!
Many thanks to our collaborators and the team. Great job!

Day 9 is the final and last day to work on the Manchester Airport MSA live project where we finally working on the last finishing touches of the submissions. We finished the blogs, publications, booklet and the 3 design options of the chandelier. After winding up with today’s output we celebrated with pizza and wine!

It was an amazing journey of getting a chance to work with Manchester Airport Group and Lazerian studios. We had an amazing opportunity to work with the BA student who came with a fresh breeze of ideas and concepts about the North. We as a team are grateful to be a part of something so endless and chance of touching people with our designs.

Signing off MSA LIVE,
Make sure to check the MSA LIVE exhibition from 17th June
Cheers!



Fin.

Action week: Day 9 - final day!

Hello, here is Keming. This is the last blog of our group for MSA LIVE.

Today is the last day of Action Week. Everyone put all their energies into the final task. In order to have a good result of our work these months, each of us has put all our efforts into our respective tasks.

In general, this is a course that benefits us a lot, and it is even more than a course, which makes us deeply feel the process of a complete project at work. We really enjoyed the experience of working together in a group!

Today marks the final day of MSA Live, after 2 weeks of development and community engagement, reimaging the community centre in a new light. The Sale West team was invited to the university for a presentation, showing this development from the first-day engagement on-site to the final collective vision of the team. With all members engaging in the conversation answering questions and quires the day went perfectly and the information provided we hope will act as a firm stepping stone for any future developments.

MSA Live Action Week Day 8
16.05.2024

This concludes our MSA Live project. We appreciate the support from our tutor Emily and our collaborator Life Leisure’s Ross and Lisa for working with us and supporting us through this journey. Additionally, we are very appreciative of the assistance and support provided by our BA1 and BA2 students.

Day 9 - That's a wrap!

What an incredible and fruitful two weeks it has been! We'd like to especially thank our collaborators at the Moss Side Millienium Powerhouse (Lisa, Fiona, Rachel & Michelle) and Corstorphine & Wright (Kim, Joe & Phil) for giving us such a wonderful brief and project to work on. Ultimately, we hope that the outputs we've produced can be used to further improve the Powerhouse to allow it to continue serving the youth of Moss Side and Manchester.

We'd also like to extend our appreciation to the FDN/BA1/BA2 students for being absolute stars throughout the two action weeks! Their enthuasiasm and positivity allowed us to successfully complete the outputs, where their dedication to learn and produce is clearly evident in and has elevated the final outputs for the Powerhouse.

All team members had clear and superb communication and collaboration which made the whole project enjoyable. Through the tutorials and workshops held, we hope that the skills learnt from the two weeks benefits everyone beyond MSALive.

Design 3

Day 09: That's All She Wrote!

And so the final day of MSA live has come and as such comes our last post. Before talking about the project I just want to issue a massive thankyou to everyone who took part in our group project these last 2 weeks, ranging from the council to our students!

A final visit was conducted to take our finished designs to the collaborator as well as the community of Chadwick Dam, with enthusiastic response and finished guides issued to the 'Big Local' members, we hope this project can provide a platform to springboard the evolution of Chadwick Dam.

Once again a huge thankyou to everyone involved, we are super proud of this project and we hope when our readers see the end product, they will be able to learn something new about the area - as well as teach us a thing or two! This was a community project, and we hope the community can benefit from it!

Experience the new Hippodrome!

Our group created a VR experience to provide our collaborators with even better ideas and experiences. Using Twinmotion and other applications, we transferred our ideas for the new look of Hulme Hippodrome into a virtual space. Through the VR device of M.Arch leader Winston, we could see the new facade design of the Hippodrome right before our eyes. Mr. Tony and Mr. Paul were also very pleased to directly experience the future of the Hippodrome that we prepared.

Week 02 Day 05

On our final action day, we dedicated ourselves to finalising our proposals and refining the details before the hand-in. As a group, we reflected on the past two action weeks which were an insightful journey of learning about accessibility in architectural design. This experience has broadened our knowledge about inclusivity and highlighted the social impact our proposals can make within the Carlton Club. We are looking forward to publishing our work and sharing it with our collaborators!

As we wrap up our two-week schedule, we're brimming with excitement over the project's progress and outcome. The collaborative effort and attention to detail from each team member have resulted in a final design that exceeds expectations. The BA1, BA2, and MLA teams have shown remarkable dedication in bringing our ideas to fruition. As this thrilling journey concludes, we hope that our design proposal has made a meaningful impact on the Stockport community, elevating their surroundings and enriching their lives.

Our final blog!!

Now that MSA Live has concluded, it is important to reflect on the project and what our group and the collaborators have achieved. As our project was all about the education of D.E.C. students, the final presentation and afternoon’s workshops were the centre of our focus.

Everyone in the group worked well to motivate undergraduate students to collaborate around their own deadlines resulting in some fantastic drawings, diagrams, and collages. The 'Day 5' afternoon was well received by the college, from our own proposals for the Church, as well as the afternoon as a whole and what it offered to the Alder Grange students.

They engaged in design critiques and creative exercises around the table bringing lots of energy to make it a successful project overall. We all thoroughly enjoyed working with the college and look forward to seeing their final schemes!

Lastly, we are extremely proud of the work our team has done in the last two weeks and we are amazed by how talented everybody is! As we upload our publications, we would like to thank everyone again for their hardwork and determination!

CHEERS :D

May 17, 2024: Submission

MArch students finalising the publication for submission. And that's a wrap for MSA Live 24! Great job, everyone!

What an incredible and fast two weeks this has been! We've thoroughly enjoyed being introduced to the bachelor’s students and learning alongside them throughout this process. Collaborating with Scott Lyons, the owner of Emporium M33, and the fantastic business owners Claire Hines and Carolyn Jackson, has been a highlight of our project.
We've made a meaningful impact on the local community, as evidenced by the interactions and feedback during our final showcase event. It was a rewarding experience to step outside our comfort zone and tackle the challenges of wayfinding, advertisement, and website creation—tasks beyond traditional architectural work. We're thrilled with the results and proud of what we've achieved.
A massive thank you to everyone involved in this project. Your support and collaboration were invaluable. We couldn't have done it without you!

Day 9 - Final presentation
 
Today is the last day of MSA Live Design Weeks. We integrated all the designs of these two weeks into a publication and a presentation document for the client. Before leaving for Station South, we had a rehearsal for the presentation. In the afternoon, we showed the final results of the team design with client from Station South, and every team member engages in presenting their works. Client expressed appreciation for our design while putting forward some practical suggestions, which will be very helpful to our future design. Overall, MSA Live is a very meaningful and fun group project. We really enjoy the group work experience!!!

Action Weeks- Day 9

After our lunch time, we gathered one last time to review our final outcomes and express our gratitude to all the students who contributed their time and creativity to this project. Their engagement and dedication were truly invaluable.

Our day reached a high point with a call to Sue Mackay, the director of the Florence Art Center, our esteemed collaborator. We walked her through our final booklet, detailing our ideas and showcasing our outcomes. The meeting was great, and we left feeling proud of what we had achieved together.

Reflecting on this project, we realized it was more than just a collaboration; it was an incredible experience of community engagement and teamwork. By working together, we've created something that has the potential to make a real difference in the community.

As we close this chapter and look ahead to new adventures, we carry with us the lessons learned, and the belief in the power of collaboration to create positive change. Thank you to everyone who was part of this journey—we couldn't have done it without you!

Day 9: Team Photo

And that's a wrap for MSA Live 24! Well done to everyone for taking part :)

Day 9
Final Outputs!
We have produced and printed our final site maps and completed our design concepts for the pavilion building, ready to be used by our collaborators to develop the park as a vibrant space for the community.

That's a wrap! MSA Live has been an amazing experience but it obviously had its challenges. Here is a quick flick of all the day's activities throughout the action weeks, it has us reminiscing so we thought we would share it with you guys!

Throughout the two weeks of MSA Live, we discovered the true power of teamwork. Organising the action plan, coordinating collaborators, conducting site visits, and presenting to clients required extensive coordination and communication. Each step and submission depended on our collective effort. Managing a large group of students with their deadlines was challenging, but we relied on those who were present and stepped in where needed. Working with first and second year bachelor students of varying skill levels also required us to teach and explain our thought process, which, although time-consuming, was incredibly rewarding.

This experience allowed us to help students grow, and in turn, we learned from their fresh perspectives. Involving them in the design process and client presentations built their confidence and enhanced their critical thinking skills.

Ultimately, this journey was about mutual growth and learning, fostering a collaborative environment that will benefit all of us in future projects.

Thanks for following us on this journey and we cannot begin to describe how proud we are of our team and everything we have accomplished within these 2 weeks!

DAY9 FINAL OUTPUTS

Inspired by the mural in the town centre shopping centre we thought that producing a graphic map could be a more interesting way of improving wayfinding. In order to direct visitors of Hyde in the direction of local points of interest, we are proposing a ‘treasure hunt’ through the installation of murals and posters around the town centre. In crucial locations such as public transport hubs, artwork will showcase the locations of landmarks through graphically engaging maps. In addition, we used the story of the twins in local history as a start, hoping to use the twins' mural as a theme to get more children and residents involved in the renovation process, and to make the design have more local identity.

On Thursday, we used digital drawings for the final plan, renderings and elevations. We also worked on the overall design content and logic in preparation for the upcoming presentation to the client.

BA Students final reflections:

As BA1/BA2 students, working closely with the community has been an incredibly valuable experience for us. Throughout our involvement in MSA Live, we have acquired hard and soft skills through engaging workshops conducted by our wonderful master's students. This opportunity allowed us to progress in time management, communication and most importantly collaboration skills. By the end of the project, we felt more confident and proficient in approaching various software tools such as Rhino, Sketchup, AutoCAD, and Photoshop. Above all, we have learned how to apply and adapt the knowledge we have gained to enhance our own individual projects.

Day 9

On the 17th of May, we went to Victoria Park to do a presentation with our client Sarah, she loved our design and left a solid model of what we had done.

Day 9
Its Breakfast time!

After two hard-working weeks of action, we have organised a big breakfast at MTC to celebrate everyone's hard work and dedication. It was really exciting to meet all the Bachelor students and work on this project together!

Good job eveyone!

DAY 09

On our final day, the team worked on assembling the final publication and other documents for our submission.

Group 32 would like to say a big thank you to our client, the Studio Lab, for giving us this opportunity to design an engaging community project. We would also like say thank you to the local community of Alsager, who participated in the events and provided us with invaluable insights into their needs and considerations.

Finally, many thanks to all the BAs, we really enjoyed working with you all!!!

The Final Design! Visual renders created by the students to display their design proposal for the BeeCup installation.

The Gantt chart was created and shared with everyone to illustrate how tasks are broken down into smaller components, ensuring that everyone understands our project and milestones.

We are working closely to meet our milestones as originally planned. Despite taking longer to propose concept ideas during the action week, we have successfully managed to follow the Gantt chart we created. The Gantt chart has had a significant impact on the project's success, guiding us through each phase and helping us stay on track, culminating in the successful presentation of our final proposal to the client.

DAY 9

Good job everyone!
The final leaflets are printed and ready to be shown to our client!
Our MSA Live experience is almost over, and everyone has done an excellent job with truly splendid results! It has been really exciting to get to know the bachelor students and work with them. We are very satisfied and hope we have been helpful and inspiring for their architecture journey!

#goodjobeveryone!

Day 09 - Part 3

We'd like to take the opportunity in this post to thank everyone that has helped our core team throughout this project. So, thank you to our tutors, the BA students who joined us in the action weeks, and a special thank you to our collaborators at the Stockport MDC. Laura and Leighanna have truly engaged with the opportunity of the project and the concepts of MSA Live. They've offered assistance and guidance throughout the duration of the project leading to an enriched output.

FINAL DESIGNS: OPTION 02

In Option 2, the ground floor blocks are broken up and unified on the first floor, featuring an open-air courtyard. This layout encourages plenty of ventilation and air circulation, and each unit receives ample sunlight from all sides.
The first floor provides cover for the areas below and serves as a overbridge. The church, youth center, and accommodation buildings are all interlinked by the glazed reception block, which serves as the focal piece, enhancing the site's cohesiveness and inclusivity.

We have been busy curating the final outputs to send to our collaborators and collaboratively producing our MSA Live publication. We came together for our last group discussion to reflect on our MSA Live experiences and celebrate all of the work that the student team had produced. During the reflection session we (the MArch students) asked for feedback from the BA students about whether the ‘action weeks’ had met their expectations and were happy to hear that they had all enjoyed it, particularly the freedom given to them in the brief!

We would like to to end our blog by thanking all of the BA students for their creativity and commitment over the last two weeks. We would also like to thank Marple Civic Society for their invaluable support and inspiration throughout our collaboration - we have really enjoyed getting to know Marple and working together to generate ideas for the town’s future!

Day 07

Final Note and Giving Thanks.

We would like to take a moment to thank our amazing students for their dedication, hard work, and efforts over the past two weeks. We are so proud of you and hope you have learnt from each other, and us.
We have really enjoyed working with you all and wish you the best of luck as you continue your journey through the MSA.

We would also like to give thanks to our collaborators: Manchester Climate Alliance and Ardwick Climate Action, who have been a huge part of our journey, having fortnightly meetings stemming from November through to now. We thank you for you patience, guidance and active approach throughout our MSA Live experience.
Finally, thank you to our client Bruntwood for providing this amazing opportunity and experience.

Group sketch-up and adobe workshops in preparation to present to the client tomorrow