Group 17
KEEN FINGERS

Our brief is to design a potting shed for the Friends of Beech Road Park, the design is very open, the shed can be moveable or fixed and sited wherever in the park the team feel appropriate. Participants will be divided into four groups and given tasks which include analysing and designing through research, drawing and model making. We will work to discover new ways of designing a potting shed which harnesses rain water and sunlight encouraging the growth of plants. Collective drawing and model making will be used to decide our concept. At the end of the first week our the design will be decided, the second week will involve finalising the design and presenting to our external partner. We are looking for some new and creative ideas where we can experiment and have fun with this exciting brief!

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Grace C / Nattachomporn S / James R / Samantha M / Angharad J

Meet our collaborator Laura Sanderson,

Laura is a member of the Beech Road Park Road community and a senior lecturer at the Manchester School of Architecture.

Laura is looking for a creative and innovative scheme which provides meaningful community ties as well as becoming a feature for the park.

Posted 1 Mar 2021 17:56

Nattachomporn S

Hi! I’m Natta. I joined Manchester School of Architecture in September 2020. Before joining the master’s degree, I did my undergraduate degree in Architecture from Bangkok, Thailand. Then I spent 1 year working in an Architecture company in my country. Now, I’m in Praxxis atelier. I enjoyed making 3D models using Rhino program, handmade models, and doing graphic design

Posted 1 Mar 2021 19:21

Hi, I’m Jamie Reed and I joined MSA in September 2020, graduating from The Liverpool School of Architecture before working at Glenn Howells Architects. Craft, materials and graphic communication are all aspects of architecture I enjoy as well as theory and discourse. In my spare time I enjoy skateboarding and pottery.

Posted 1 Mar 2021 19:35

Hi everyone my name is Grace, I joined Manchester School of Architecture in September after previously studying my BA at the University of Liverpool. I am in USE atelier and have really enjoyed my time so far! We have a great schedule planned which involves making and creating, I am really looking forward to meeting everybody and getting some innovative ideas flowing!

Posted 1 Mar 2021 19:38

Heya! Im a Fifth year currently in the Urban Spatial Experimentation Atelier, and have been in MSA since first year. My key skills include model making, sketchup, autocad, Photoshop and Indesign, so I will be there to assit you duirng MSA Live. Im looking forward to meeting you all, working and modelling together!

Posted 1 Mar 2021 20:44

ACTIVITIES:

The two week project will be split into two main acitivites, in the first week the participants will focus on research and design of the shed. There will be four groups focusing on different aspects of the shed and its functionality, these will rotate each day so everyone will have the opportunity to partake in each group. After finalising these ideas, in the second week the participants with focus on model making and experimentation with materiality, including some detailing. At the end, we will collate and produce a guide for a potting shed containing all the work produced.

SKILLS:

Model making, producing technical details, hand drawing, building design, researching, site analysis and community work.

Posted 1 Mar 2021 20:45

Social value is a key driver within this community based project. The objectives for our event aim to design a potting shed which can be universal and used in many similar parks to Beech Field Road across the country. The shed should act as a public intervention which provides shelter, growing space, uses passive strategies, and most importantly provides social engagement.

This project is a wonderful opportunity to explore new and exciting ways to engage passers by as well as the existing community. The Friends of Beech Field road are excited about the prospect of receiving a proposal for the new potting shed which they would be proud to own in their park.

Posted 1 Mar 2021 21:17

Hey there! My name's Sam and I started my studies at MSA for my undergraduate before going on to work at IBI Group . I am currently carrying out my masters studies with the Infraspace atelier.

Revit, Sketchup, Photoshop and Illustrator are my primary means of generating drawings, though when time permits, I do enjoy some detailed line drawings and digital colouring!

In my spare time I try to progress my garden-farm to produce my own food and also like to experiment with cooking. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you BA 1&2 and MLA students who have keen fingers!

Posted 1 Mar 2021 21:32

Hi, I’m Annie and I’ve studied at the Manchester School of Architecture since undergrad.
I am currently in USE and enjoy the creativity that this Atelier encourages.
I spent 2 years in practice before returning to my Masters which helped build my communication skills and confidence using programs such as Revit.
I have a keen interest in Modernist Architecture and enjoy a bit of printmaking when I’m not studying.

Posted 1 Mar 2021 21:40

Workshop 1: Landscaping and Orientation

The aim is to understand how the park can integrate its self into the existing topography of the park. Aspects such as position within the park are key as well as any potential alterations to the immediate topography and surface treatment should be considered, if deemed necessary.

Posted 21 Apr 2021 14:30

Workshop 2: Drainage and Water

A shed should be able to with stand the elements (especially in a rainy city such as Manchester!) so this should be considered a design opportunity. Can there be an expression in which the water may act as an architectural event? Placement of the water tap is also crucial.

Posted 21 Apr 2021 14:31

Workshop 3: Sunlight and Passive energy strategies

Students here should ideally engage in environmental aspects that are lowtech and rely on form and simple design, heating/ cooling, water collection and ventilation should be considered in creating comfortable environment, as well as an awareness of potentially sustainable construction practices.

Posted 21 Apr 2021 14:33

Workshop 4: Social/community impact

Here, the focus will be on using the shed as a social tool within the local community and its existing context. Is this shed multi-purpose? Is it inclusive and represent a diverse range of needs? Does it enhance and integrate with the existing users of the park? Can it bring new functions?

Posted 21 Apr 2021 14:34

Here is the site plan for Beech Road Park for those who are not familiar with the site. The park has some beautiful tree lines and fantastic green areas full of opportunities.

After a recent meeting with the Friend of Beech Road Park community the main message which came from the discussions were that this park is for everyone. The aim is to design an inclusive potting shed which everyone can use and can be used for different occasions; maybe planting and coffees in the morning and a small arts and festival scene in the evening.

We are looking forward to briefing our students next week and seeing how we can create an inclusive potting shed which can be adapted for many different types of occasions!

Posted 2 May 2021 12:28

Nattachomporn S

The first ice breaker exercise for the week involved creating a collaborative drawing of Beech Road Park using Zoom as a platform.

This exercise was inspired by Niall Mclaughlin Architects who organised a collective drawing workshop, which allowed people to draw parties all along their streets when lockdown ended via zoom. Around 300 people were collectively involved and it created a wonderful colourful and detailed drawing.

We are thrilled with how this simple half an hour exercise has a created a really exciting image and allowed some initial ideas to be discussed!

Posted 13 May 2021 17:05

Nattachomporn S

Model making was the second most challenging task, as everyone needed to find any relevant materials around their house within a 5 minute timespan. The materials could be anything, even recycled materials! Everyone had to use imagination and adapt their ideas in order to successfully transform the materials from items inside their house!

Posted 13 May 2021 17:05

Day 2: Solar and Passive Strategies Workshop.

Day 2 involved a solar and passive strategies workshop which started with a presentation providing the students with some inspiration for some of the fantastic designs they came up with. We encouraged the students to really explore all of the different possible, materials, orientations, proportions and window arrangements which would maximise solar gain. The workshop also encouraged students to explore alternative passive strategies such as wind power and rainwater recycling.

The students came up with some really fantastic ideas, the design shown in this blog post explores the idea of a moving structure which follows the sun throughout the day, maximising solar gain and harnessing wind power to motorise the moving mechanism!

Posted 13 May 2021 19:41

Day 3: Drainage and Water Workshop.

Day 3 ran a workshop considering specific drainage details, damp proof systems and methods of controlling water.

The students came up with some really great details which were appropriate for the site utilising the available water sources as well as collecting fresh rainwater.

This was a great opportunity for the students to explore some basic details along side the Masters students.

Posted 14 May 2021 22:08

Day 4: Landscape and Orientation Workshop.

Day 4 ran a landscape and orientation workshop, the students developed on the presented information. They have considered the interaction between the potting shed and the surrounding flower beds and tree lines, as well as considering how the shed should be orientated after building on the knowledge gained from the solar workshop.

Lastly the students worked on siting the potting shed in an area which is accessible to the community that uses beech road park.

Posted 14 May 2021 22:15

Day 5: Social and Community Impact Workshop.

Here are some words from the students participating in todays workshop:

“The design includes several areas put together where users can have market spaces and meetings, provide gardening spaces, children can play, and users can chat in small community hubs under the shade of the surrounding trees."

"Gardening pods could include this concept where different plants may require more soil, sunlight, or shade."

"On the higher platforms, the difference in building and land scape become blurred as it helps create a panoramic view of the public space and seating areas can be used as picnic spots.”

This worksop had some great discussions today, a great way to round up the first week!

Posted 14 May 2021 22:18

Day 6: Presentation day.

Today we had a great meeting with our Clients , Laura Sanderson and Colette Crosdale.

We had a chance to share our outputs from last week and get some fantastic feedback. We are now looking at creating a potting shed with a raised platform stage, an arch way welcoming everyone into the park and some planter benches.

These blog post images summarise the colourful style we are looking to replicate. Today we developed the idea of creating ceramic tiled forms, each tile having been decorated by a different member of the parks community.

The main message which came from the Beech Road park committee meeting is that this park is for everyone. This invitation to create your own tile which will become part of a semi permanent structure within the park will create a collective sense of ownership.

Posted 17 May 2021 18:14

Day 7: Consolidating our final designs.

Day 7 involved our pairs consolidating their designs in the morning and starting to create their axonometric drawings this afternoon. These final axonometric drawings will describe each element of the scheme to the clients.

The tiles displayed in this post have been created by each member of our team and will be used to render our axonometric and visuals to follow in the next couple of days. They display the vibrant and collaborative nature of the scheme and we are really excited to see the finished drawings come together tomorrow!

Posted 18 May 2021 19:36

Day 8: Finalising Drawings.

Today we have been finalising our drawings ready to collate into the booklet tomorrow. We have been working with the students on styles and presentation skills using a variety of watercolours, hand drawing, photoshop and illustrator. We provided a workshop on illustrator for the students to gain some tips and tricks for creating some quick and effective renders.

We are all really excited to see everyones finished drawings collated in the final presentation tomorrow!

Posted 19 May 2021 17:51

Day 9: Collating the final designs.

Today all of our outputs for each of the three schemes have been brought together and collated into a booklet for our clients. It has been great to see the students pulling together to produce stylistically similar pieces of work as well as creating some fantastic final models to explain the scheme successfully.

These axonometric drawings have been created by our various groups of students. They have been drawn to describe each individual scheme in a clear and concise way to our clients.

The final designs have come together to make a coherent and creative presentation which we are all looking forward to presenting tomorrow!

Posted 20 May 2021 20:55

Day 9: Final Models.

Today each of our groups of students created their final models for each of their designs. We think these models really explain the designs clearly and have allowed the students to explore their designs in detail.

Posted 20 May 2021 21:51

Nattachomporn S

THE POTTING SHED

The potting shed is orientated in fenced corner towards Beech Road, the south side of the site. Nursery plants are displayed in the window of the solar space near the boundary of the park for the passers by to view.

Posted 21 May 2021 08:13

Nattachomporn S

ARCH

The welcome arch has been designed to welcome members of the community as well as new visitors into the park. Marking the threshold space between the entrance and the green space. It also frames the pathway leading directly across the park creating a meeting place for friends and families to gather.

Posted 21 May 2021 08:15

Nattachomporn S

PLANTER BENCH

The planter bench proposal is a flexible design which has been created to give the park a small area for people and children to sit, interact or have a picnic or a dance! The planter speaks the same language as the potting shed and the welcome arch by incorporating the tiled walls, treated wooden tops and pedestal legs. The planter will be a moveable piece which can be sited anywhere in the park.

Posted 21 May 2021 08:16

Day 10: Final Presentation.

Today we presented our final booklet to the Partners, it was a fantastic meeting and the Clients were delighted with how the scheme encourages an element of community participation through the use of collective tiles.

The clients mentioned that our scheme has understood the park well and they feel that the scheme would be a part of the park for everyone to enjoy. They hope to take the design forward with the hope that it comes to fruition!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the partners of Beech Road Park Committee, especially Laura Sanderson and Colette Crosdale who contributed so much towards the design.

We would also like to thank all of our talented students for working so hard on the scheme and contributing their amazing creative ideas!

Posted 21 May 2021 15:11

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