MSA Live 21

Meet the Project Partner!

Jane Leach is an experienced chartered architect, a Green Register listed eco-refurbisher and a RIBA-accredited Conservation Registrant. She runs a successful practice called i-Architect which based in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, South Manchester. She is passionate about delivering eco-conscious designs for local homeowners. Jane also has extensive experience in the private and education sectors as she worked for the 4th largest architectural company in the world. Her talent is evidenced through her numerous housing awards.

For more info please visit her website below:
https://www.i-architect.co.uk/

Posted 2 Mar 2021 11:22

Meet the Team!

Hi guys I’m Emily!

MArch 5th Year Atelier: PRAXXIS

BArch: University of Nottingham

Hometown: South London, UK

Part 1 Employment: Smith Brooke Architects, London

Fun fact: I lived my ultimate top gear experience by motorbike riding along the Hai Van Pass in Vietnam, where do I apply to be apart of the Sons of Anarchy?

Posted 2 Mar 2021 12:05

Meet the Team!

Hi guys I’m Tiffany!

MArch 5th Year Atelier: InfraSpace

BArch: The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Hometown: Hong Kong

Part 1 Employment: Ronald Lu & Partners, Hong Kong

Fun Fact: I love eating and cooking… and sometimes would imagine buildings being all kinds of food while working on diagrams and 3d models!

Posted 2 Mar 2021 12:37

Meet the Team!

Hi guys I'm Billie!

March 5th Year Atelier: CiA

BArch: University of Nottingham

Hometown: Cheltenham, UK

Part 1 Employment: Ellis Williams Architects

Fun Fact: Marry Berry would be jealous of my skills in the kitchen. Let me know if you ever want to try the world's best macaroni cheese!

Posted 2 Mar 2021 12:37

Seyed Ilia JS

Meet the team!

Hi guys I'm Ilya!

MArch 5th Year Atelier: &rchitecture

BArch: Art University of Tehran

Hometown: Tehran, Iran

Part 1 Employment: Atieh Alborz, Tehran

Fun fact: Travelling is my passion, especially when it comes to camping.
My dream is to buy a van and pack my backpack, then go to explore the world.

Posted 2 Mar 2021 13:14

Meet the Team!

Hey guys, I‘m Neda!

MArch 5th Year Atelier: Advanced Practice

BArch: Manchester School of Architecture

Hometown: Kaunas, Lithuania

Fun Fact: I am a self-proclaimed tea connoisseur and croissant enthusiast!

Posted 2 Mar 2021 14:17

Meet the Team!

Hi guys I’m Noss!

MArch 5th Year Atelier: Advanced Practice

BArch: Sheffield Hallam University

Hometown: Manchester, UK

Part 1 Employment: ca&d Architects

Fun fact: In-between degrees I served in special forces as a Military Working Dog Handler, before going onto specialising in luxury residential architecture whilst working in practice.

Posted 2 Mar 2021 15:43

Skills and Activities:

During the two weeks, we will help to create the perfect workflow for architectural visualisations but also encourage creativity through concept designs. We will guide students through new software which will help benefit their future studies.

Our aim is to develop a community centre through two competitions; a creative re-use strategy and a roof design. The final outputs should help capture the imagination of local residents.

We will have online workshops where both digital and physical model making will be introduced alongside adobe presentation software.

To round up each week we will be engaging with external partners including councillors and park committee members. Therefore, students will develop communication skills by presenting both concept and final designs to the board.

Posted 2 Mar 2021 16:16

Social value:

PLAYBOX.CHORLTON is a community-driven project, with a goal to create a social bridge between the two halves of Chorlton. We will focus on establishing a sense of community togetherness by reimagining and reinventing an existing shipping container site, right at the edge of Chorlton park. We aim to design an inclusive neighbourhood activity hub that will concentrate on communal and personal health and wellbeing, cooperation, and education. By exploring and redeveloping the pre-existing onsite materials, we aim to reduce the environmental footprint of our project, thus promoting sustainability in the community. The project will encourage local community engagement and enjoyment within the newly redeveloped spaces.

Posted 2 Mar 2021 16:19

Seyed Ilia JS

Visit The Site!

Site is located in Chorlton Park, less than four miles from the city centre. An unused space at the park with four cabins (shipping containers).

This place is aimed to be transformed into a friendly atmosphere with green, lively, and multi-functional spaces as a community centre. All four cabins placed to face each other, in which two are attached to one another and the other two are the single ones. It is worth to mention that there are existing plumbing and electrics on the site.

Chorlton Park prides itself on its community links. The partnership that exists between the park wardens and The Friends of Chorlton Park has been invaluable in ensuring that the whole community enjoys the park's excellent facilities which include: Bowls Pavilion and enclosed Bowling Green, Children's Playground for Junior and Under 5s, Basketball Court, 5 a-side Football Areas, Junior Pitches and a dog-free zone.

Posted 10 Mar 2021 15:35

Chorlton Park and Community

Chorlton Park takes pride in its community links. The areas surrounding the park have a relatively equal distribution of families, young professionals, and lone parents and so the park acts as a place for informal social gatherings for all community members. A variety of leisure and entertainment facilities within the park create a mix of activities to be enjoyed by the whole community.
The neighbourhood also celebrates its racial and cultural diversity, and with this project, we encourage students to creatively think about spaces that would help strengthen these community links and connect the "two halves" of Chorlton.

Perhaps the most notable building adjacent to the site is the Brookfield House, famously known as "The White House". It is one of the oldest buildings in Chorlton, currently used by the Friends of Chorlton park and for residential purposes. The building also occasionally hosts the food bank.

Posted 10 May 2021 00:26

DAY ONE… CONCENTRATION FACES!!

Today we have welcomed BA1 and BA2 students to the team.

We have spent the day getting to know each other, the project and the site. Lots of thinking, sketching and discussing followed.

Tomorrow we’re getting stuck into the concept design!

Posted 10 May 2021 22:36

Meet our guest speaker!

We are so excited to welcome John Lee as our guest speaker this week! John will inspire our students by telling us all about his work with Projekts MCR - a skatepark in Manchester that has utilized shipping containers for establishing various social and leisure spaces.

John Lee is a senior lecturer from MSA and has taught in the Continuity in Architecture atelier since 2004. He is interested in investigating all aspects of context and learning from traditional architecture as means of achieving urban continuity. He is also keen on exploring the role of ornament in architectural design and its relationship to the craft of the building.

Posted 11 May 2021 00:07

DAY TWO...WORKSHOPS AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT:

We wanted to give our team the chance to improve skills for both this project and within their future workplace. Everyone has their own unique design process, but can struggle when putting this to paper; therefore, we presented two morning workshops to cover some basics:

Our first workshop covered tips and tricks for those that prefer hand drawn methods, whilst the second one focused on digital drafting via Sketchup, including suggesting plugins to streamline the drawing process.

Posted 11 May 2021 12:28

DAY TWO...

Today, all four design groups have developed their site approach and programme.

Team 1 have developed a scheme centred around a community produce garden, with the intention of providing allotment space to the population of Chorlton. The scheme also aims to combat food poverty through a voluntary donation veg market.

Community engagement will be ensured by involving the population in the build process. Recycled materials will provide opportunities for ongoing DIY projects that will instil a sense of ownership.

Posted 11 May 2021 20:54

DAY TWO...

Today, all four design groups have developed their site approach and programme.

Drawing inspiration from the nearby Chorlton water park, Team 2 has combined the idea of a water playground and community market.

Apart from generating organisation fund through the profit of stalls, the aim of the scheme is also to benefit the Chorlton community by providing a leisure and fun environment for the residents and especially children.

Posted 11 May 2021 22:02

DAY TWO...

Today, all four design groups have developed their site approach and programme.

Team 3 have developed site analysis diagrams to show the sun path, wind direction, greenery and the site’s views.

Additionally, students drew diagrams to show the level of privacy on the site as well as all the possibilities such as green roof, views, and entrance.

Initial ideas for the community would be to create a safe environment for students, including studying space to share ideas and integrating the concept of education into a social space.

Posted 11 May 2021 22:05

DAY TWO...

Today, all four design groups have developed their site approach and programme.

Group 4 has focused on programme that caters for families and children during the daytime, and can be transformed into a venue for events during the weekends or in the evenings.

The students have concentrated on creating spaces for improving children's wellbeing and stimulating learning experiences by planning out sensory paths through external space inbetween the shipping containers and different workshop spaces that each focus on a certain sensory experience: space for crafting with clay and arranging puzzles for the sensation of touch, zone with light and shadow for visual stimulation and others.

Posted 11 May 2021 22:07

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

DAY FOUR....WORKSHOPS AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT:

Today we covered both at home modelmaking, and as requested by our undergraduates, Rhino 3D. This will help further expand our team's skill sets. The at home modelmaking was focused on being creative with a limited palette of materials, and saving money by using waste as a recycled resource. It concluded with a short video created by the RIBA that covers tips and tricks for paper modelling (pictured above).

The Rhino 3D workshop was a concise talk that covered all the basics and logic behind a somewhat complex system. Unlike AutoCAD or Sketchup, Rhino 3D allows for the easier design of curves and organic forms.

Posted 13 May 2021 16:03

DAY FOUR...

Today all four groups have made huge progress in the development of their schemes.

Group 1 has focused on their sustainability agenda, refining their programme and material sourcing. For example they have proposed to reuse pallets from material deliveries, to create ergonomic garden furniture.

Posted 13 May 2021 18:47

DAY FOUR...

Today all four groups have made huge progress in the development of their schemes.

Group 2 is ready to wrap up the design presentation with some perspective collages as final touch, and is excited for the exchange of ideas on Friday's presentation. Development of the scheme has been represented by sketch diagrams, layout arrangement, and a sectional view of the whole site

Posted 13 May 2021 19:12

DAY FOUR...

Today all four groups have made huge progress in the development of their schemes.

By considering the idea of creating a community in Chorlton park, group 3 decided to design a well-being centre which includes spaces for yoga, art exhibitions, drawing classes, a library and a small cinema that could used by students and people in the neighbourhood. Additionally, the idea of having an amphitheater on the site, which is proposed to be used as an outside cinema as well, will encourage further community engagement and the possibility of collaborating with local schools and dramatic groups.

Posted 13 May 2021 19:43

DAY FOUR...

Today all four groups have made huge progress in the development of their schemes.

Group 4 drew some inspiration from galleries and art installations to further develop children's activity rooms, integrating different textures and colour projections for varied experiences. Students have also combined a cafe space for parents with the sensory route - allowing the space to become part of tasting and smelling experience. The scheme has also been developed to take advantage of the site's orientation, the roof garden positioned on the south end of the site to receive as much sunlight as possible.

Today, students have also developed several sets of plans and sections, illustrating the site being used by families during the day and as a venue for events during the evening/night to further explain their multi-purpose use of the proposal.

Posted 13 May 2021 19:44

DAY FIVE...

The morning of day five was spent finalising concepts and producing presentation material ahead of an afternoon meeting with our project partner Jane Leach from i-Architect.

Lead by BA1 and BA2 students our team presented 4 convincing concept designs. Jane was really impressed with these schemes, however her feedback has encouraged us to be bolder with our concepts and really clarify how these proposals would work and benefit the population of Chorlton.

Next week our aim is to combine efforts to produce one or two fully developed design proposals.

Keep up the great work guys!

Posted 15 May 2021 20:44

DAY SIX...WORKSHOPS AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT:

Today we covered the basics of photoshop. Following Friday's presentations our four groups have combined into two, developing various parts of the initial concepts. Now that we are getting closer to the final outputs, it was fitting to have a photoshop tutorial.

Afterwards, we had a presentation on landscaping design, inclusive of various precedent studies. Playbox’s adjacency to a park and green spaces provide an ideal challenge for some innovative landscape design.

Posted 17 May 2021 12:40

SITE VISIT ...

Today we were able to make our first physical visit to the site - socially distanced of course. We were able to photograph the site and surroundings, whilst developing a greater understanding of the site's scale.

The visit highlighted the quality of Chorlton Park and the lush green foliage on the site. Some overgrown planting will need to be cleared, but established, mature trees and bushes provide ample opportunities.

Posted 17 May 2021 20:24

DAY SIX ...

Today four groups became two. We have merged ideas to create two clearly distinct programme concepts; a community garden and a wellness centre.

The community garden team have spent the day developing a water harvesting system to supply the produce garden. The ingenious parasol system can be positioned dependent on the weather to provide shade or to collect rainwater.

This process has encouraged the team to develop skills in advanced CAD software.

Posted 17 May 2021 20:35

DAY SIX ...

Today four groups became two. We have merged ideas to create two clearly distinct programme concepts; a community garden and a wellness centre.

The wellness centre group have chosen to drive their design with a focus on the senses. This decision has generated some interesting ideas for canopies, a new approach to play and for creating a sensory journey through the site.

The group has explored how creating a number of individual tree-like canopies could achieve the desired protection against Manchester's typically rainy weather but also allow adequate light into the courtyard.

Posted 17 May 2021 22:44

DAY SEVEN...WORKSHOPS AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT:

Today we had our final three workshops to help our students. The first workshop covered presentation techniques, with tips to ensure clear and concise work that also looks great! The second workshop was all about Adobe Illustrator. This is a handy tool that can be used in combination with other editing software previously learned. The last workshop covered the basics of Lumion as a powerful rendering software.

We aspired to teach software that is commonly used in the working world and hope that these workshops have proven useful for our group. Now with the end of the project nearing, we are excitedly waiting to see what the students will produce!!

Posted 18 May 2021 15:38

DAY SEVEN ...

Today our two teams have challenged their graphic and CAD skills in the production of material to be presented on Thursday. Skills learnt in workshops have been applied to create illustrator diagrams, photoshop visuals and orthographic drawings in autoCAD.

The community garden team have settled on a programme and site arrangement, allowing them to now develop details such as the main entrance to the site. Here, the plan footprint of the containers has been used to inspire the entrance frame, to which graphics are then applied.

Posted 18 May 2021 19:40

DAY SEVEN ...

Today our two teams have challenged their graphic and CAD skills in the production of material to be presented on Thursday. Skills learnt in workshops have been applied to create illustrator diagrams, photoshop visuals and orthographic drawings in autoCAD.

The wellness centre is progressing and now features a multifunctional hall, club house, cafe and amphitheatre. Producing site analysis and concept diagrams in adobe software has helped solidify the group's approach and can now inform the production of orthographic drawings and visuals.

Posted 18 May 2021 19:45

DAY EIGHT ...

Final preparations are taking place ready to present our final ideas to our project partners tomorrow. The pressure is on to test our new skills and turn concepts into convincing design proposals.

We can't wait to share our progress tomorrow!

Posted 19 May 2021 19:57

DAY NINE...

Today our project partner, Jane Leach from i-Architect, and a few members from the Chorlton Park Committee had joined us for the final concept presentation.

Group 1 has presented a concept of turning the shipping containers and surrounding space into a community garden and vegetable market. The idea of adventure playground is also explored in the site programme development. The area is proposed to be a blank canvas that allows the community to explore how they would like the space to be used.

Feedback from the project partner and the park committee had been received and the team is currently working on some final adjustments to the drawings for the publication document.

Posted 20 May 2021 17:27

DAY NINE...

Today our project partner Jane Leach from i-Architect, and a few members from the Chorlton Park Committee had joined us for the final concept presentation.

Group 2's final proposal presentation included a collection of multi-purpose spaces that are inclusive and could be used by community members of all ages. The students have focused their programme on both physical and mental wellbeing aspects, creating spaces for exercise, relaxation, education, and sensory activities.

The large canopies developed by the group provide shelter from wind and rain and produce an exciting atmosphere within the internal courtyard - depending on the time of day, the colourful "windows" of the canopies generate different reflections on the containers and the ground, providing plenty visual stimuli. Wind chimes, attached to the branches of the canopies also supply an audio experience as part of the journey through the site.

Feedback from the project partner and the park committee had been received and the team is currently working on some final adjustments to the drawings for the publication document.

Posted 20 May 2021 17:41

DAY TEN...

It's the final day! Group 1 has wrapped up by creating a few more visuals that capture the spirit of the community garden project: the entrance gateway, vegetable market and the roof garden.

The final drawings have been compiled into the final publication document. Great work team!

Posted 21 May 2021 16:01

Seyed Ilia JS

DAY TEN

It's the final day! Group 2 developed the idea of a journey through the site, followed by the entrance, cafe, sitting area, playground, amphitheatre and the green roof.

The final drawings have been compiled into the final publication document. Well done team!

Posted 21 May 2021 16:38

TEAM REFLECTION... ALASTAIR

What have you learnt?
"I've learnt how to use AutoCAD, which I hadn't tried before. I've
also been shown much more efficient ways to use other softwares
such as sketchup and illustrator."

What have you enjoyed the most?
"I really enjoyed how realistic the project was. I found it much easier to motivate myself knowing that the
project was going to be held to higher standards than most first year projects are, since we were
working across different years of experience and had the support of the masters students. Being able
to communicate with experienced architects as well as community members who are actually invested
in the future of the space was great. "

Posted 21 May 2021 16:43

TEAM REFLECTION... IVET

What have you learnt?
"I have learnt how to collaborate and work with students and a client and developed my design skills in Photoshop, Illustrator, and AutoCAD. "

What have you enjoyed the most?
"The most enjoyable part of the project was working with so many architecture students from different years and experiences. I had an amazing time working on this project, gaining new skills with their help and getting to know everybody. I also enjoyed working on a real project with a team, and architect, and visitors. "

Posted 21 May 2021 16:44

TEAM REFLECTION...XINYI

What have you learnt?
"I have learned how to use Photoshop and Illustrator to draw diagrams and make collages. I also learned some basic skills about Lumion through the workshop. "

What have you enjoyed the most?
"I enjoyed working with architecture students from different years as one team most. Also, the interaction with senior architects and community members allowed me to experience the real process of doing the project. "

Posted 21 May 2021 16:47

TEAM REFLECTION... DULCIE

What have you learnt?
"New skills on PS and AI, as well as 3D modelling techniques. "

What have you enjoyed the most?
"Working on a live project which could one day be created and interacting with different year groups. "

Posted 21 May 2021 16:49

TEAM REFLECTION... ALEXANDRA

What have you learnt?
"I have learnt how to use Illustrator and Photoshop more efficiently and the basics of advanced 3D modelling softwares. "

What have you enjoyed the most?
"I enjoyed working with different year students and share our concepts. I was definitely thrilled by the interaction with architects and local community members, acknowledging the process of architetcure project and ways of presenting it to a potential client. "

Posted 21 May 2021 16:51