Day 2 starts with a presentation by Year 5 leader Os where undergrads are introduced to new and old presentation and composition styles. The group then splits into 2 halves with each focusing on one part of the research and quick mind maps sketched out.
Do we know where we are going? Well, we are starting to figure it out! Keep checking this space to find out which well-known organizations not-so-secretly contributes to the arms trade and how it can affect YOU
Aaaaaaand here we go jumping head first into our MSA Live project with an impromptu ice-breaking session with our (initially) shy but (later) enthusiastic undergrads! After finding out one weird fact about each other, we have an online meeting with our client where the project brief and outcomes are explained concisely.
An open discussion commences after the meeting, with everyone sharing their ideas and opinions freely.
The year 5 leads conclude the day with a short brainstorming session and instructions about Day 2.
A good start to a great project!
Today we went to the site of Islington Mill to research. The group discussed the current state of the site and made sketches. We ended the day with a visit to the Salford Museum Art Gallery.
At the end of the day, each group were asked to present their developed ideas after studying human ergonomics, materiality and connection method for their prototype.
It was nice to see two groups presented today show a bit of similarity where they incorporated parametric bench and green wilderness into their proposed prototype.
Thank you to those who attended today's session. See you guys again soon!
On day 2, we have a meeting with the representative of the community development and walk into the centre area of Wythenshawe to experience the social ambience.
Group 35 revisits the town hall to understand the details of the project and meet some of the sub-contractors to gain an insight regarding the apprenticeship program.
Day 2 - Site visit + Meet the Collaborators + The Big Draw
We began our day by meeting at the site. The students got involved with sketching and measuring the site to develop an understanding of the site and its surroundings. This was followed by a team lunch at a nearby food joint.
After getting back from the site we met our client, Debi and collaborator Joseph Molyneaux, an occupational therapist who is actively involved with the Youth house co-op. Joseph gave us an overview of how can we design not just an accessible housing project but an inclusive one.
This was followed by the team brainstorming on the different massing strategies for the project. We eventually decided on two options and will be developing them further this week.
Looking forward to creating an impactful scheme for youth house co-op in the action week!
After the meeting with clients, the team selected three main directions and started to do the measuring survey after lunch. The dimension details have been recorded for day 3 to work together.
The team met the clients in the morning. The clients gave a short introduced on the site and their wish to the new members, and we explained three schemes from yesterday. Clients gave the evaluation and gave some feedbacks for future development.
In the afternoon we headed back to the studio to brainstorm all the different ideas we had for the project, before splitting into two teams to work on developing these great ideas. Here are some programme collages by the students that show some of the amazing ideas we have for the rooftop of the car park.
We could see some sick kickflips coming in the Northern Quarter soon! And did someone say Pizza???
Now having a better understanding of the site through site analysis, we worked together as a team to put together a masterplan that fits both the client and the site requirements! Some of the new function includes: offices, metting rooms, tree nursery, event space etc.
History/Heritage Group: Here is a small sampling of today's site research conducted by our team. There used to be a house at the site during the 1800s and was replaced by a single brick building in 1970s which housed a horticulture centre. However, ever since the horticulture centre moved, the site was left empty, but we still think it shows great potential for a new purpose!
Accessibility Group: Here is a small sampling of today's site research conducted by our team. Using accessibility studies and analysis of public transport, bicycle routes, and footpaths, our group has found site accessibility issues. A heap of synthesis has been discovered, which will be applied to the design development tomorrow. This should be a lot of fun!
Environmental Group: Here is a small sampling of today's site research conducted by our team. Our group has discovered site environmental studies, analyzed the sun and green space on site, and investigated the importance of polycarbonate tunnels within our site.
Our findings will be applied to the design development tomorrow, and we are all looking forward to it.
Day 2 - Workshop with Trinity High School
The majority of Parxx and Rec spent the afternoon brainstorming ideas for the individual and collective dioramas. Two members, meanwhile, held a workshop with a Year 11 Design Technology class from the Trinity Church of England High School, based just a 15 minute walk from Hulme Park.
After recapping the presentation that MSFG conducted the week before, as well as introducing Hulme Park and its amenities, the students were asked to fill out a questionnaire with open-ended questions regarding their general use of local parks. Later, the students were split into a groups of 4-5, and were asked to sketch and use plasticine to demonstrate how we could make Hulme Park more inviting to them. They came up with ideas like: mazes, climbing walls, outdoor gym equipment, ponds, dog play areas, and benches to sunbathe on.
Day 2 - Site exploration and idea development
Parxx and Rec had a morning visit to the site: Hulme Park. Starting off with a walk around the park to familiarise ourselves to the spaces and amenities, the BA students were then tasked with sketching areas of the park that they thought were particularly welcoming or unwelcoming environments. Finally, they engaged with some spatial exercises which focused on helping them rationalise the scale of the park on a map; this was done by forming a human chain to see how many people's wingspan it would take to reach from one end of the skate park to the other.
Day 2 - Studio Workshop!
Our external collaborators In-Situ was generous enough let us use their fantastic space as our studio for the day. Generating potential ideas for the purpose of re-imagining the connectivity of Brierfield.
Day 2 of MSA Live Dragonscapes!
Today we began by splitting up into 4 groups, including a sketching team, masterplanning team, modelling team and a visuals team. Within our groups we created strong visual concepts which we will present to the client tomorrow afternoon. We finished the day with a group presentation so everyone got to see the work that was produced, ready for tomorrow!
Today we started with an Adobe Photoshop tutorial, followed by an introduction on Adobe Illustrator. We finished our initial analysis into Chorlton, giving us a great basis before we delve into the 15-minute neighbourhood framework.
As we briefed each BA on the project and discussed the site's history and potential, we brainstormed and sketched a variety of ideas to determine the potential of the site and what we can do to better the local community in Ellesmere Canal Yard.
The second day included a team discussion of design concepts, followed by individual precedent study and initial design development. We later had a group discussion / hustings over collected ideas.
We started the day by presenting the BAs with the project's output expectations in terms of styles, themes, and format as previously discussed with Sue.
Our team continues to analyse materiality, texture, and site conditions. Everyone created sketches and presented their findings.
The idea from Team 2 stemmed from a caravan. Developed from a simple ‘box on wheels’, the team experimented with ways to manipulate the rectangular form. The sketches and concept models show how the box could be expanded to create an exhibition space.
Both Team 1 and Team 2 focused on further developing their ideas from the previous session. The idea from Team 1 consisted of a gallery space made up of timber frames with a colourful canopy roof. There were physical and digital models made to demonstrate the undulating form.
The second day is complete. We started off by sharing precedent studies of the potential exhibition spaces. We then Split them into 4 groups allowing them to design initial sketches, leading them to generate a final proposal. The proposal included requirements and special features that would be relevant I. the exhibition. After presenting the ideas we discussed the pros and cons which allowed us to move forward into choosing a final proposal.
Today we guided the groups into exploring potential design ideas for the exhibition. We covered the requirements and special features the exhibition aimed for. The day included sketching, 3D modelling software, presentation and discussion
In the afternoon, BA students created presentations to showcase their site observations, design framework and concepts. This was followed by discussions on how ideas could be conveyed further through diagrams, refining the concepts and preparing for presentation to the client.
Concept development by the BA students this morning. Three distinct concepts based on permaculture design were developed by the students. The three different groups worked along the concepts of sensory experience and free play.
Started off with a run down on the activities for the day and what to expect
Presented precedents and talked thought the thought process behind how and why we model make.
Started the model making activity with sketching and design concepts, then moved onto developing sketch models as concept design for the street rejuvenation.
This created the output to then start the photoshop tutorials.
Photoshop tutorial covered the basics, the tools we wish we’d known as undergraduates and general tips and tricks.
This led to the output of edited images of the model outputs created by the undergrads
Lunch Break
InDesign tutorial, covering the same basics and tools that we wish we’d known to create a good base level of understanding before more we create more sophisticated outputs later in the project.
Following this we ran a crash course in Revit to introduce its functionality and demonstrate the skills we’ll be developing further over the course of this project.
In the morning, we conducted a workshop on Photoshop where students were able to learn a few tips on the software. Following that, we had a discussion on precedents of sensory gardens and multi-generational spaces as a starting point to the design process.
Using the Photoshop skills learnt during the morning workshop, the afternoon activity consisted of creating collages and mood boards to present the ideas for multi-generational design gained from the precedent research.
Day 1: COMMUNITY WORKSHOP
The community design workshop began at 2 pm in the Crumpsall Community Hall! Everyone is welcome to express ideas and opinions about the proposed new open space.
We had prepared collage materials, craft supplies, and free refreshments for this workshop. It is a valuable opportunity to communicate with residents in the local community. The notes, drawings and collages will be analysed for the further design process in the two action weeks. Also, thank you to Nin from our primary external partner Hive Projects and students from Manchester College Film to assist this workshop!
DAY 2 : 005 Poster Design Ideas and Collective Research
After exploring LIFESHARE/MDC's website, and cross-referencing their findings with the information given by the Client; work began on initial poster designs. Undergraduates were encouraged to identify what themes and information could be conveyed from a poster successfully, and what graphical techniques could be utilised to do so. After a quick display of the posters, students divided into groups based on creating the interactive map or creating infographics/posters.
DAY 2: 004 Practical Charette of Themes/Graphical Styles
Today saw the undergraduates create profiles of themselves using the distinctive LIFESHARE/MDC colour-scheme in order to have a better practical understanding of what was required from the interactive map and physical posters/infographics. Postgraduates helped teach students how to use software such as Procreate, or Adobe Photoshop and InDesign.
Today, group 3 conducted a study into the land use and context of Castlefield. By identifying the various building uses, we got a feel for the existing 'zones' (residential, commercial etc) - and came to understand the extent of the residential nature of Castlefield. We also looked at the culture hotspots of Castlefield and realised that the vast majority sit above the A57... This will help to inform our interventions later on, especially at 'The Street' site.
The historic mapping of Castlefield shows the various key developments of the area from the Roman forts to the industrial revolution to the present day use of the site. Today the group researched and explored the past heritage of Castlefield and mapped out the key developments and changes that took place over the time that influenced the urban landscapes and street patterns of the area.
The day started with a Digimap workshop and students were divided into groups. Group 1 decided to focus on studying the demographics of Castlefield- age groups, population density, ownership status etc. Maps were downloaded from Digimap and edited on Photoshop and InDesign. Additionally, some infographics were produced by the group to representing the key findings. The group thoroughly enjoyed the mapping exercises and look forward to taking it further tomorrow!
Day 1: INTRODUCTION
We are excited to get started with Community Calls Project on our first day. The first meeting of the whole design team consists of an introductory presentation to better understand the project brief. We introduced the site and discussed the principles and goals of this project. The undergraduates began to familiarise themselves with the afternoon workshop sessions and prepare some drawings and collages.
Great start to getting involved in the Community Calls Project!
We then carried on with some further site investigation, taking photos of the roof top, and doing another quick drawing exercise to get a real feel for the space that we have to work with. Look at these amazing sketches by the team, careers as artists, as well as architects, we think!
With the sun shining the team headed down to the Tib Street Car Park to do a site survey and meet our clients. We started off by doing a 10-minute drawing exercise of the exterior of the building to get the creative juices flowing, before heading upstairs to the car park roof top to do some more surveying.
We had a group meeting on the roof of the car park, where our project will be taking place, with Howard and Katherine from the Northern Quarter Action Group. It was great fun introducing them to the team as they outlined their hopes for the project.
To begin the day we reflected on the conversations the student had with us, CBD and Architecture Unknown, before formally introducing the brief, programme, outputs and week structure through a presentation. Collectively we looked at a previous project of Architecture Unknown to understand the complexities of the public and private spaces. The students then split into their groups and began working in teams to organise the programme onto their sites. Throughout the day, we engaged with the groups to have open discussions about their initial design decisions.
Just a collection of the great site research conducted by our team today. Together we have uncovered site history, developed useful site analysis and researched the importance of communal gardens in our neighbourhoods.
We're all looking forward to applying our findings to the design development tomorrow.
Our first day of MSA Live started by giving an introductory presentation to the project to BA1 and BA2 students. As a ground we researched and discussed important historical timeline landmarks. The morning session ended by producing sketches of the canal and its industrial heritage.
In the afternoon session, we looked at our online survey feedbacks. Based on this we did a brainstorming session of what the nearby community’s expectation of the canal. The day was winded up by making a map of our thoughts and ideas of the project.
Stephen gave us a tour showing us around the site, highlighting special elements the field has to offer. We then measured where the exhibition will take place, collecting information on the sizes of the reusable materials provided.
We've had a fantastic day so far discovering the area around Islington Mill and tracing its history - making use of the beautiful sunshing sketching outside. Already there's some great ideas about alternative ways of mapping heritage and engaging with the arts.
On the first day, we met our team (BA1, BA2) students at the Site.
Dave (our collaborator) talked about the Carlton Club before setting up with concept sketching and discussions.
We finished the day by discussing our favorite ideas for how to use the Site.
Ryebank Fields has a rich history which we have shown in our poster that goes back to the 1600s and continues to the present day. It is good to know the history of the site as it raises awareness of the importance of the land to the community.
Today we met at 10am and began the day with a fun get-to-know-you ice-breaker to start off the day!
Afterwards, we split into 3 groups to explore research from the site history, site analysis to relevant precedents. We presented our sub-group findings to the rest of the team after lunch. We had some great discussions together about the need for community gardens in cities, and discussed some very exciting precedents we hope to influence our future design!
The day ended with a group debrief, to get ready for our workshop day to explore initial ideas tomorrow.
We started off with an ice-breaking session where we introduced everyone to the project and we carried out a site visit. We are proposing to do initial sketches of the exhibition and then complete a digital model of the design.
After briefing the BAs on this project and having understand of the site background, we started to brainstorm and sketch variety of ideas to see what is the site potensial and what can we bring for this community.
After we meet our group and show them around the site, we organised an ice break activity - building our bridge. This make students get familar with each others and enhance cooperation awareness.
We gained insight on designing for (and with) children from our session with Harry Thorpe from Caukin Studio this morning.
He gave us useful information on the various elements needed to design engaging and exciting spaces for children. By understanding the importance of incorporating play and education in design, as well as providing spaces which engage with the children's senses, we are able to bring this forward into the design of our sensory garden. Thank you Harry!
Starting the day in Chorlton Park, the BA students meet our team and the collaborators from CBD and Architecture Unknown for the first time! Splitting into 3 groups, each group visited their site for analysis. Each group had a member of our team, as well as a member from CBD or Architecture Unknown, so the BA students have the opportunity to understand the brief and site in further depth before beginning their design processes tomorrow. With some successful site analysis, we ended our day by gathering again in the Precinct Shop, with a reflection of the day as well as questions by BA students for our team and CBD.
By the end of the day, we had sketches of our initial ideas for the furniture, which we will bring in to tomorrow's session, where we can enhance them according to the project's desired outputs.
Thank you to our team members who participated today. Looking forward to the days ahead! :)
We continued our sketches in the building, where we also get to observe Station South's progress as a cafe/cycling hub.
Once everyone was done, we had a mini presentation where each member talked about their thoughts on the site and their initial ideas about the furniture. We had some fruitful conversations regarding the project's "vision," as well as strategies for the furniture to benefit the larger community.
We also had an online session with some people who can't make it to the site today.
The team pushed through with the site visit, although it was raining lightly. There, we split into groups for the project. We also managed to sneak a photo of us at the Fallowfield Loop, just under Station South, before the rain started to get heavy.
While walking through the site and explaining Station South's future plans, the teams were given a map of the site so they could mark the possible placements of furniture as we go.
We took pictures and did some on-site sketches of our initial thoughts of the site. It was wonderful to see the Fallowfield Loop in use today - we saw cyclists, joggers and people taking their dogs out for a walk! These helped spark some ideas on the project.
The first day is complete. We get to know each of the team members and talked about our project LET THEM FREE. We introduced the site, and talked about the goals and mission for the next two weeks for the first 2 hours. Even though today's weather was not that good, we went to the site together by bus and walked for a few minutes in the heavy rain, but we made it to the site and discussed with Stephen the planning and materials for the exhibition.
The first day is complete. We get to know each of the team members and talked about our project LET THEM FREE. We introduced the site, and talked about the goals and mission for the next two weeks for the first 2 hours. Even though today's weather was not that good, we went to the site together by bus and walked for a few minutes in the heavy rain, but we made it to the site and discussed with Stephen the planning and materials for the exhibition.