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21st May – LEEDS CONFERENCE
Mariam (MArch) and Grace (BA) had the chance to showcase our ‘Interweaving Futures: Bradford 2025’ project to the stakeholders involved with Bradford’s regeneration schemes at the annual UKReiff event in Leeds. This was a professional environment and we received amazing feedback for our project and its presentation.
We spoke to members of AJ, Arcadis, and once again were able to discuss the project with Jade and Dr Saira Ali (Team Leader for Landscape, Design and Conservation at Bradford Council), who expressed interest in continuing the collaboration into next year as the Heritage Action Zone project progresses.
Posted 25 May 2024 21:59
17th May – DAY NINE – THANK YOU!
A special thanks to Jade for her enthusiasm and support throughout this action week and before. We look forward to seeing Jade in Bradford again soon, and to continue discussing our thoughts on it’s regeneration!

We also want to extend our gratitude for the excellent work ethic, eagerness to learn, and engagement of our BA students.
Posted 25 May 2024 21:58
17th May – DAY NINE
We were delighted to present our work to our collaborator, Jade, as well as Emily Crompton and Group 29 (whose presentation we also attended).

The BA students had put a lot of their time and energy into our outputs, so were eager to share their own work, perspectives and ideas. We took turns presenting different parts of the project, so BA students could take their own interventions and explain them as they chose.

We are proud to say this presentation was a success!
Posted 25 May 2024 21:58
Thank you!

Today we had our final project meeting with our client represented by Amanda Aitken. Through this post, we would like to thank everyone who made this experience possible starting with Healthy Me Healthy Community. We have learnt a lot during this project and we are very excited for the future plans for this community garden. Thank you to all the volunteers that spoke to us and guided us on site. Also, thank you again to the whole team and have a great summer everyone!
Posted 22 May 2024 12:49
17th May – DAY NINE

We finished our graphic outputs before presenting them to our collaborator. Our main final image was a colour-coded axonometric showcasing our modelling work and interventions into both streets and into the buildings themselves. We really wanted to “sell” our project with this final image, and are very proud of its quality and the fact that each students contributed to its completion.

In making this, we developed our skills in communication, software proficiency and maintaining a strong and legible workflow.
Posted 19 May 2024 12:11
17th May – DAY NINE
We continued finishing our sketches, while revisiting outputs that could be made even better. For instance, we wanted to present our project drivers:
• Heritage
• Community
• Culture
To do this, we wanted a page that presented our ideas slightly artistically, as interwoven threads underpinning our initial conversations at the start of this project.
Posted 19 May 2024 12:11
16th May – DAY EIGHT
All students, BA and MArch, were finishing and polishing our outputs: touching up sketches and exporting the digital model as a high quality axonometric and masterplan were of particular focus.

As MArch students, we had written out the text for our booklet, formatting it and making graphical additions to the booklet template, so that we were well-prepared for filling the booklet with outputs the following day.
Posted 19 May 2024 12:10
15th May – DAY SEVEN
The students revisited their serial vision vignette sketches with a twist – they would now showcase the same narrative path through our chosen area of the Heritage Action Zone, but with their interventions imposed onto those drawings, diversifying and adding a new sense of dynamism to each street. These street-level drawings show off our smaller installations and changes to building frontages.
Posted 19 May 2024 12:08
15th May – DAY SEVEN
As a team, led by Mi, students were busy finishing modelling individual building facades and creating an axonometric masterplan to showcase their work up to this point, for the booklet. Pranali and Fraser were walking on the budget and the masterplan output, respectively, while Mariam had begun to populate the booklet with our photographs and newly-completed installation designs.
Posted 19 May 2024 12:08
14th May – DAY SIX

While most of the BA and MArch students were continuing to model individual streetscapes, interventions, and building frontages in SketchUp and Rhino, Mariam and Fraser spoke to our collaborator Jade via a Teams Meeting we had timetabled prior to the first Action Week.
We presented the entire range of sketches, interventions, serial visions, photographs as well as case studies and precedents. Jade was delighted with the range of work we had done up to this point and was eager to see more on Friday afternoon, which had previously arranged with her.
The other students continued their activities from Monday for the rest of the day, completing the drawing and, designing and modelling of streetscape installations and later moving onto modelling building facades and continuing to suggest new, original uses.
Posted 19 May 2024 12:07
13th May – DAY FIVE

We set up a Miro board which we could add to in order to easily and visually share our sketches, modelling, notes and mapping of Bradford.
Throughout the day, the students were working on creating the following kinds of installations:
• New outdoor seating
• Charity book stores
• Flexible art exhibition spaces for locals
• Public stage and outdoor tables
• Covered pavilion
• Linear water feature as a guiding downhill path
• Dedicated busking sites
• Pop-up outdoor market stalls
• New landmarks with circulation and seating

In addition to these installations, the following programmatic re-use of selected buildings were suggested:
• Soup kitchen
• Youth + community centres
• Craft and design workshops for local youth
• Vintage clothing supplier
• Cafes, bars and miscellaneous hospitality
• Indoor exhibition spaces
• Other leisure opportunities
Posted 19 May 2024 12:07
13th May – DAY FIVE

Beginning our second week, MArch arrived at our room early to prepare for the day.
When the other students arrived, we led a discussion of the previous weeks site visit, future design considerations and the week ahead, focusing on outputs for the publication and booklet.

We spoke about the concept of urban acupuncture, which is the type of urban intervention we were aiming for, as well as the scope and scale of our masterplan and what detail in our models and drawings we expected from the students. These design discussions lasted around an hour and we made sure to ground our conversation in how interventions could address social deprivation in Bradford.
Posted 19 May 2024 12:06
...AND THAT'S A WRAP!

We want to give a big thank you to our collaborators Alex, Rob and Sheron from Always Ahead for providing an opportunity for us to explore the rich history of Crewe and Flag Lane Baths. We would also like to thank our lovely BA1 and BA2 students and all their hard work and dedication to the project.

DEEP DIVE is excited to see where the future of Flag Lane Baths will go, and hope it continues to be a symbol of history and memories for the residents of Crewe.
Posted 18 May 2024 19:22
It was absolutely lovely to meet with our collaborator Alex, along with Sheron Ferguson who is the Chair of Always Ahead- the charity taking the lead on the transformation of Flag Lane Baths. It was inspiring to see our project bring so much excitement and anticipation from Sheron and Alex. We have enjoyed pushing this project 'always ahead' and can't wait to see Flag Lane Baths completed!
Posted 18 May 2024 19:08
A CONCLUSION
Posted 18 May 2024 14:20
"The past two weeks have been very positive. Although communicating with the collaborators was difficult as the facility is entirely run by a few volunteers, it meant that as a team we had to work even more closely together and think creatively to create solutions to the problems we saw. Working on a real project which we physically visited was helpful as someone who often finds it difficult to conceptualize space. I really enjoyed working through plan iterations and thinking about how to manipulate space based on different design drivers and considerations. In studio, there is always a pressure to produce a set output so working through plans often feels rushed and sometimes I do not understand why one plan works better than another. MSA LIVE has allowed me to fully brainstorm and consider space without the pressure of a studio brief and weekly tutorials. As well as this, the opportunity to work with students in different years of study was great. We were able to learn more about different ways of working and get feedback and advice as well as offer feedback and provide constructive feedback to one another." - Nia Peters
Posted 18 May 2024 14:19
Though L.O.L stopped operating as a conventional library, it prevails to be a popular and essential resource for Levenshulme, providing community members spaces to perform and facilitate creative community-driven activities. This MSA Live project prompted me to consider "resource" and the act of 'borrowing'. Much like books, the users of Levenshulme Old Library 'check out' spaces. I explored this concept through the information we borrow from other people. MTC, despite being a host for architectural students, has little 'resources' available other than 'human resources'.
Posted 18 May 2024 14:19
Posted 18 May 2024 14:19
Posted 18 May 2024 14:19
A'lla Ibrahim, on our earlier site visit was drawn to the ornamental features of the L.O.L building; particularly the tiles at the entrance of the site. Following on from earlier client conversations, A'lla was inspired by these features and chose to explore them further in her response to improving the library through the installation of a stained glass window portal, taking into consideration the community of artisans connected to L.O.L. A'lla's exhibition response was thoughtful in function as well as aesthetic, as she sought to actively improve features that were in disrepair whilst celebrating the identity of the space! We're very proud and impressed by the thoughtful and sincere approach to design the students exhibited through the Action Weeks.
Posted 18 May 2024 14:18
We concluded the day with a group photo with everyone from the team. This was an amazing experience and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. Interacting with kids and inspiring them to create was super fun. Witnessing the manner in which young minds work was a refreshing aspect. Thanks to each and everyone who contributed to this workshop and a special thanks Laura and the teachers of Year 4 at Oswald Road for making this happen!
Posted 17 May 2024 21:04
The final day in MSA live - presentation for the collaborators and community in Height Library!
Many thanks to our collaborators and the team. Great job!
Posted 17 May 2024 20:40
The exhibition

At the end of the day, the outputs from all the workshops were showcased in a small exhibition which took place after school hours at Oswald Road. Parents who came in to pick up their children were invited in to take a look at the creative designs. Everyone were wowed by the amount of work done in a day and were appreciative about introducing a new world to their kids.
Posted 17 May 2024 20:21
Class 4C Elevation Explorers workshop!

Elevation Explorers revolved around rethinking the school's facade - both old and new. The task given to the children was to use the kit of parts given to them to redesign the exterior elevation of their school if they were the architects. The workshop was centered around the video game "Fortnite" to grab the kids' attention and draw parallels of building and protecting from the video game world to real world. They used many colorful tools to bring the school's facade to life and even integrated new functions into the facade. Many added trees and creatures to the wall, some drew grafitti on them and some even added bows to "make them prettier". The real-life architects came in for the final session followed by a game of "Pictionary", which was used as a tool to
introduce perception and communication.
Posted 17 May 2024 20:21
Class 4B Model Masters workshop!

Model Masters revolves around designing the school's playground area. The task given to the children was to use various materials and textures to design play structures for their playground if they were incharge. The children were eager to start designing play structures and immediately formed a sense of ownership over their playground. Many designed their favourite ones to play on while others came up with new "Super-Structures" of their own. The first session was used to plan and design their components. The second was used to draft "approval drawings" for their structure. This pushed them to visualize in 2D after completing the 3D part. They showed off their creations in the last session to the whole class by explaining their model, its structure and the materials used. This was followed by a Q&A session with a few real-life architects.
Posted 17 May 2024 20:21
Class 4A Plan-it Pilots workshop!

Plan-it Pilots revolved around redesigning a portion of the block containing buildings which are to be demolished. The task given to the children was to use various textures, colours and tools to reimagine the corner of their block and propose a design for the space if they were the architects.

The kids were excited to plan a new program for their block. They planned many activity oriented areas like ice rinks, water slides, skate parks and football pitches. Some also created museum spaces and moved from plans to facades.The kids shared their work in the last session and got to meet some practicing architects too!
Posted 17 May 2024 20:20
Day 9 is the final and last day to work on the Manchester Airport MSA live project where we finally working on the last finishing touches of the submissions. We finished the blogs, publications, booklet and the 3 design options of the chandelier. After winding up with today’s output we celebrated with pizza and wine!

It was an amazing journey of getting a chance to work with Manchester Airport Group and Lazerian studios. We had an amazing opportunity to work with the BA student who came with a fresh breeze of ideas and concepts about the North. We as a team are grateful to be a part of something so endless and chance of touching people with our designs.
Posted 17 May 2024 20:19
Signing off MSA LIVE,
Make sure to check the MSA LIVE exhibition from 17th June
Cheers!



Fin.
Posted 17 May 2024 20:12
Reflections Lessons Learned

1. Successes and Challenges
Achievements: The Great Horton Street redesign project stands out for its unique successes. We achieved a remarkable 100% attendance and participation from the ba1 and ba2 teams and the master’s students. Our innovative planning and design of the project framework and action plan not only made the project engaging and interesting but also led to a depth of excellent outputs, both physical and digital.
Challenges: The challenges faced were front-heavy. Planning the project alongside our other university deadlines meant time management was vital, and it was a challenge to prioritise certain parts of the university course equally. However, the action week ran without issue.

2. Best Practices
- Innovation: We used innovative practices during the project, including new technologies provided by Bradford Council, including the GIS Model (scan of the entirety of Bradford). All students could get the best idea of the street post-site visit and inform their three-dimensional cardboard development elevation models. This will instil in the students that despite the outputs being two-dimensional elevations, the importance of working and thinking three-dimensionally is their applicability to future projects. The project can be replicated in other parts of Bradford, future street redesign projects, and the students’ projects.

3. Reflecting on these aspects not only provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of the Great Horton Street redesign project but also has the potential to significantly influence future urban development initiatives. It can guide the creation of more liveable, sustainable, and inclusive urban spaces. Moreover, it creates a platform for the students to learn and grow from, enabling them to decide for themselves how they could improve or approach similar projects differently in the future. This project can be systematically incorporated into future efforts, establishing a formal process for capturing and utilizing lessons learned.
Posted 17 May 2024 20:02
Reflections

To conclude, MSA LIVE Reflecting on the project and what our group and collaborator have achieved is essential.
Our project output focused on presenting the reimaged facades and, thus, the repurposed street.

|Coordination with Collaborator |
-Coordination among stakeholders was efficient, and through our main collaborator, Jade from Bradford Council, we had access to contractors, local government, and the community. These groups worked well together to deliver the project.
-We provided regular updates and communicated clearly with our collaborators through email or team meetings. Four in-person visits were also made.

| Transparency and Engagement with Team |
-Great communication, coordination, and motivation enabled undergraduate students to ideate and produce fantastic models and visuals for the respective designs.

| Implementation Project Management |
- Efficiency: The project was completed on time and within budget.

| Design Proposals |
This activity developed a range of skills for the students. Generating a design narrative is an essential strategy used throughout university projects and in practice. This is partnered with graphical communication, another crucial aspect used in academic and professional settings. In addition to the physical model and visual curation, the students concisely presented their schemes to over 30 people. This has benefited their confidence and ability to communicate an idea to an audience.

| Feedback |
- Satisfaction: Feedback from our main collaborator at Bradford Council about their satisfaction with the redesign was very beneficial, informative, and incredibly positive.
Posted 17 May 2024 19:48
Action week: Day 9 - final day!

Hello, here is Keming. This is the last blog of our group for MSA LIVE.

Today is the last day of Action Week. Everyone put all their energies into the final task. In order to have a good result of our work these months, each of us has put all our efforts into our respective tasks.

In general, this is a course that benefits us a lot, and it is even more than a course, which makes us deeply feel the process of a complete project at work. We really enjoyed the experience of working together in a group!
Posted 17 May 2024 19:30
Today marks the final day of MSA Live, after 2 weeks of development and community engagement, reimaging the community centre in a new light. The Sale West team was invited to the university for a presentation, showing this development from the first-day engagement on-site to the final collective vision of the team. With all members engaging in the conversation answering questions and quires the day went perfectly and the information provided we hope will act as a firm stepping stone for any future developments.
Posted 17 May 2024 19:23
MSA Live Action Week Day 8
16.05.2024

This concludes our MSA Live project. We appreciate the support from our tutor Emily and our collaborator Life Leisure’s Ross and Lisa for working with us and supporting us through this journey. Additionally, we are very appreciative of the assistance and support provided by our BA1 and BA2 students.
Posted 17 May 2024 18:45
MSA Live Action Week Day 8 - Meeting the community
16.05.2024

We had the chance to talk to local residents and tell them about our project. They took pleasure in hearing about our suggestions for the audio walk, new signage, and park interventions. They were happy to see their town represented on a physical model, read every wish on the wishing wall, looked at the renders and compared them to what exists today. One person expressed how necessary the park entrances were, since they would encourage people to visit the park. Another person told us how the modular furniture would get vandalised, to which we debated that they were meant to be vandalised, their purpose was creative release. The exhibition started conversations and became an example of the possibilities available for Brinnington. From the residents feedback and opinions we know that they would be thrilled to see these concepts implemented in Brinnington.
Posted 17 May 2024 18:43
MSA Live Action Week Day 8 - Exhibition Set Up Complete
16.05.2024

Here we have completed the set up for the exhibition. We have presented our physical model of the audio walk, the wishing wall where we gathered the opinions from the local community, diagrams and renders of the park interventions, a model of the new signage design, a map of the audio walk which was inspired by the original Brinnington maps and we left a feedback sheet where the local community can share their opinions on the work we have done.

Posted 17 May 2024 18:41
The setting up

Starting up with great learning on architecture and having urban sketching and walking the previous day, we were all excited to start and set up things for the main workshops - 4A Plan it Poilts, 4B Model Masters & 4C Elevation Explorers.
Posted 17 May 2024 18:31
Day 9 - That's a wrap!

What an incredible and fruitful two weeks it has been! We'd like to especially thank our collaborators at the Moss Side Millienium Powerhouse (Lisa, Fiona, Rachel & Michelle) and Corstorphine & Wright (Kim, Joe & Phil) for giving us such a wonderful brief and project to work on. Ultimately, we hope that the outputs we've produced can be used to further improve the Powerhouse to allow it to continue serving the youth of Moss Side and Manchester.

We'd also like to extend our appreciation to the FDN/BA1/BA2 students for being absolute stars throughout the two action weeks! Their enthuasiasm and positivity allowed us to successfully complete the outputs, where their dedication to learn and produce is clearly evident in and has elevated the final outputs for the Powerhouse.

All team members had clear and superb communication and collaboration which made the whole project enjoyable. Through the tutorials and workshops held, we hope that the skills learnt from the two weeks benefits everyone beyond MSALive.
Posted 17 May 2024 18:18
Design 3
Posted 17 May 2024 18:16
Design 2
Posted 17 May 2024 18:15
Design1
Posted 17 May 2024 18:15
Day 09: That's All She Wrote!

And so the final day of MSA live has come and as such comes our last post. Before talking about the project I just want to issue a massive thankyou to everyone who took part in our group project these last 2 weeks, ranging from the council to our students!

A final visit was conducted to take our finished designs to the collaborator as well as the community of Chadwick Dam, with enthusiastic response and finished guides issued to the 'Big Local' members, we hope this project can provide a platform to springboard the evolution of Chadwick Dam.

Once again a huge thankyou to everyone involved, we are super proud of this project and we hope when our readers see the end product, they will be able to learn something new about the area - as well as teach us a thing or two! This was a community project, and we hope the community can benefit from it!
Posted 17 May 2024 18:09
Experience the new Hippodrome!

Our group created a VR experience to provide our collaborators with even better ideas and experiences. Using Twinmotion and other applications, we transferred our ideas for the new look of Hulme Hippodrome into a virtual space. Through the VR device of M.Arch leader Winston, we could see the new facade design of the Hippodrome right before our eyes. Mr. Tony and Mr. Paul were also very pleased to directly experience the future of the Hippodrome that we prepared.
Posted 17 May 2024 17:57
Week 02 Day 05

On our final action day, we dedicated ourselves to finalising our proposals and refining the details before the hand-in. As a group, we reflected on the past two action weeks which were an insightful journey of learning about accessibility in architectural design. This experience has broadened our knowledge about inclusivity and highlighted the social impact our proposals can make within the Carlton Club. We are looking forward to publishing our work and sharing it with our collaborators!
Posted 17 May 2024 17:55
As we wrap up our two-week schedule, we're brimming with excitement over the project's progress and outcome. The collaborative effort and attention to detail from each team member have resulted in a final design that exceeds expectations. The BA1, BA2, and MLA teams have shown remarkable dedication in bringing our ideas to fruition. As this thrilling journey concludes, we hope that our design proposal has made a meaningful impact on the Stockport community, elevating their surroundings and enriching their lives.
Posted 17 May 2024 17:33
After much effort, our team has successfully assembled the physical model of our Pop-up structure at B.15. This hands-on project provided BA2 students team with valuable insights into the intricacies of joineries involved in crafting a modular mobile structure. The end result is truly exciting, as our team delved into various flexible configurations during the experimentation phase.
Posted 17 May 2024 17:32
Today, we're diving back into our tasks, eager to move forward with our output list. We've organized our day to collaborate in pairs, putting the finishing touches on our drawings and 3D models, and preparing the model for laser cutting.

It's been an exhilarating day, and we're delighted by the fantastic diagrams created by BA1 and BA2 students. They've truly showcased their creative talents in illustrating the narrative of our concept. We're now just steps away from the finish line!
Posted 17 May 2024 17:31
As a team, we had an ergonomics discussion today. We measured the width and height of a human, along with the dimensions of the structure. This was to ensure that a few people could use the structure at the same time and that there was enough space to walk through.
Posted 17 May 2024 17:31
Our final blog!!

Now that MSA Live has concluded, it is important to reflect on the project and what our group and the collaborators have achieved. As our project was all about the education of D.E.C. students, the final presentation and afternoon’s workshops were the centre of our focus.

Everyone in the group worked well to motivate undergraduate students to collaborate around their own deadlines resulting in some fantastic drawings, diagrams, and collages. The 'Day 5' afternoon was well received by the college, from our own proposals for the Church, as well as the afternoon as a whole and what it offered to the Alder Grange students.

They engaged in design critiques and creative exercises around the table bringing lots of energy to make it a successful project overall. We all thoroughly enjoyed working with the college and look forward to seeing their final schemes!

Lastly, we are extremely proud of the work our team has done in the last two weeks and we are amazed by how talented everybody is! As we upload our publications, we would like to thank everyone again for their hardwork and determination!

CHEERS :D
Posted 17 May 2024 17:05
We gathered around to chat about the posters we'd been working hard on. Each of us took a turn to share a scoop about our creations. The atmosphere was buzzing with enthusiasm as we showcased what we'd cooked up. Oh, and to top it off, we treated them to a sneak peek into the recorded interviews. Safe to say, they were seriously thrilled by the whole show!
Posted 17 May 2024 16:58
Day 9

And that's a wrap for MSA Live 24
Getting to know and work with the bachelor students has been really exciting. We are delighted and hope we have been helpful and inspiring in their architecture journey!
Cheers! Group 29!
Posted 17 May 2024 16:57
May 17, 2024: Submission

MArch students finalising the publication for submission. And that's a wrap for MSA Live 24! Great job, everyone!
Posted 17 May 2024 16:56
What an incredible and fast two weeks this has been! We've thoroughly enjoyed being introduced to the bachelor’s students and learning alongside them throughout this process. Collaborating with Scott Lyons, the owner of Emporium M33, and the fantastic business owners Claire Hines and Carolyn Jackson, has been a highlight of our project.
We've made a meaningful impact on the local community, as evidenced by the interactions and feedback during our final showcase event. It was a rewarding experience to step outside our comfort zone and tackle the challenges of wayfinding, advertisement, and website creation—tasks beyond traditional architectural work. We're thrilled with the results and proud of what we've achieved.
A massive thank you to everyone involved in this project. Your support and collaboration were invaluable. We couldn't have done it without you!
Posted 17 May 2024 16:53
Class 4C went on a walk to the historic shopping street of Wilbraham Road
Posted 17 May 2024 16:51
After two weeks of hard work, creativity, and collaboration, we are thrilled to present our efforts at today's public showcase at Emporium M33. This event marks the conclusion of our project, and we can't wait to share our outcomes with the Sale community and the business owners of Emporium M33.
Earlier today, the Tote Bag Campaign event at Emporium M33 brought the Sale community together with a range of exciting activities. The Spin a Wheel game was a highlight, offering participants the chance to win prizes such as tote bags, cupcakes, sweets as well as raffle prizes put together by a few kind businesses within Emporium M33. Attendees engaged with live demonstrations of the newly developed website, wayfinding, and signage projects. Custom-designed tote bags, vouchers, and other goodies, created in collaboration with Emporium M33 traders, were distributed to visitors.
The event also featured a community prize draw, with fantastic prizes donated by the independent traders of Emporium M33. The new Emporium M33 website was unveiled, showcasing detailed profiles of all 50 independent traders. New colour-coordinated floor maps and directory stands were introduced, making it easier for visitors to navigate the three-story building. The extensive advertising campaign, including posters and flyers, aimed at raising awareness of Emporium M33, was on full display.
Posted 17 May 2024 16:51
Day 9
Presentation day!
Morning, we set up our room with the hanging model and presentation screens
Our collaborator Jade swung by from Bradford to Manchester to see our collaborative work!
The students explained their visuals and the hanging model for the reimagined street. Jade was happy to see our work, and we discussed the possibilities and opportunities such projects would take in Bradford in line with the City of Culture 2025 project. We were able to exchange feedback, look back on the whole project, and show our appreciation to the rest of the team for their amazing work!
Posted 17 May 2024 16:50
Class 4B went on a walk to the historic junction at Four Banks
Posted 17 May 2024 16:48
Class 4A went on a walk to the historic junction at Longford Road
Posted 17 May 2024 16:47
After the presentation, we took the children around the school to observe and sketch the surrounding buildings.

The urban sketching workshop was a great success! Both the children and collaborators were fantastic, and the workshop started off on a high note!
Posted 17 May 2024 16:46
We excitedly introduced the workshop's theme and explained the agenda for today and tomorrow. After outlining the plans, we divided the children into groups and guided them to different areas of the school to sketch from three distinct locations.
Posted 17 May 2024 16:45
It's officially Booklet Time!
Excited!

Our group members working religiously towards making the booklet.
Few snippets to show what went behind composing all the drawings and data that was created over the last two action weeks.

Phew.
Posted 17 May 2024 16:41
Day 9 - Final presentation
 
Today is the last day of MSA Live Design Weeks. We integrated all the designs of these two weeks into a publication and a presentation document for the client. Before leaving for Station South, we had a rehearsal for the presentation. In the afternoon, we showed the final results of the team design with client from Station South, and every team member engages in presenting their works. Client expressed appreciation for our design while putting forward some practical suggestions, which will be very helpful to our future design. Overall, MSA Live is a very meaningful and fun group project. We really enjoy the group work experience!!!
Posted 17 May 2024 16:40
Action Weeks- Day 9

After our lunch time, we gathered one last time to review our final outcomes and express our gratitude to all the students who contributed their time and creativity to this project. Their engagement and dedication were truly invaluable.

Our day reached a high point with a call to Sue Mackay, the director of the Florence Art Center, our esteemed collaborator. We walked her through our final booklet, detailing our ideas and showcasing our outcomes. The meeting was great, and we left feeling proud of what we had achieved together.

Reflecting on this project, we realized it was more than just a collaboration; it was an incredible experience of community engagement and teamwork. By working together, we've created something that has the potential to make a real difference in the community.

As we close this chapter and look ahead to new adventures, we carry with us the lessons learned, and the belief in the power of collaboration to create positive change. Thank you to everyone who was part of this journey—we couldn't have done it without you!
Posted 17 May 2024 16:32
Day 9 - Chating about CV (part2)

Another part of the afternoon was a pleasant chat, which was very relaxing. M.arch students helped BA students look at their CVs so that they could find jobs better and chatted about some related topics.
Posted 17 May 2024 16:32
Action Weeks- Day 9

Today marked the culmination of our hard work and creativity. We began the day with a burst of productivity, putting the final touches on our booklet. It was immensely satisfying to see all our ideas and efforts come together in one cohesive document.

With the booklet complete, we turned our attention to the finishing touches on our final model. As we added the last details and stood back to admire our handiwork, and took some photos.

To celebrate our achievements, we indulged in a delicious lunch feast, topped off with everyone's favorite treat—pizza! It was the perfect way to unwind and toast to the success of our project.
Posted 17 May 2024 16:24
Day 9: Team Photo

And that's a wrap for MSA Live 24! Well done to everyone for taking part :)
Posted 17 May 2024 16:01
Our last Teams Call!

After our intensive day with the collaborators, we all took a break to rewind and relax. It was quite needed.

Later, we got together for one final discussion before starting working on the deliverables.

These last few months have been the most enjoyable, we shall always cherish every new experience that was a part of our MSA Live journey!

P.S. Say Cheeessseeeee! (and that's how I took the screenshot)
Posted 17 May 2024 16:00
Day 9: Stool Assembly

This gif shows the assembly process for our prototype stool.
Posted 17 May 2024 15:58
Day 9

Thank to both our team and our collaborators for this experience! For our last day we wanted to celebrate the end of this project and reflect on the past weeks. We were able to exchange feedback, look back on the whole project and show our appreciation to the rest of the team for their amazing work! Thank you to our collaborators for all their help and we cannot wait to get their feedback in our final meeting next week!
Posted 17 May 2024 15:56
On day 8 we focus on the details of joinery as well as the mechanisms incorporated into the designed chandeliers. We composed the 3 posters which displayed the conceptual idea of the chandelier with a QR code to scan and get further details about the designs like the plans, sections, materials, and mechanisms.
Posted 17 May 2024 15:52
On day 7 the 3 main design options started to take shape. We drafted scaled drawings of the airport to proportionately fit the designed chandeliers into the proposed locations. The 3 main design options of the chandelier were further refined and selecting the material pallet of each.
Posted 17 May 2024 15:51
Proposal 3:
Through the heritage of the original Manchester chandeliers and the minimalism of Terminal 2, this new design will forge Manchester's next design philosophy while retaining the core heritage of the hard-working Mancunians.

Manchester and North England are rich in various cultures and histories. Through the duality of the historical glass droplets and Terminal 2's new appearance, we explored the element of how shapes interact and merge. The glasses are also reformed into new shapes to create an immersive light interaction and experience both day and night.

The Manchester worker bee not only embodies the design philosophy of the new chandelier but also the city’s identity. It welcomes travelers with a sense of pride and belonging and fosters a connection between the airport and the vibrant culture of Manchester.

Through stunning and unique arrangements of the glass tubes, the new face of the longed chandelier finally returned with a brighter, vibrant, and timeless design in addition to the symbolic identity of Manchester’s beehive.
Posted 17 May 2024 15:45
Proposal 2:
This idea considers the chandelier a connection with the culture and identity of Manchester and the North. It aims to expand the chandelier's design, focusing on branching out from a central point and creating routes through the design using the original pieces and implementing new materials to enhance a visual link between the users, the North in its significance, and the Airport. This was explored by researching what North and Manchester are known for and how to interact and visually communicate that to the users.
Posted 17 May 2024 15:42
Day 9
Final Outputs!
We have produced and printed our final site maps and completed our design concepts for the pavilion building, ready to be used by our collaborators to develop the park as a vibrant space for the community.
Posted 17 May 2024 15:42
Design Development:
Today, we began developing the 3 concepts, with all students focusing on key ideas. We developed the initial technical designs and placed the concepts into the airport context. We could develop and talk through mechanical concepts and break down the chandelier buildups through materiality.

Proposal 1:
The design encompasses northern identity and provides an immersive experience and a modern twist, which will help it integrate into the new terminal. The artwork can move and alter its shape over time with a kinetic approach. Creating unlimited interest as passengers will experience it differently each time they pass. Due to the complexity, cleaning may take time, but with it being on pulleys or motors, it could be lowered to be cleaned. Furthermore, moving may result in fractures or abrasions over time, which could cause issues. Overall, this design fully comprises the brief, it is striking yet not to abstract or over the top and creates a homage to the norths past.
Posted 17 May 2024 15:41
DAY 9 OF DEEP DIVING !!

So, guess what? Our collaborators swung by MTC to check out our collaborative work! They were really excited about what we'd put together and blown away by all the info we had gathered. It felt awesome to see them so jazzed and impressed by our work.
Posted 17 May 2024 15:38
That's a wrap! MSA Live has been an amazing experience but it obviously had its challenges. Here is a quick flick of all the day's activities throughout the action weeks, it has us reminiscing so we thought we would share it with you guys!

Throughout the two weeks of MSA Live, we discovered the true power of teamwork. Organising the action plan, coordinating collaborators, conducting site visits, and presenting to clients required extensive coordination and communication. Each step and submission depended on our collective effort. Managing a large group of students with their deadlines was challenging, but we relied on those who were present and stepped in where needed. Working with first and second year bachelor students of varying skill levels also required us to teach and explain our thought process, which, although time-consuming, was incredibly rewarding.

This experience allowed us to help students grow, and in turn, we learned from their fresh perspectives. Involving them in the design process and client presentations built their confidence and enhanced their critical thinking skills.

Ultimately, this journey was about mutual growth and learning, fostering a collaborative environment that will benefit all of us in future projects.

Thanks for following us on this journey and we cannot begin to describe how proud we are of our team and everything we have accomplished within these 2 weeks!
Posted 17 May 2024 15:35
Day 9 - Pizza time (part1)

In the afternoon we bought some pizza to celebrate our great two weeks of cooperation and to congratulate the success of our morning presentation.



Posted 17 May 2024 15:34
Presentation @ MTC
Today, we presented a collection of proposed iterations to the client. They brought structural engineers, airport directors, Liam, and a camera crew. We provided the client with a brief understanding of the airport and chandelier history and each of the proposed concepts that they will be able to send out to the public to vote on. Each proposal portrays an element of community, connectivity, and landscapes.

We had an opportunity to ask technical questions about how much weight the I beams could hold and about the project's potential carbon footprint. These were all valuable inquiries that we took forward when developing the proposals. The filming crew interviewed some students to ask about the day and why the project is significant to the school and Manchester.
Posted 17 May 2024 15:33
Welcome to our Action Week 2!

Day 5 - Snippets of D.I.Y. Sketches
Last but not the least, the students of MSA and Alder Grange sat together to sketch their design intervention ideas on blank isometric templates of church printed on A4.

Every idea sketched was unique, vibrant and open to imagination.
This activity really helped each one of us to draw and ideate without any constraints which was quite liberating! Right from glass roofs to hammock extensions, we tried it all!

This was the perfect way to conclude our studio session with the students, full of ideas and smiles!
Posted 17 May 2024 15:26
Day 4 was a fun and insightful visit to Lazerian studio, the artist who collaborated with us, Liam Hopkins. We were given a tour of Liam Hopkins' prior works and a glimpse into his artistic process. Over 50+ boxes of glass droplets were delivered to the studio. We divided into three groups, each capturing a unique sense of the North, to create three major concept designs. Liam demonstrated how the mechanism for suspending the glass droplets works and how it could be integrated into the new chandelier designs. We were able to split everyone into groups depending on how similar the concepts were. This allowed us to develop different concepts into one.
Posted 17 May 2024 15:21