MSA Live 24

Hey! I'm Sam and I'm from Hong Kong.

I have lived in England, Hong Kong and Germany and speak English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and German.

Prior to moving to Manchester for my masters, I achieved my undergraduate degree at London Metropolitan University and completed my Part 1 experience at the award winning Rivington Street Studio in London.🏛️🎓

I am currently in Atelier PRAXXIS, and my hobbies include football and travelling!⚽️✈️

A fun fact about me is that I am a black belt in Taekwondo!🥋

Posted 18 Feb 2024 15:53

Hi ^^, I'm Yi, and you can also call me Elaine. I come from Hunan Province, the southern part of China.

This is my first year studying in the UK. In the past four years, I finished my undergraduate and Part 1 experience at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in China, located in a beautiful and historic city - Suzhou.🎓

I am now in Atelier &. During my free time, playing badminton and baking are the things I really enjoy. 🏸🍞

A fun fact about me is that I used to own a doughnut shop.🍩

Posted 18 Feb 2024 18:57

Maria F

Hi, this is Maria, born and raised in Portugal.

I completed my BA in Architecture at the MSA. During my year out I worked at OMA, Rotterdam in PR for 6 months followed by 6 months as an architecture intern at a studio in Santarém, Portugal: Nuno Piedade Alexandre, Matéria.

Currently, I am in Infrastructure Space atelier. My hobbies include yoga, surfing and anything artistic. 🧘🏽‍♀️🏝️🎼🎨

A fun fact about me is that the first musical instrument I learnt to play was the violin. 🎻

Looking forward to spending a few weeks doing lots of fun stuff together!

Posted 18 Feb 2024 21:40

Hello, my name is Wenjingyu and I come from China.

I finished my undergraduate studies and Part 1 experience at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. 🎓

I am in Atelier &rchitecture now. I love basketball, music and photography. 🏀🎵📷

A fun fact about me is that I really really hate coffee. 😵‍💫

Posted 19 Feb 2024 12:21

First meeting to kick start the project!

Today marked an exciting beginning to the Merseyway Shopping Centre project in Stockport. Our initial meeting wasn’t just a formal introduction but a dynamic session filled with energy and enthusiasm as each team member brought unique ideas and perspectives to the table.

Our group quickly bonded over shared interests and a collective vision for what we hope to achieve with this project. We understood the importance of setting a strong foundation, and so we meticulously outlined our action plan. This included establishing specific tasks, mini-deadlines, and regular checkpoints to keep our project on a clear and steady path.

This blog will serve as our digital diary, capturing every step of our journey, from brainstorming sessions to the execution of our ideas.

Stay tuned!

Posted 8 May 2024 15:14

Exciting Developments & Next Steps..

After a productive first meeting with our supervisor, we are excited to share our next steps and the new roles for this week.

Action Plan Development:
This week Elaine & Wenjingyu are at the helm, drafting up the action plan for success!

Blog Catchup/Updates:
Maria will introduce and provide a project overview, as well as reflecting on our lessons learnt from the first tutorial. So stay tuned!

Treasurer & Ethics Application:
Being appointed budget holder, I will ensure our resources are managed wisely. Additionally, i'm starting on the Ethics Application, focusing on the Risk Assessment, Participant Information Sheet, & Consent Forms to uphold our commitment to ethical research.

There is some uncertainty around the Risk Assessment so we anticipate some guidance in our next tutorial later this week to clarify and strengthen our approach.

Although we have crit's approaching at the end of the week, we are still motivated to tackle these tasks head on! So, we invite you to follow our blog for detailed, updates, reflections, & progress we make!

(Posted 26 Feb 2024 11:11)

Posted 8 May 2024 15:42

Who is the client?

Our client is Stockport City Council.

What is the Project brief?

Our task as designers is to come up with an intervention for the Merseyway Shopping Centre’s façade as a part of an ambitious, larger strategy to improve Stockport. The aim is to increase footfall in a shopping centre which has become dispensable and unnecessary for a community which has opted for the ease of online shopping. Our mission here as architects is to come up with a strategy not only for the façade but what goes on behind it; to re-think new purposes for the shopping centre and what kind of businesses would attract people to the space.

The second part of the brief is to provide our client with ideas for an underused balcony, part of the shopping centre, which overlooks a main shopping street.

We will be picturing all different characters and scenarios of people and designing for them. For example, an 80-year-old person who wishes to purchase a CD. Where do they fit in to the scheme? Do they? What else could be placed along their journey so they spend time and money at the centre? A bakery? A grocery store? These are some of the questions we will be asking.

What are the outputs?

In terms of outputs, expect a lot of freedom, mostly collages, expressive, colourful, artistic showing people interacting with the building. Views from the city, i.e. from the train, in motion, rhythm.

(Posted 9 Mar 2024)

Posted 8 May 2024 15:56

Posted 8 May 2024 16:18

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

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

Posted 8 May 2024 16:28

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

Posted 9 May 2024 14:35

DAY 3 - Concept Developments

Today we developed sketch floor plans and elevation details. Students began to think about assembly of the facade structure and tested the choice of material, balancing cost with environmental impacts became a crucial part of the conversation.

Naturally each pair chose different locations of the site, the entrance or the façade circulation to the walkway and walkway use. These choices prompted us to consider about integrating these elements together to create one succinct strategy proposal for the shopping centre.

However, today’s progress was met with a challenge: Our inability to establish communication with our collaborator. From someone who works for Stockport Council, and specifically on this project, his insights would’ve been crucial to defining the projects broader outputs. This absence has therefore left a gap in our planning.

Understandably, this led to some confusion among the students about the expected final outcomes but also led us, the project leaders, to realise we were somewhat uncertain about the specifics we should aim for.

Recognising the need for clarity and direction, we decided to create and communicate a new set of feasible outputs. This adaptation was crucial in keeping the project on track and ensuring that all team members remained on the same page and productive.

Reflecting on this, it’s evident that collaboration is both dynamic and at times, challenging. Our tutor advised us to view this difficulty as a learning opportunity. This situation has taught us the importance of flexibility and ability to adapt in managing a project.

Tomorrow, we plan to specify a detailed list of outcomes to meet by end of next week, hoping to establish a clear path forward and continuing to adapt our strategies to meet the project goals.

(Posted 9 May 2024 15:51)

Posted 13 May 2024 10:37

Posted 13 May 2024 10:48

DAY 4 - Finalising The Design & Clarifying Final Outcomes

Today we refined our list of final outputs, further integrating the groundwork laid during yesterday's session. The student pairs have consolidated into two main groups to focus on specific elements of the shopping centre: one group on the facade, and another on the walkway.
This reorganisation not only invigorated our studio space but also significantly enhanced collaboration, producing more substantial outputs.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of what each group is working on:

Facade Group:

• Elevation Drawings: Detailed at a scale of 1:200
• Perspective Views: These will provide a visual representation of how the facade integrates with the landscape and users.
• Structural and Materiality Details: Focusing on sustainable and cost-effective materials that align with the project goals.

Walkway Group:

• Plan: Detailed at a scale of 1:200, this includes callouts to highlight interaction points within the space.
• Section: Also scaled at 1:200, showing vertical relationships and connectivity.
• Perspective View: Illustrates how different users interact with the space, emphasising accessibility and user engagement.
• Circulation Details: At a scale of 1:50, with callouts where necessary, including improvements to the existing central stair to enhance flow.

These outputs have grown more ambitious compared to our initial goals. Initially aiming to generate broad ideas, we now have a more consolidated and elaborate project that considers a wider array of factors such as stakeholder needs, programmatic requirements, landscaping, circulation patterns, material choices, and assembly methods. This comprehensive approach was made possible by the exceptional engagement and high skill levels of the team members.

Today's progress, considerably more pronounced than yesterday's, has us confident that the final results will be ready for presentation by Thursday evening. As we prepare for the final push, our focus will remain on ensuring that these detailed plans are fully realised and that all elements work cohesively. The energy and creativity observed today are exactly what we need to see this project through to a successful completion.

(Posted 10 May 2024 15:51)

Posted 13 May 2024 22:27

Posted 13 May 2024 22:27

DAY 5 - Progressing with technical drawings

During a productive morning we developed technical drawings specified in the output list. Students made a good start on elevation and plan drawings, in which we provided feedback. These require minor adjustments like line weights, adding scale bars, north points and annotations.

Tomorrow we aim to have these completed and continue working towards the final drawings. Despite the rocky start, we now have a clear goal and everyone knows what their contribution is and what they are responsible for. So far we are very happy with the turnout and engagement from everyone on the team.

Posted 13 May 2024 22:28

Posted 14 May 2024 15:15

DAY 6 - Continuing to develop technical drawings

This morning we did a short review of the two groups’ work, including elevation, perspective views, plans, and construction details. Most of the work was on the right track, meanwhile minor adjustments to some drawings were needed. For example, the perspective line drawings made by BA students were asked to be changed into collages with site photos because of the lack of accurate measurements of the building. In addition, there were some differences in communicating the facade group’s drawings due to miscommunication, which was quickly resolved. Therefore, in the afternoon, we spent time as a group discussing and improving the outputs.

Tomorrow we will meet in the morning again and focus on the perspective drawings, which are important in communicating our proposal to an audience. We asked the BA students to highlight how daily visitors interact with our proposed interventions in their drawings. We are offering them guidance on how to achieve better visual results.

Posted 14 May 2024 15:16

Posted 15 May 2024 15:46

DAY 7 - Wrapping up Technical Drawings and Continuing to Progress with Perspective Visuals.

The focus today for the students was on wrapping up the technical drawings, continuing to progress with perspective visuals for the facade and walkway groups, and ensuring all details were meticulously polished. At the same time, we made a lot of progress on the publication booklet, which is important for documenting the project’s development as the project moves towards its final stages.

Posted 15 May 2024 15:50

Posted 16 May 2024 12:13

DAY 8 - Reflections, Feedback & Finalising the Publication

As we are nearing the end of MSA Live, the students spent today collating work and reflecting on their contributions and experiences during the action weeks. They were encouraged to critically evaluate their contributions, considering what has gone well, what hasn't, and what they have learned.

Tomorrow we have a guest who currently helps coordinate the university-wide Arts Council Cultural Development-funded project Stockport Creative Campus, looking at how creative activity can make Stockport a better place to live and work. She will be having a look at the work we as a group have produced over the action weeks and provide feedback.

Overall, we are all very impressed with the overall engagement and attendance of the group, they have all been very motivated and full of enthusiasm.

Posted 16 May 2024 12:28

DAY 8 - Final Post

After the productive action weeks, we completed all the tasks set for the project in a very timely manner. We are happy with the work produced and the enthusiasm from the students. It has been a pleasure meeting everyone in MSA LIVE. During the last day, most of the team was present and we had a final de-brief with everyone.

It was a moment to thank everyone for their contribution and exchange contacts for future communication. Well done guys!

Posted 16 May 2024 16:09