MSA Live 24

Action Week: Day 3

Today, our group has officially begun the process of creatively addressing the future of Hulme Hippodrome through our own designs. While yesterday was dedicated to visualizing our deeper understanding and analysis of Hulme Hippodrome, today focused on presenting new facade designs and familiarizing ourselves with design tools to effectively convey everyone's ideas. With the assistance of M.Arch and MA AR leaders, BA & Foundation course students were divided into groups such as '3D Modeling', 'Midjourney', and 'Conventional Design', expressing their ideas in various ways and sharing them with everyone, thus inspiring one another.

Posted 9 May 2024 20:57

Action Week: Day 2

"The great first step toward great possibilities" Today marks the second day of the MSA LIVE project. BA and foundation course students gathered to delve deeper into understanding the Hulme Hippodrome. They divided into several small groups to conduct analyses on the site's climate, urban context, history, SWOT, and case studies. M.Arch & MA AR students assisted them with the tasks. Each student visualized their researched content in suitable ways, sharing with all and engaging in meaningful dialogues.

Posted 9 May 2024 20:28

Action Week: Day 1

The engine for the powerful initiation of the project has finally been ignited! We, the 'Save the Hulme Hippodrome' group comprising M.Arch & MA AR leaders, BA 1 & 2 students, and a foundation course student started our first MSA LIVE project today with a site visit. Our enthusiastic collaborator Tony gave us help with the tour of the site. It was a great opportunity for BA & Fnd course students to understand the Hulme Hippodrome deeply. After completing the site visit, the students took time to share their initial ideas for the goal of this project, the facade design, inspiring us all with their creativity.

Posted 9 May 2024 20:28

This is the plan for the second week of activities for our MSA LIVE Group 5. M.Arch and MA AR leaders, along with BA & Foundation course students, will have a meeting with the client based on the designs they have diligently developed over the past week. It will be a time to present our proposed new facade design for Hulme Hippodrome to the client and actively incorporate their feedback. After the meeting with the client, the remaining time will be dedicated for our group members to further refine the design through various means and to aim towards publishing a booklet documenting and commemorating the MSA LIVE activities.

Posted 9 May 2024 20:27

Group 11 / GOOD MORNING SALE WEST

This is the plan for the first week of activities for our MSA LIVE Group 5. On the first day, BA and Foundation course students, along with M.Arch and MA AR leaders, will begin with a site visit and spend the week generating numerous ideas and conducting appropriate visualization work for the new facade design of Hulme Hippodrome. M.Arch and MA AR leaders will guide the rest of the students on how to use various 3D and 2D graphic tools and will also have time to brainstorm together for even more impressive designs.

Posted 9 May 2024 20:19

Zihao L

Day Three:
Working with the team to measure the dimensions of the exterior and interior rooms of the Sale West community and draw the floor plans. Continue to refer to the precedent and discuss the renovation ideas of the interior and exterior of the building

Posted 9 May 2024 20:04

Group 38 / STITICHING NELSON'S SPIRIT

ACTION WEEKS DAY 03

Another exciting day of modelling today! We were preparing the 'presentation models' to take to site on Monday, with lots of laser-cutting, spray painting and clay models taking shape. Everyone worked really collaboratively to ensure that all of the models were on track by the end of the day, with students who were more familiar using the workshop offering advice to those who hadn't used it as much.

We also started to produce a series of posters, which we will be taking to site alongside the physical models, showcasing initial concept sketches, precedent images and site analysis accumulated over the last three days.

Posted 9 May 2024 18:11

Sherifa Mohammed D K

May 9, 2024: Tapestry Workshop

After immersing ourselves in the essence of the site and its surroundings the previous day, we embarked on an exploration of Nelson City's rich textile heritage. Our goal is to create a design that pays homage to the city's textile history. The resulting tapestry incorporates a collage of the history of Nelson and the textile industry, colored fabric samples, and landscape elements. This allowed us to understand the city better and establish a visual of Nelson's textile heritage, which is the driven inspiration of our design.

Posted 9 May 2024 18:01

Group 18 / GORTON GREENWAYS

Harry N

Day 3

Today was really exciting as we got to meet members of the gardening community in Gorton, which shared important insights into the project. Thank you to everyone who offered their time and experience today and to HMHC for hosting the event!

Posted 9 May 2024 17:35

Group 19 / REDISCOVERING CHADWICK DAM

James L

Day 03: Proposal Development

Today, the team continued to advance their initial proposals after a round-up discussion of yesterday’s initial design thoughts. Proposals are now beginning to take form with clear design considerations for activating existing areas of the park and adding their own spin to the park outlook.

Drone footage of the site, sent by the collaborator, was used to help channel these initial considerations against on-site issues that may not have been apparent on foot. Advancing these ideas was key in preparation for tomorrow’s expected outlooks as we close in on the end of the first week of MSA Live (already!!!)

Posted 9 May 2024 17:12

Group 23 / EMPORIUM

James K

Day 3 - Today, we kicked off by strategising for our upcoming event at Emporium M33. Our goal is to impress stakeholders with interactive activities and freebies like tote bags and vouchers while showcasing our major outputs: website, signage, and ads. Working in our specialised teams, we fine-tuned our contributions throughout the day. We wrapped up with a productive virtual meeting with Claire Hines and Scott Lyons, discussing poster designs and raffle ideas for the community event on Friday.

Posted 9 May 2024 16:47

Group 15 / CRAFT THE LOOP

This afternoon, the team continued to develop their proposals after an intense site visit earlier in the day. The proposals are now starting to take shape with real world implications to each of the changes.

After this morning's site visit, the useable area has shrunk so the teams have had to make smart decisions to alter existing proposals to meet new criteria. These refinements are critical within the design process and lead to a richer and more developed scheme.

To prepare for tomorrow, the teams finished off by preparing materials for the collaborator meeting first thing tomorrow! Another day of hard work for MSA Live boxed off, time to rest and recuperate for another intense day tomorrow!

Posted 9 May 2024 16:11

Luke S

Day 3: Masterplanning the site model

After sketching some concepts in context yesterday, we started to think about how these ideas could come together in the form of a site model. This involved working on Rhino to model the existing site. This allowed us to play around with scale to figure out how big we want the physical model to be.

Posted 9 May 2024 15:52

Group 39 / DEEP DIVE

Mallika P

More photos of Group 39 'Deep Dive'-ing into the history of Flag Lane Baths!

Posted 9 May 2024 15:46

Day 02- Afternoon

The Big Draw Showcase!

We let the students present their work to the group and thoroughly enjoyed hearing their thoughts, opinions and seeing how talented and diverse they all are.
Finishing with a big box of chocolates to thank everyone for their hard work today, the big draw was a huge success and we look forward to continuing our time with Group 1 over the next two weeks.

Posted 9 May 2024 15:22

Group 35 / PARK&PLAY

Gaia DL

DAY 3

We started the day off with some creative mood board collages. The students were split into three different groups according to three different event spaces: music events & paintball, art & culture markets and a car exhibition space! The community of Stockport was considered throughout this process by the students and it was amazing to see the way in which the students engaged with each other and with the project brief. Everyone was seen to use this time to bond with each other, have fun and develop conceptual ideas about their topic of interest!

#collageworkshop

Posted 9 May 2024 15:18

Day 02 - Afternoon

The Big Draw

This collage activity encouraged students to explore experimentation, as we emphasised and encouraged creative freedom, and the importance of having fun designing abstract collages.
We provided mixed media and materials with the opportunity to work digitally for those who preferred. It was great seeing everyone really engaging and enjoying the task even choosing to work through their lunch break!

Posted 9 May 2024 14:51

Group 39 / DEEP DIVE

Mallika P

DAY 2 OF DEEP DIVING!

Group 39 went to Crewe yesterday for a site visit, although our coach had other plans and decided to take us to Chester. After an hour delay, we were finally able to meet Robert at Flag Lane Baths. It was lovely to explore the site as a whole group. After the site visit, we split off into two groups: Research team and Interview team.

The Research team went to the Crewe Library to find more information about Flag Lane Baths and its history. The Interview team went to take audio recordings of Crewe residents who had memories of swimming in Flag Lane Baths. We have a beautiful collection of memories that it felt as if we had gone swimming in Flag Lane Baths! The weather was definitely in our favour, along with the second coach that took us directly back to Manchester after a productive day in Crewe!

Posted 9 May 2024 14:46

Zihan Z

By creating models, BA students can experience the scale of architecture and begin to conceptualize preliminary design ideas.

Posted 9 May 2024 14:39

This morning marked the first in person meeting with the collaborator. After an early start to meet in Stockport for 9:45, an even earlier one with train strikes limiting travel!

The team gained access to the full site and explored the site with the site manager Oggy, giving them the opportunity to ask any questions about site conditions and any constraints placed on the site. After the visit, the team understand more of the complex needs of the site, requiring the majority of the street to be left clear of interventions to allow access for the fire service to the high street!

The site visit was super insightful and we can't thank our collaborators enough for organising it! Time to take what we have learnt and reflect that within our proposals this afternoon!

Posted 9 May 2024 14:38

Posted 9 May 2024 14:35

Day 02 - Morning

We kick started our morning by taking full advantage of the rare Mancunian sun by visiting the UMIST site and explaining to our students the transformative aspirations Bruntwood have.
We explored the campus grounds and offered some suggestions and ideas for the restoration of the selected facades, before letting the students explore for themselves. With all of these fresh ideas in mind, we headed back to begin our first collaborative design task of the day.

Posted 9 May 2024 14:23

Group 14 / POWER TO YOUTH

The permanent team has been busy too! Take a look at some of the proposals they have come up with! They are proposing drastic changes to the materiality of the site to draw people in and create that link between the Light cinema and Merseyway. The proposal creates an interactive playground for the local community and uses a mixture of materials to really make it stand out!

Time to combine these ideas and start moving forward to meet up with the collaborator!

Posted 9 May 2024 14:16

Hana Wajihah AB

Day 3 - Starting on the 3D model of the existing Youth Zone

The Visualisation group started on building a basic Revit model of the existing Youth Zone, which is the main focus area for the new interior proposal. So far, they have constructed a basic base of the first floor.

Posted 9 May 2024 14:14

Group 22 / 01:01

Saul B

Day 3: Model Testing

This morning we've been creating 1:20 scale models of our designs, working up details and exploring arrangements. Great ideas from everyone in the team!

Posted 9 May 2024 14:08

A collection of sketch plans from yesterday's workshop! These options are investigating the use of temporary structures that can change use depending on the time of day. Ranging from food markets and stalls on the weekends, to accessible seating throughout the week, the temporary team are on it!

Posted 9 May 2024 14:07

Pengiran Nur Diyanah Atiqah PAHD

This afternoon marked the start of the process to develop the concept set out in the morning session. Ideas bouncing within groups before an afternoon presentation to each other! Utilising feedback from each of the presentations, both groups ventured onwards to create a working sketch proposal for our in person meeting with the collaborator!

To finish off a successful day, both teams combined for one final task to determine some questions for our collaborator. Many of these surrounded building regulations and site constraints with a challenging topography on the site and a fire escape intersecting the space! Very interesting stuff happening so keep your eyes peeled for more updates!

Posted 9 May 2024 14:06

Pengiran Nur Diyanah Atiqah PAHD

The second day began by sharing ideas, precedents and concepts. The team split off and began to develop ideas collaboratively! With creativity flowing, the design process moved quickly from a narrative, to zoning and then some sketch concepts for both of the teams! For the remainder of the morning before breaking for lunch we continued to create and shape what Stockport could be!

Lots of trace, scribbles and teamwork are a recipe for an intriguing design, who could have guessed! See you this afternoon!

Posted 9 May 2024 14:05

Group 26 / HYDE & SEEK

Yuxin D

Action Plan Week 1&2

Posted 9 May 2024 14:01

Group 37 / BAM BRINNINGTON ACTIVE MOVEMENT

Day 01:

We kicked off the first day with an introductory presentation and some icebreaker tasks. After learning that Julia had been kidnapped, and Hayley's irrational phobia of toy poodles, it was safe to say that Group 01 was officially bonded!
We set the scene for the rest of the week and explained 'the big draw' task (Hayley's over-complicated explanation of a collage).
Later, we asked the students about their skill sets and what they wanted to learn from the coming two weeks.
After a great morning together, it is safe to say that we ended on a high note, and we are super excited for the two weeks to come!

Posted 9 May 2024 13:37

Patricia Susana MG

MSA Live Action Week Day 2

The team got divided in two groups: audio walks and landscape design.

The audio walk team will be developing the website and the audio tours during Action Week. We did a site analysis of Brinnington, a map of green spaces, an urban latency map, a photo mosaic, and historical research.

The landscape design team will design proposals for park entrances, modular furniture for the different parks and street signs for Brinnington. We did sketches of modular furniture to add in some empty green spaces and ideas for the park entrances. After lunch, we started to 3D model the modular furniture in SketchUp.

Posted 9 May 2024 13:13

Group 14 / POWER TO YOUTH

Hana Wajihah AB

Day 3 - SketchUp/Revit (3D modelling) workshop

We held a short SketchUp and Revit session for the students which introduces the basics of the two softwares. Isaac led the SketchUp session and the students were particularly interested in how to set up a model from an existing AutoCAD file. He went through how to set up a SketchUp file from an AutoCAD drawing and how to make components and groups within the model. He also shared some examples from his portfolio to give an idea how you would use a SketchUp view to explain the design process.

We then introduced the students to the basics of Revit with a focus on the features that would be more useful, such as the displace elements feature which is helpful for creating exploded axonometrics and how to set up Revit sheets. We also demonstrated how to create walls, floors and doors/windows in the model.

Posted 9 May 2024 13:03

Group 37 / BAM BRINNINGTON ACTIVE MOVEMENT

Patricia Susana MG

MSA Live Action Week Day 2

We started the day by reviewing the mood boards and precedents that the team came up with. They brought ideas for modular furniture, landscape design, dog parks and a site analysis of Brinnington. They were all very good!

Posted 9 May 2024 12:59

ACTION WEEKS DAY 02

3D scans of conceptual models for the five sites

Posted 9 May 2024 12:55

Group 35 / PARK&PLAY

Gaia DL

DAY 2

We began the day with a collaborative discussion of ideas (which were a lottttt) and tried to select the best 3 that we could work on for the final presentation. This took up most of the morning and was a very productive session.
After lunch, we (M.Arch) students presented our previous works to the students to show our strengths in different softwares. We then encouraged them to do the same, so we all know what we are good at. The students were very excited to show off their skills as well. It was amazing to look at their work from the studio and beyond. Everyone has different talents, which is very inspiring because we are learning from each other.
After the presentations, we then conducted workshops on 3D software and a brief session on how to render. They had very interesting questions during the workshop!

#daywellspent!

Posted 9 May 2024 12:16

Group 35 / PARK&PLAY

Gaia DL

ACTION PLAN

We have planned an engaging two weeks with our group, which involves exciting activities like digital workshops, collage workshops and collaborative work to develop multiple options for our CarPark project in Stockport!

Posted 9 May 2024 12:02

Yuchen G

Site Visit!!

Posted 9 May 2024 11:54

Group 07 / UNFOLDING LOL

Christiana K

Redesigning Concepts Ideas

This collage shows how the Levenshume Old Library has been repurposed, resulting in a vibrant community hub nestled in a peaceful residential neighbourhood. It highlights the wide range of activities that occur in this one location; there have been efforts to create a network, by building the New Arcadia Library, ensuring that Levenshume still has this amenity available.

Posted 9 May 2024 11:32

Group 07 / UNFOLDING LOL

Christiana K

Redesigning Concepts Ideas

Posted 9 May 2024 11:28

Welcome to our Action Week 1!

DAY 2 - First Day of Studio: Idea Generation, Zoning and Model making
After the group was divided into 2 teams, each team led by MArch students started with searching and analysing precedents for adaptive reuse of churches, making a 1:100 model of the church and sketching out conceptual ideas and bubble diagrams on tracings overlaid on church layouts to accommodate spaces as laid out in the brief to make the church more inviting.

Fin.

Posted 9 May 2024 11:25

Welcome to our Action Week 1!

DAY 1 - Visit to Sabden Church
Our day started with us meeting and chatting with the BA1, BA2 and MLA1 students at All Saints after which we ran them through the project brief, information about the site, and the collaborators involved. Later, our entire group was divided into 2 teams to head different tasks. The students were made aware of the project schedule, follow-up meetings with DEC and a design direction.

Post lunch, we all took a minibus to drive upto the church! There we met with the collaborators and Year 12 students from Alder Granger School and had a brief round of introductions to understand how the students at MSA will support Year 12 DEC portfolio. Later, Colin took the students around the church giving them helpful insights of its history, daily activities and its importance.

After spending a lovely day out in the sun, we concluded our day with a quick summary of how the the day was and came back to MTC.

Fin.

Posted 9 May 2024 11:18

Welcome to our Action Week!

Here's our plan of action for the second week of the Action Week.

After a conceptual design intensive week, the students of MSA shall meet with the collaborators and Year 12 students from Alder Grange School at MTC to present their ideas for the Sabden Church.
Later, our MSA students will dive into finalizing their concept designs and producing final drawings to make the booklet.

Have a look!

Cheers.

Posted 9 May 2024 11:17

Group 06 / TOWN HALL UNWRAPPED

Welcome to our Action Week!

Here's our plan of action for the first week of the Action Week.

It starts with a welcome session and a visit to the Sabden Church on Day 1, followed by four days of studio. We shall be working on the historical and structural survey of the church, some zoning of spaces using bubble diagrams, model making and analysing precedents to translate ideas into Concepts!

Have a look!

Cheers.

Posted 9 May 2024 11:14

Group 26 / HYDE & SEEK

Yuxin D

DAY 3 CONCEPTUAL DESIGN

All of us were divided into four groups to focus on the conceptual design of path, poster, signage and installation. The groups were rotated every 45 minutes so that everyone could participate in each area of interest. We used hand-drawings and case studies to give everyone a chance to develop and present their ideas.

Posted 9 May 2024 10:55

Rifah T

DAY 02

On Day 2, we had a really productive time! Two groups shared their research on social and community history, and we dove into some great discussions for contextual analysis. We then built on those ideas for our next steps. Some fantastic sketches and diagrams were crafted by the students.

Posted 9 May 2024 10:31

Group 40 / NAVIGATING STOCKPORT

Hiba A

DAY 2
A deep dive into collaborative research and narrative finding!

On the second day of MSA Live, our team split into three groups, each assigned to explore and revitalize a distinct section of the site. Our focus was to develop low-budget, environmentally conscious interventions tailored to the unique characteristics of the Underbanks route and the two gap sites. We kickstarted with inspirations through precedent studies and mood board presentations, setting a strong direction for our research. After extensive research and analysis, we crafted narratives that will guide our design development in the upcoming days. Using tools like sketches and digital mapping, we envisioned solutions that pay attention to the natural and social fabric of the site. The day wrapped up with a comprehensive exchange of ideas that addressed the design narratives, ensuring a cohesive and impactful design strategy. The input of various perspectives of our team has enriched our approach, and we eagerly anticipate further refining these concepts in the days to come.

Posted 9 May 2024 05:33

Group 11 / GOOD MORNING SALE WEST

Kyle L

Today's been a busy day of drafting new ideas ranging from the reconfiguration of the building, collages of individual rooms, interactive art instulations and deciding on a new name and sign that reflects the rich community spirit.

Posted 8 May 2024 22:48

Group 07 / UNFOLDING LOL

Christiana K

Day 2 - Redesigning Concepts Ideas

The students were engaged in a hands-on exercise in reimagining the library space. Analysing it from different perspectives can lead to creative solutions and fresh ideas for its transformation. They come up with particularly interesting and innovative suggestions.

Posted 8 May 2024 22:19

Group 29 / GREAT HORTON REIMAGINED

Jake O

Day 1 Afternoon!

After lunch, we got hands on with Google Maps and Street View to take a closer look at the road we’re focusing on. We then *professionally * cello taped a giant map to the table and started marking down some trouble spots and brainstorming possible fixes and opportunities—lots of good stuff came up!
We also checked out some resources from the "Bradford Culture is Our Plan", watched the promotional video, and it really helped us think about what kinds of interventions we might come up with.

Wrapping Up:
We ended the day by splitting the site into sections and assigning each to different students. It’s all about visualizing what we can do in each spot now. We wrapped up with a quick recap and set our sights on what we need to hit tomorrow.

Posted 8 May 2024 21:21

Group 10 / ACCESS ALL AREAS

Diana C

Week 01 Day 02

Today we have briefly introduced students to regulations and looked at the possible design solutions in relation to accessibility. After getting familiar with the client’s brief, everyone was separated into a mix of different year groups and began to generate their design ideas through sketching, tracing and modelmaking.

Posted 8 May 2024 21:11

DAY 02 - Our Team 🧱WAREHOUSE🏤

JULIETTE . OSIAN . LORCAN. FINBAR

🗣️ 💬A remarkable day began with sharing inspiration💭

?What is the warehouse transformation formula?

Sharing ideas and discussing precedents as well as compiling detailed sketches and drawings by our creative team to begin the design development!

Posted 8 May 2024 21:10

DAY 02 - Our Team 🏢OFFICE

EILLOT . EMIR . SONIA . IRIS . CHARLIZE

🗣️An amazing day began with brainstorming🧠💡

?What is the future Council office gonna look like?

We discussed as a team to learn and get inspired by others! 🙌
Nice sketches and drawings format our creative team produced a sparking vision for Stockport! 💥Good Job!

Posted 8 May 2024 21:02

Group 17 / MERSEY GREEN

Mustafa Cem T

Day 2
Today, we visited Fletcher Moss Park, which will serve as a precedent study for the development of our proposals for Heaton Mersey. We also began to brainstorm ideas for our interventions in Heaton Mersey Park and specifically the Pavilion building.

Posted 8 May 2024 20:45

DAY 02 - Our Team ARCH ⋒⛩️🧲

FATMA . GRACE . XINGJIAN . PETER . YARA

🗣️💭An exciting day began with a team discussion 🗣️💭

?What should the Arch looks like in the future?

Nice sketches and drawings ignited our creative ideas and led to a cohesive team vision! 🙌 Well Done!

Posted 8 May 2024 20:27

Group 13 / SAVING HEIGHTS

DAY 1 - Introduction Day

Woohoo! 🎉Get ready and dive into our MSA Live 24 kick-off day! It was great to meet our lovely team members. We are icebreaking the day by introducing ourselves and knowing each other.

Thus, we splashed into the project briefing section and let everyone dive deeply into the details. Then we split into vibrant groups and embark on our discovery journey tomorrow!🚀

Posted 8 May 2024 20:15

Taisiia-Lukiia S

The second day started with the site analysis and brainstorming. Got many ideas for the landscape design. Ended up with a creative collage session. Thanks to the team for a productive day!

Posted 8 May 2024 20:06

Yuchen G

In the late afternoon, we had some initial practice with the feasibility of expanding the auditorium, experimenting with scale at the pre-expansion site to get a better idea of the overall size. Laying the foundation for modelling later.

Posted 8 May 2024 19:50

Group 12 / ELEVATE AND CELEBRATE

Yuchen G

In the morning, members of the group travelled together to trafford music service to conduct venue research. The group discussed remodelling options with staff and used a laser range finder to map data in the auditorium as well as storage spaces.

Posted 8 May 2024 19:26

Keming Z

First Meeting with BA and MLA students!

Hi, Here is Keming. There is a blog to introduce the meeting for the first time to see our new members!

The two days went as smoothly as we had expected, just as our meeting had planned.

On the first day, we introduced ourselves, the project and outline the outputs. Following this, we collectively settled upon a design solution and divide the groups to suit their personal skillsets. And we have continued our progress today.

Tomorrow, we will stay with the architect Chris Russell. He will help us and share his experience to us.

I'm happy to show our work! We are Kingdom life!

Posted 8 May 2024 19:20

Group 25 / STREET ROOT

Jinke Y

Day 2:

On the second day we focused on summarizing and visualizing the site analysis. Each group produced a series of diagrams to show their output from day 1, and had a brief presentation to share the final results.

Posted 8 May 2024 19:08

Group 25 / STREET ROOT

Jinke Y

Day 1:

For the first day of our MSA LIVE project, we had some introduction and ice breaking activities followed by a site visit to Kingdom Life Church. We split into 3 groups focusing on access, contextual and environmental aspects for the site analysis. We ended the day by concluding our observations and research on the site.

Posted 8 May 2024 19:05

Group 12 / ELEVATE AND CELEBRATE

Keming Z

Last meeting before submission!

Hello, this is a blog of group 12.

In order to let the BA students who will join in these two weeks quickly integrate into this project, we have made a lot of preparations.

The completion of the action plan allows us to arrange the tasks of each day well. And set up a time to see Chris again.

Our task is to produce visualisations, a physical model and a set of planning drawings. We will be showcasing these at a public consultation event (15th May) during the action weeks, held at the church.

We can't wait to meet them!

Posted 8 May 2024 18:56

Group 18 / GORTON GREENWAYS

Isha Manish T

Day 2

It was exciting, as both groups from yesterday swapped tasks to ensure everyone had the opportunity to go to site and interact with the client and members of the community. Thank you everyone for your work! Seeing the site made everyone excited for the upcoming design tasks! Stay tuned to see our daily development!

Posted 8 May 2024 18:55

Group 29 / GREAT HORTON REIMAGINED

Sourabh Rajshekhar S

Day 1
It was great kicking off our MSA Live project today!
It was fantastic seeing everyone together this morning, in person, for the first time on time!
We're diving right into what's going to be an exciting couple of weeks—with not too much work to drown you in!

Morning:
We kicked things off with some introductions—it's always good to put faces to names and dove straight into the project brief. We ensured everyone was clear on what we aimed to achieve and walked through the action plan for the next two weeks. There was a solid Q&A session, too, where everyone got to clear up any queries about the project or just about uni life in general.
As part of our morning session, we explored some valuable resources from the Bradford Culture is Our Plan. These resources, including a promotional video, provided us with insightful perspectives that will help shape our interventions for the MSA Live project.

Posted 8 May 2024 17:59

ACTION WEEKS DAY 02 - AFTERNOON

This afternoon we prepared the laser-cutting files for tomorrow and finalised the initial sketch models. Everyone brought their own techniques and approaches to this task, which resulted in a diverse collection of models and ideas.

We ended the day with a short exhibition showcasing all of the concept models, where each group explained their emerging proposal to the rest of the team and we offered some pointers for how to develop the final models. Today’s exercise has provided a great foundation for us to create the laser-cut models tomorrow and we are excited to see the finished results!

Posted 8 May 2024 17:40

Group 40 / NAVIGATING STOCKPORT

ACTION WEEKS DAY 02 - MORNING

After developing some strong initial concepts for each of our five sites yesterday, the main task for today was to test these concepts through physical modelling. These were a series of quick test models to allow the student teams to work out the best scale and materials with which to model the interventions on their sites.

This then enabled us to create production plans for the ‘presentation models’, which we will be taking to site for our community engagement day on Monday. The decision to bring physical models to our community engagement day on site was informed by discussions with our collaborators in our last meeting, where we agreed that physical models would be a more engaging starting point for conversations with members of the public, as they are more interactive.

Posted 8 May 2024 17:30

Kane C

DAY 1

The group met at MTC for our first introduction session and after a few icebreakers & chit-chat we headed off to Stockport for our group site visit. We began our wayfinding route from its closest point at the first gap site and followed the path along Little Underbanks to our second gap site and then onwards to Redrock, the routes final destination. After introducing the group to the route and gap sites, we ventured around the town centre and had a short tea & coffee break at Stockport Market. To round off the trip, the group conducted a collaborative urban acupuncture workshop back at the MTC to gather everyone’s initial ideas for potential interventions and themes for the project.  Roll on day 2!

Posted 8 May 2024 17:07

Group 38 / STITICHING NELSON'S SPIRIT

Shalom Aureole B

May 8, 2024: Sketches, sketches and more sketches,
Our journey commenced with a collaborative sketching exercise capturing the viaduct's immediate context. We outlined the prominent buildings around the site and mapped out the primary access routes.
Turning our attention to the viaduct, we immersed ourselves in a brainstorming session. We sketched out diverse design concepts fueled by individual perspectives and creativity. As ideas flowed, we engaged in a vibrant exchange, sharing our visions and insights and identifying common threads among our concepts.
In the afternoon, we formed two groups, each tasked with refining design options further. Collaboratively, we delved deeper into our concepts, honing in on details and exploring innovative solutions.

Posted 8 May 2024 17:07

Group 23 / EMPORIUM

Yuji H

Day 2 - Today we started with a scavenger hunt and then visited Afflecks to get some inspiration for another emporium style. We found this really useful as it helped us gain insight into the dynamics of a multi-shop premises. Upon our return to campus, we separated into groups of Web design, Wayfinding and Advertising. More to come tomorrow on our selected outputs for these two weeks!

Posted 8 May 2024 16:49

Group 40 / NAVIGATING STOCKPORT

Kirandeep J

Collaborating with our client, we embarked on a journey of innovation and alignment. Through insightful discussions and a concise presentation, we explored feasible ideas with the council's vision. This not only deepened our understanding of the project's materiality but also shed light on available funding avenues. With clarity on objectives and resources, we outlined the project's potential outputs, setting the stage for transformative impact.

Posted 8 May 2024 16:42

Group 06 / TOWN HALL UNWRAPPED

Kyriaki P

Day 1
Introduction & Research

MSA Live has begun! BA1 and BA2 students have now joined us, and we started working on our action weeks plan. We began the day by getting to know each other better and explaining the project's agenda and what we aim to achieve. Later, students have split into two subgroups, each tasked with researching the history and socio-cultural aspects of the Manchester Town Hall.

Posted 8 May 2024 16:36

Group 38 / STITICHING NELSON'S SPIRIT

DAY 2 - Precedent Day

Today we looked at precedents that applied to our site and project conditions. From this, we began discussing concept and programme options. In the group discussions, we critiqued the outputs, considering the feasibility, budget, relationship with the existing, and a general SWOT analysis.

Continuing from yesterday, we developed our agenda further. This includes activating the walkway with interventions that bring in a wider demographic by providing low-rent units, and attracting start-ups, artists, entrepreneurs and more.

The next steps will include spatialising these ideas, and understanding the technical details behind these concepts. When designing, we will encourage students to think of cost, environmental impact, and existing heritage.

Posted 8 May 2024 16:32

Shalom Aureole B

May 7, 2024: We are Live!
Today, our journey began with introductions, both to each other and to this vibrant town. We got a glimpse of what makes Nelson and where our design focus for the coming two weeks would lie.
Splitting into two groups, we set out on our missions: one to dive into Nelson's rich history and heritage, the other to analyze the current state of our site.
As the day wound down, we regrouped to share our findings and deepen our understanding of the town and the site.

Posted 8 May 2024 16:31

Posted 8 May 2024 16:28

DAY 1 - Initial Response to The Site

After lunch, we all gathered in a classroom to create a single image that summarised each student’s response to the site. Each student presented their ideas and first impressions of Stockport.

The main themes identified were:
1. Poor connection between upper ground and ground floor
2. Framing views
3. Lack of colour, concrete monochrome
4. Minimal green spaces

(Posted 7 May 2024 16:20)

Posted 8 May 2024 16:25

DAY 1 - Site Visit

Today our MSA live group met each other in person for the first time. We travelled as a group from the MTC to Stockport and visited the Merseyway Shopping Centre. We took this opportunity to get a feel for the site and documented the surroundings by taking photographs and making sketches and observations. Compared to the previous visits to the shopping centre, it was a lot more busy and lively today. Afterwards, we sat down at a café to get to know each other and discuss our initial ideas.

(Posted 7 May)

Posted 8 May 2024 16:23