This site is an historic canal maintenance yard dating back to 1806 with an adjacent field close to the market town of Ellesmere, and once the office and workshops of the former Ellesmere Canal Company set up by Thomas Telford, pioneer architect and engineer. It is still used as operational base for Canal & River Trust.

What you’ll be doing

Week 1
Following a presentation of the brief from our collaborator, we will explore the potential opportunities of the site, and later be divided into project groups, focusing on specific spaces within the site. We will develop design concepts and strategies for engagement and investment, with the week culminating in software tutorials to prepare for the following week.

Week 2
We will be further developing the design concepts from week 1 into illustrative and graphical representations of the spaces and defining how they are socially productive for the site. The week will conclude with a presentation to the collaborator of the developed design concepts.

During the project you will have the opportunity to develop and learn skills visual communication through sketching & drawing, and a variety of digital software’s such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign and Rhino. We will use principles of adaptive reuse, socially productive space, and slow architecture to generate a considered response to this historic site.

We will be producing illustrative visuals, graphics, sketches, and drawings to help communicate ideas and potential opportunities to our collaborator and contribute to increased community interest in the site.

Social impact and values

- ‘Slow-Architecture’
- Social Productivity & Community Engagement
- Fabrication & Making
- Preserving identity
- Adaptive reuse
- Incorporating landscaping
- Generating revenue
- Eco-tourism

Sue Ball is a cultural producer who works in the context of social and spatial design and is Director of the creative regeneration practice Media and Arts Partnership (MAAP). She operates in the gaps between sectors and disciplines to generate new professional learning and interdisciplinary design processes for urban space and works to mobilise and strengthen value systems related to place and community.

Commissioned by Canal and River Trust since 2010, Sue has developed a ‘slow architecture’ methodology to re-occupy historic waterside sites across the UK. As of January 2020, Sue has been engaged with Ellesmere Yard in Shropshire, the original workshops and office of Thomas Telford’s Shropshire Canal Company in the early 1800’s. Applying this approach of ‘Slow Architecture’, Sue is working with the Canal & River Trust to coproduce its re-animation as a site for making, design and fabrication.

The Team.

Name : Arif Izzuddin Arif Ismail

Hometown/Country : Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Atelier : Infrastructure-Space

Undergrad : Universiti Teknologi MARA (Puncak Alam)

Working Experience : Freelance Design Architect

Skills : Photoshop, Illustrator, Sketchup, Lumion

Interest : Photography, Volleyball, Aquascape

Name : Harry Tate

Hometown/Country : Preston, United Kingdom

Atelier : Infrastructure-Space

Undergrad : Manchester School of Architecture

Working Experience : Haworth Tompkins, London

Skills : Physical model making, MicroStation, AutoCAD, SketchUp, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign

Interest : Furniture, Fashion, Travel

Name : Raiyhan Aaron Alvi

Hometown/Country : London, United Kingdom

Atelier : Continuity in Architecture (CiA)

Undergrad : Coventry University

Working Experience : Freelancing

Skills : Photoshop, Illustrator, Sketchup, Revit, Sketching

Interest : Travelling, Football, Water colour painting

Name : Thomas Lee

Hometown/Country : Haworth, United Kingdom

Atelier : Infrastructure-Space

Undergrad : Leicester School of Architecture

Working Experience : 2 Years Fourpoint Architects, London

Skills : Rhino, Revit, Microstation, Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign

Interests : Travel, Cycling, Running, Drawing

MSA Live has officially started!!

Day 1: Meet Sue from Ellesmere Canal Yard.

We began the day by briefing the BAs on the project and the clients. Sue then joined us to talk about the site overall and its possibilities.

We moved on to our next activity, Brainstorming, after the team had a good understanding of the project and had interacted with the clients. We had to come up with a variety of ideas to see how we could create interesting programmes and architecture on the first site which is The Open Shed next to the Dry Dock. We sketch some initial site ideas and present each other's proposals.

Day 2 : Working on the 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 of The Open Shed. Everyone created sketches, diagrams and presented their findings all together.

Sketch it Out!

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.

Day 3 : Finalising the Ideas for Site 01!

The day started with BAs presenting their finalised and collective ideas and proposals for The Open Shed (Site 01) and reaching a final decision on what should be developed there.

To refresh everyone's memory, Raiyhan briefly explained the conditions and opportunities at Site 02 (Timber Storage) and Site 03 (Joiners Workshop). Divided into two groups, we discussed further the possibilities of the two sites, respectively.

Present it Out!

BAs drafted a final version of their ideas on Site 01 and presented it in the form of individual sketches and thoughts.

There is a feeling among everyone that everyone had a similar idea on what to develop on the site, and it is nice to see everyone has begun to build a solid foundation of research and architecture for the site and local community.

Sketch it Out!

As we briefed each BA on both sites condition and opportunities, we all together brainstormed and sketched a variety of ideas in two groups to determine the potential of the site and what we can do to better the local community in Ellesmere Canal Yard.

Day 4 : Finalising the Ideas for Site 02 and 03!

Beginning the day, BAs continued to explore their ideas and proposals for site 01 and 02 . Creating the elevations of the facades, the plans for the interior spaces, as well as the activities for each space.

Everyone started to come up with specific ideas and justifications for what they would implement in the spaces, and we couldn't wait to see the final drawings!

Day 5 : Producing Schematic Drawings!

The BAs have begun the day by recapping all the previous ideas and converting them into schematic drawings, such as floor plans and sections.

The team is looking forward to finalizing the drawings, having a software tutorial, and compiling their hard work into a presentation next week!

Day 6 : Digital Design Workshop (Rhino)!

It really excites the BAs to learn new software that will help them to gain a new perspective on the projects. The group had an informal software tutorial demonstrating how Rhino can be used for architectural design, led by Tom.

It will be exciting to finalize the drawings, have a software another tutorial, and compile their hard work into a presentation this week!

Model it Out!

Tom guided each BA in learning how to use Rhino in a basic skills workshop, which led to us all creating a 3D site model of the Ellesmere Canal Yard using Rhino in order to get a better understanding of the environmental strategies and the possibilities of the site.

We are excited to learn new software that will allow them to gain a fresh perspective on the sites. Tom provided a demonstration of how Rhino can be used for architectural design, which was an informal software tutorial.

Day 7 : Finalising the Ideas for Site 02 & 03!

After finalising our collective ideas and thoughts, we was able to sketch out a ton of layout drawings and sketches for this Friday's presentation and collages!

After finishing today's session, we are looking forward to compiling and combining all the works and looking at the overall developments. In our next meeting, we will compile and set up the presentation mode for our partners.

Day 8 : Finalising the Output Formats for the Final Presentation!

We drew an amazing amount of layouts and sketches for this Friday's presentation and collages after finalizing our collective thoughts and ideas!

Having finished today's session, we're looking forward to compiling and combining all the results, as well as examining the overall results. During our next meeting, we will assemble and set up the presentation mode for our partners.

Sketch it Out!

As we briefed each BA on what we expected for the final output, we explored and finalized a variety of concepts for the presentation to the Ellesmere Canal Yard partner.

Second Last Day!

It is really exciting for BAs to finally complete their artworks because it helps them to gain a new perspective on their projects. A brief presentation was made to the BA's about how we will make the presentation to the collaborators tomorrow.

It will be exciting to finalize the drawings and compile their hard work into a presentation next day!

Finally Presentation Day!

Today is finally the day we present to our collaborator the stunning graphics we designed and created over the past two weeks. The presentation started early this morning with some preparations.

Our proposals seemed to be liked by the collaborators, and everything went smoothly.