Group 26
HYDE & SEEK

Tameside Council needs help with its wayfinding in Hyde. More specifically, from the train station and bus stop to the town centre. Our mission is to look at the urban landscape to improve the wayfinding and encourage more people to visit Hyde. This will be done in various ways based on research analysis of the site. This live project will make a large impact on the whole city, so we need to the best of the best!

Download Final Report

Yuxin D / James David W / Yifan Y / Catriona D

James David W
Name: James Wilde (MArch 1)
Atelier: CPU[ai]
Background about us: I am actually from Hyde so it is really interesting to have a project based on my home town.
Where I studied as an undergrad: Manchester School of Architecture
Fun Fact about us: I was invited to Buckingham Palace to accept an award
Skills: Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Sketchup, Revit, Rhino, Enscape
Posted 8 Mar 2024 18:17
James David W
Name: Yifan Yang (MArch 1)
Atelier: Some kind of nature
Background about us: I am interested in sustainable building design and community architecture. I think this project provides us with a great opportunity to bring Hyde back to life through renovation while being able to create an opportunity for sustainable and better living for the surrounding residents. I'm really looking forward to working with students of different interests and majors on this project and I'm really looking forward to learning from each other.
Where I studied as an undergrad: Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.
Skill: Photoshop, InDesign, Rhino, Enscape, AutoCAD
Posted 8 Mar 2024 18:31
James David W
Name: Yuxin Deng (MArch 1)
Atelier: Some Kind of Nature
Background about us: I am originally from China, I completed my undergraduate programme. Currently, I am a member of SKN Atelier in MSA, which gives me the opportunity to look at architecture from a different perspective, where architecture does not only serve human beings, but we also need to focus on various non-human clients in nature. I am interested in community regeneration and renewal as well as the design of public spaces, so I am looking forward to working with Hyde Town Centre to hopefully revitalise the area!
Where I studied as an undergrad: at Chongqing University in China and spent six months as an intern designing contemporary university campus projects
Skills: SketchUp, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, AutoCAD, Lumion
Posted 8 Mar 2024 18:35
James David W
Name: Cat Dodd (MArch 1)
Atelier: Some Kind of Nature
Background about us: I am from Winchester and spent the last two years with a company specialising in school design.
Where I studied as an undergrad: University of Plymouth
Fun Fact about us: I am training for the Dartmoor Ultramarathon
Skills: Definitely not making models, the one thing SKN truly cares about (V-ray and unreal engine aficionado)
Posted 9 Mar 2024 14:48
Yuxin D
Team Meeting
On February 6th, our group met with our mentor Matt who gave us a lot of inspiration. Afterwards we had a team meeting where we discussed the poster concept and worked out the planning process for the week of action, as well as the amount of time needed for each activity, spending, etc. We also assigned different roles to each member of our team and we will work together efficiently in the upcoming work.
Posted 10 Mar 2024 23:34
Yifan Y
Site Visit

Our project aims to connect the heart of the city - the city center - with its main transport hubs: the main railway station and bus station. Through site visits, we've identified the challenges that residents and visitors face when navigating between these key points. Our aim is not only to streamline these pathways but also to enliven the city through innovative planning and design, enhancing urban vitality and accessibility.

Our approach is to create an intuitive and engaging route that makes the journey from the city center to the train and bus stations a pleasant experience. We plan to incorporate a variety of amenities along these routes, such as comfortable seating, fun children's play areas, and multi-purpose activity spaces. These features will cater to the daily commuter as well as offer tourists the opportunity to explore Hyde's unique charm.

In particular, we will focus on revitalizing the town center square by introducing outdoor shops and activity spaces to reactivate the area's commercial and social potential. Our design philosophy emphasizes sustainability and community engagement, ensuring that the project not only meets current needs but is also adaptable for future developments.

Throughout the delivery process, we will work closely with community members and government agencies to ensure that our planning reflects the needs and aspirations of all stakeholders. Through this project, we aim to add a vibrant touch to Hyde's cityscape while improving the quality of life for residents and visitors alike.
Posted 11 Mar 2024 00:54
Catriona D
Second Client Meeting

Our team met with our collaborators last week to update them on where we've got to with planning our action weeks. We sent them our proposed poster to get some feedback, discussed the project name, then walked them through what we are hoping to produce. We discussed what outcomes they were hoping to achieve, how we might meet those goals, and the content we were anticipating for our publication.

Our collaborators are keen to drive up interest in the project, and we discussed some strategies from their system that we could be using, such as a public noticeboard style site, and presenting to a wider reach in Tameside Borough Council.
Posted 11 Mar 2024 09:22
James David W
DAY 1

Today marks the first day of MSA Live 24. We met for the first time, and after a short icebreaker activity, broke off into two groups to travel to Hyde; one by train, and one by bus. We explored the journeys through to the town centre from each direction, experiencing the difficulties in wayfinding first-hand, before convening at Hyde Town Hall. After a trip around the centre and associated market precinct, the groups continued on to find the other mode of transport back to Manchester.
Posted 7 May 2024 14:37
Yuxin D
DAY 1 REFLECTION

On the first day we travelled to Hyde in two groups; one by train and one by bus. Together we explored the key nodes and main routes from the bus and train stations to the city centre, which will form the basis of our main route design.
Posted 8 May 2024 14:22
Yuxin D
DAY 1 CONT.

On returning to Manchester, and after a well deserved lunch break, the group broke into 4 and undertook a SWOT analysis, discussing their experiences and observations from site.
Posted 8 May 2024 14:58
Yuxin D
DAY 2

We conducted a site analysis based on the site research on the first day, where we analysed the site's history, demographic, traffic and other information, from which we all found our points of interest as the start of the following design.
Posted 8 May 2024 15:43
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
Yuxin D
Action Plan Week 1&2
Posted 9 May 2024 14:01
Yuxin D
DAY 3 CONCEPTUAL DESIGN WORKS

After a day of discussion and investigation, we presented our ideas for path, poster, signage and installation through hand drawing and collage. We are ready to present the results to the client tomorrow！
Posted 10 May 2024 11:04
Yuxin D
DAY 4 PRESENTATION

We presented everyone's concepts to the client and discussed with them to get a lot of helpful feedback. According to their comments, we will adjust and finalise our final design concepts and proposals.
Posted 10 May 2024 11:21
Yuxin D
DAY 5 DEVELOP THE CONCEPTS AND PROPOSALS

We split into two groups and continued to focus on the Installation+poster and Signage+paths designs separately. We adjusted the initial concepts and proposals based on client feedback, and further developed the design narrative through collages, sketches, and drawings.
Posted 13 May 2024 15:29
Yuxin D
DAY 6+7 DESIGN FOR FINAL OUTPUTS

Members of the two groups worked on the final outputs of Installation+poster and Signage+paths, expressing them through illustrations, renderings, etc., in preparation for the final presentation to the client tomorrow.
Posted 15 May 2024 15:53
Yuxin D
DAY 8 PRESENTATION TO CLIENT

We presented the completed designs from the last few days to the client today and they were very impressed with the ideas and outputs from everyone. They made some comments on our results that could be improved and we will make final adjustments based on the feedback.
Posted 16 May 2024 15:40
Yuxin D
DAY 9 FINAL PRESENTATION

On the last day we presented the final output to the clients, including posters, renderings, illustrations and so on. The clients were very positive about our output, which will help them in the actual project. We celebrated the end of the project together!
Posted 17 May 2024 14:42
Yifan Y
DAY 9 FINAL OUTPUTS

With the sign and the modifications on the ground we hope to improve the difficulty of wayfinding in Hyde. The signage uses the standard blue color of the area as a base, with different patterns to provide directions and information. The signage also echoes the town hall, using Hyde's heritage as a starting point. As for the road, we wanted to make the site more interesting by using a ground mural with a bold pattern. The pattern is inspired by the town hall in Hyde, giving it a more local identity in relation to the site.
Posted 17 May 2024 15:06
Yifan Y
DAY9 FINAL OUTPUTS

Inspired by the mural in the town centre shopping centre we thought that producing a graphic map could be a more interesting way of improving wayfinding. In order to direct visitors of Hyde in the direction of local points of interest, we are proposing a ‘treasure hunt’ through the installation of murals and posters around the town centre. In crucial locations such as public transport hubs, artwork will showcase the locations of landmarks through graphically engaging maps. In addition, we used the story of the twins in local history as a start, hoping to use the twins' mural as a theme to get more children and residents involved in the renovation process, and to make the design have more local identity.
Posted 17 May 2024 15:12