Withington Baths is located in the Withington area, about 4 miles (approximately 6.4 kilometers) south of Manchester city center. Its address is Burton Road, Withington, Manchester M20 3EB.

The venue is housed in a historic building that used to be the headquarters of the Withington Baths and Wash-house company. It is situated near the intersection of Burton Road and Wilmslow Road, which makes it easily accessible by public transportation such as buses and trams from the city center.

The area is a bustling residential neighborhood with many shops, cafes, and restaurants around, offering visitors plenty of options. Overall, Withington Baths is situated in a convenient and lively location in the city of Manchester.

Our project aims to combine collaboration, retrofitting, embracing heritage, and graphic design skills to renovate and revamp a historic building in our local area. Through teamwork, we will retrofit the building, combining traditional elements with modern design to meet contemporary needs while preserving the cultural and historical significance of the building.

In the project, we will utilize our graphic design skills to create visual elements and cultural content that highlight the building's history and cultural background and incorporate these elements into our designs. Our goal is to achieve a successful retrofit that turns the building into a unique landmark in the local area and provides practical and sustainable use for contemporary society.

Day 1

The start of day 1 morning! Huge thanks to Paul and Emma for showing us around Withington Baths and giving us an overview of its historical importance.

Day 1

After the tours, we undertook a heritage and demographic workshop to gain an understanding of the building and its users. This was key for us to create a socially and historically sympathetic design.

The Withington Baths in Manchester, one of the oldest heritage baths still in use today, has three pools: first-class for men, first-class for women, and second-class for men (only two were built due to lack of funds). The baths had different entrances, changing rooms, and pools for men and women. The first-class pool received fresh water every week, while the second-class pool received used water from the first-class pool. On Mondays, the water was refreshed, and on Saturdays, bath entrances were half-price, while on Sundays they were free due to the water being a week old. In addition to providing swimming pools and baths, the Withington Baths served as a cultural hub and community space for people in the neighborhood who didn't have baths in their homes. They also offered rentable bath towels for their clients that were washed in the basement.

In 1914, the Withington Baths were the first baths in Manchester to introduce mixed pools, but they were only available one day a week, and men and women had to swim on opposite sides of the pool. Since 2015, the Withington Baths has been run by the community group "Love Withington Baths." The Manchester city council's decision to withdraw funding for the baths in 2013 led to protests, a community march, and a petition with 8,000 signatures to keep the baths open.

Today, people can swim, exercise in the gym, take classes in the studios, rent office space, and enjoy the café space at Withington Baths. The baths exist not only as a swimming pool and gym but also as a charitable trust, with all profits reinvested into maintaining and refurbishing the building. The Withington Baths is located in the M20 quarter of Manchester, an area that was one of the city's most desirable locations in the early 20th century, known as "upper-class Olympia."

Day 1

In the afternoon, BA students present concepts for the reception and entrance to Withington Baths.

Day 2

In the morning, BA students partook in an ice-breaking activity. In this activity, the students sat facing each other and produced sketches of their paired partners. The students then shared their sketches with each other and discussed their art styles. This activity helped the students to learn more about each other and also built a sense of camaraderie.

Day 2

Later in the morning session, BA students produced concept collages to depict how they wanted their spaces to look. The purpose of the collages was to help the students visualize their ideas. The collages included colours, furniture, and other elements that the students found desirable. After they produced their collages, they presented them to the group.

Day 2

In the afternoon session, the MArch 1 students taught the BA students how to use Digimaps, AutoCad and Skecth Up. After this, under the guidance of the MArch students, the BA students produced solar study diagrams and demographic maps.

Day 3

In the morning session, the BA students worked on their design proposals under the guidance of the MArch 1 students. They produced different design proposals to present to the clients. The MArch 1 students provided feedback on the design proposals and helped the BA students refine their ideas.

Day 3

In the afternoon, the BA students continued working on their design proposals, discussing the merits of their ideas and testing the feasibility of their proposed designs. They then compiled their design proposals in a PowerPoint to prepare for the client meeting the next day.

Day 4

The two Withington Baths groups met up for a mock presentation to discuss their respective ideas, concepts and strategies. The groups shared feedback and suggestions with each other.

Day 4

Excerpts from the PowerPoint presentation showcasing two interior (reception) concepts and an exterior (entrance) proposal.

Day 4

Initial presentation of the design proposals to the Love Withington Baths team. The team loved the proposals and gave feedback for further improvement and development. The feedback was noted by the group to be implemented in the following session.

Day 5

The group was split into groups of two. One for the reception design and another for the exterior landscaping. Based on the feedback received from the initial client meeting on Friday, the students were able to refine their ideas in order to achieve a common design.

Day 6

In the morning session, the MArch students conducted a Revit workshop for BA students. The workshop included teaching the students how to manoeuvre the user interface, create 3D models and other basic Revit design skills.

Day 6

In the afternoon session, the BA students continued developing their final design. A review was held midway through this design development process. The review helped to identify any potential problems and to identify areas of improvement. The students then revised their designs and improved them.