MSA Live 22

Name: Adarsh Binesh
BA: Manipal University, India
Atelier: Making
Skills: Photoshop, InDesign, SketchUp, Revit, Lumion, AutoCAD
I have work experience in planning & execution of large/small scale projects including housing & hospitality. I have attended workshops in sustainable building materials & techniques while in practice in my country.
I like things about architecture that strengthen the community and its resultant interactions. Looking forward to finishing this interesting project with you.

Posted 15 Mar 2022 16:06

Name: Ricky Wong
BA: Liverpool John Moore
Atelier: Making
Skills: 3 years experience working in a commercial architecture practice. In this, I have worked on a variety of residential and office projects working through RIBA stages 1-4.

I started my architectural studies back in 2015. My aim is to become an architect that can have a positive contribution to society and the built environment.

Posted 15 Mar 2022 16:07

Name: Sadiyah Tijani
BA: Birmingham City University
Atelier: Flux
Skills: Adobe suite, revit, rhino, sketchup, twinmotion
I've worked on both residential and commercial projects while on my year out in practice.
I enjoy strengthening community engagement and through the architectural discipline.
I look forward to collaborating our skills to produce a great output for the community.

Posted 15 Mar 2022 16:09

Name: Tariro Ushe
BA: University of Central Lancashire
Atelier: Praxxis
Skills: Revit / AutoCAD / Illustrator / InDesign / Photoshop
I’m typically driven in doing architecture that’s inspired by the organic form of nature .
Interest: Sketching / Gaming / Reading / Travelling

Posted 15 Mar 2022 16:10

Meet the Collaborators
The Nia Centre is a community building and Play House Theatre in Hulme. The collective (NIAMOS LTD), a non-profit organization took on this project to keep this beautiful building accessible to the community. They provide affordable space for community groups and artists, to work, train and run projects and classes. It is a creative hub for the community of artists and diverse neighborhoods.

Since 2018, 27 years from its last performance, NIAMOS conducted countless workshops, 26 live gigs, 3 conventions, 12 concerts, 4 exhibitions, and 3 large-scale community events. NIAMOS is constituted as a community co-operative limited by guarantee, all profits are reinvested in the building and all members have an equal say in the running of the organization

https://niamos.co.uk/

Posted 15 Mar 2022 17:19

Day 1 - First Meeting

Posted 19 May 2022 11:57

Day 2 - Presentations

This morning we each presented our findings on different heating and insulation solutions for the project that we had found on Monday - these mainly focused on short-term solutions. We reviewed these as a group and discussed the benefits and downfalls of each one, helping us to decide which ideas were feasible and could potentially be put into place as phases 1, 2 or 3 of the plan of the retrofit.

We then thought it may be useful to look into heating solutions used by other theatres to see what kind of sustainable heating solutions they had put in place as well as how they approached funding these options. The client had mentioned they would like to see some precedents that they could potentially visit and ask about how they went about this.
So, we split into 2 groups where sustainable heating methods in both new and old theatres were researched. This way, we got a better idea of how these solutions could be applied to a theatre space. This research was particularly useful for finding long-term solutions and larger systems which could be installed.

Posted 19 May 2022 12:27

Day 2 - Site Visit

In the afternoon, we visited the site and took measurements, photos and sketches of a suitable room that we could stage with different insulation ideas, as well as taking a tour around the entire place.

Posted 19 May 2022 12:34

Day 3 - Conceptualisations

After the visit to the site yesterday, the students found multiple issues in the building and why the client needed to have heating solutions. In the morning, we then tasked the students with the concept of 'BIG INTERVENTIONS ON A SMALL SCALE'.

The idea was that we would produce short term solutions showcased in one room in the theatre. We would present to the client short term solutions they can replicate throughout the building. So we asked the students to create interventions in concept visuals and then we would discuss each student's concept. Shortly after, we decided on the number of interventions that would be present in the showroom.

Posted 19 May 2022 12:59

Day 4 - Research and Design 1

The students were tasked with further developing their chosen intervention from yesterday. They were to produce drawings, costings and material sourcing. Drawings - in how the intervention would be constructed and final measurements. Costings - how much it would cost to procure the necessary material. Sourcing - where the materials will come from.

Posted 20 May 2022 11:04

Day 4 - Research and Design 1.2

Posted 20 May 2022 11:05

Day 5 - Research and Design 2 + End of Week 1

This continued from day 4 in further research and design into heating instalments. First, we inducted the BA students into the fashion/textiles workshop so they can be able to use the sewing machines available for the necessary tasks. During that, we also procured some recycled deadstock fabric from the Fashion Department Bins.

Secondly, we had specially made a trip to Hulme Garden (next door to our client) in scouting and procure the necessary material for our green wall installation. There was a success in securing the frame for the green wall but the necessary green material ie plants and vegetation proved elusive

Posted 24 May 2022 21:11

Day 6 - Research and Design 3

Day 6 focused to further refinement of the instalments, as well as refining the output ready for the document submission.

Posted 26 May 2022 21:02

Day 7 was all about making. We gathered the last of the materials then got to work piecing them all together.

Sourcing the materials was as a challenge as we wanted to reuse as much existing material as possible to keep the project sustainable and costs low.

There were different strategies for the insulation. We experimented with using foam, linen and even cardboard to help thicken the linings. Ultimately, we cut the various fabrics into squares which created a unified sheet.

We learnt how to use the sewing machines for the first time, for some of us it was challenging but by the end of the day we were well on our way to completion.

Posted 26 May 2022 22:01

Day 8 - Making 2

We made another trip to NIAMOS to inspect our showroom and rearrange our exhibition for our client. It was made apparent that the budget required to do all the installations was outside of the client’s scope, so at the last minute the team had to make some adjustments. Luckily, we had the foresight to procure and source as much material for free, but we sourced some material from NIAMOS itself and from an unexpected source. For the green wall, it became apparent most of the expensive cost would be the planting. However, outside the Chatham Building, there’s some planting and shrubs being thrown away. The groundskeepers kindly let us have as much we could and we arranged it on to the crate as a pseudo showpiece for the client. We provided it in the document to the client about how they could actually build it if they were inclined in the future.

Overall, it was a successful and productive day.

Posted 31 May 2022 11:14

Day 9- Assembly on Site

Day nine was the day of assembly on site. We started the morning running through the extra pieces of content needed for the document. Document sections were split between students to be completed for Friday.
After lunch we purchased nails and other d.i.y equipment from the shops before heading to the site. We met with the builder who provided the tools needed to complete the works.
They curtains were hung, fabric panel attached the wall, draft excluders in place, window sealed, and the green wall was nailed into place. The students worked as a team to help each other bring the room to life.
By the end of the day the designs that had been sketched two weeks ago had been put in place. Feedback from the students was that it was great to do something from concept to completion and learn new skills in the process. A successful day!

Posted 31 May 2022 11:15