Group 39
DEEP DIVE

Flag Lane Baths was a community swimming pool built in 1937 that served the residents of Crewe. Despite its location in a prominent area of Crewe along with its rich history spanning decades, Flag Lane Baths was closed to the public only a couple of years ago. Currently, the charity 'Always Ahead' plans to transform Flag Lane Baths into a thriving community hub. As part of this proposal, the client has asked Deep Dive to generate initial concepts ideas for a gallery space that dives into the building’s history and relationship with the local community. Deep Dive will be conducting research about Flag Lane Baths and the individuals who went there prior to its closure through immersive 3D visualizations, historic photographs, and interviews. Through designing a gallery influenced by the information and memories collected of Crewe and its residents, Deep Dive aims to create a thoughtful and community-centric exhibition proposal which will be enjoyed by many in the years to come.

Download Final Report

Mallika P / Shreya Reddy K / Rebecca W / Luke W / Alima Inès V

Our Site!

The Flag Lane Baths project is situated in the heart of Crewe town. Our site visit consisted of an investigation into the current site conditions and scale as well as a general tour of Crewe so we could better understand the community feel of the place.

A trip to the local library to kickstart some initial research highlighted the historical impact the Crewe swimming baths once had for many living there, and made apparent to us the strong sense of camaraderie behind the project and from our collaborators.

Site Address: Crewe Swimming Baths, Flag Ln, Crewe, CW2 7QX

Posted 16 Feb 2024 15:07

Hello, I'm Mallika!

I am from Hong Kong and have done my BArch at the University of Nottingham. I have also worked at Batterham Smith Architects and Stonewood Design prior to joining the MArch course at the Manchester School of Architecture, where I am in the FLUX Aterlier.

My interests include sketching, bouldering, and tattooing. I am excited to be working on Flag Lane Baths and am looking forward to seeing where this journey takes us!

Posted 16 Feb 2024 21:07

Hello, I'm Rebecca!

I am from Cardiff and have recently completed my BArch at Loughborough University. During my placement year, I worked at HCL Architects in Paddington and I am now part of FLUX Atelier at the Manchester School of Architecture.

My architectural interests include working with community spaces and developing a project narrative from historical investigation. I enjoy sketching and diagramming to communicate proposal ideas and work mostly in Photoshop and Rhino for 3D visualisations.

My interests include playing badminton, cooking and baking. I am excited to be working on Flag Lane Baths as I feel the project demonstrates what a good use of community input can achieve in the world of design.

Posted 18 Feb 2024 17:02

Hello, I'm Luke!

I am from Bristol. I completed my BA (Hons) in Architecture at Leeds Beckett University, which later led me to work at the landscape firm 'Churchman Thornhill Finch', where I focused on urban design and sustainability. At MSA, I am currently in the CPU Atelier. This has allowed me to showcase my work through models, sketches, and digital visuals, particularly on Procreate, which I enjoy doing in my spare time.

I'm eager to contribute to the Flag Lane Baths project with my group, aiming to rejuvenate this historic site into a dynamic community asset with a strong emphasis on innovative solutions and engaging the community.

Posted 19 Feb 2024 17:45

Hello, I'm Alima!

I was born in France and have lived in Switzerland for over 10 years, where I completed my BSc. in Architecture at EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology). I spent my 3rd year in Stuttgart studying the Weißenhof before working as an intern in a small bureau in Lausanne. Now at MSA, I am part of the Continuity Atelier, which allows me to use my interest for drawing, scenography and writing as tools for my designs.

Added to that, my hobbies involve boxing, cinema, reading, and visiting museums/galleries. I am thus thrilled to take part in this project asking us to design an exhibition through research and community engagement, and I am excited to see how it will contribute to the neighborhood.

Posted 20 Feb 2024 06:07

Hello, I'm Shreya!

I am from India. I hold a bachelor's degree in Architecture from CMR University School of Architecture, where I explored architecture through physical model making. Following my undergraduate studies, I gained valuable experience by working for a year at Design Front Architects, contributing to the execution of five residential projects. Currently, I am pursuing my Master of Architecture at MSA as a part of CPU Atelier. This has been an enriching experience, allowing me to explore innovative computational design methods and acquire proficiency in new modelling software like Rhino and Revit.

The Flag Lane Baths project is an exciting opportunity for me to immerse myself in the challenges and creativity of repurposing a historically significant building. I am eager to explore how this structure, with its rich history, can seamlessly integrate into and contribute to the community.

I am enthusiastic about the prospects of this project and eagerly anticipate the unique learning experiences it will offer.

Posted 1 Mar 2024 18:20

Deep Dives and Design: Reflecting on Our Poster Progress

Our team journeyed through the narratives and colours shaping Flag Lane Baths this week. In our meeting on 20/02, we aimed to encapsulate this essence in our poster's palette—selecting shades that speak of the past with a modern twist.

Our brainstorming brought various ideas, seen through the poster iterations we designed before deciding on a final design. A slogan and a design strategy intertwine our project's rich history with the community at its core.

"DEEP DIVE: into the Flag Lane Baths" isn't just a catchphrase; our story's title underscores our dive into the archives and engagement with the locals.

We refined our visuals with these elements to ensure they were seen and felt. You will see them around MTC as soon as action week approaches.

We are excited about the start of a chapter we can't wait to unfold with you.

Posted 11 Mar 2024 20:17

Action Planning for May

Across the two weeks in May, we plan to coordinate members into two key groups: a Design Team and a Research Team. Whether a particular team approach takes your fancy or you want to develop new skills alongside us, the creation of teams provides a structure to fall back against for the upcoming weeks and a focus on achieving main goals.

In Week 1 the whole group will visit Crewe to undertake some important activities regarding site visits or community engagement. We will revisit the site at the end of Week 2 for the final exhibition of our proposal to the public!

Posted 11 Mar 2024 20:56

Meet the collaborators!

Having graduated from MSA, Alex has founded 'Home Studio Architects' in 2022 and also runs the 'Home Coffee & Studio' coffee shop in Alsager. With over 15 years of experience working in reputable architecture and design firms in the North West, Alex plans to open up more spaces to host community events and arts workshops in the future.

To find out more about Alex's work, find their Insta/FB handle at: @homecoffeealsager @homestudioarchitects

Posted 3 May 2024 16:04

Meet the collaborators!

Robert is a part of 'Always Ahead': a charity focusing on improving the economic, social, and enviromental wellbeing of Crewe residents. The Flag Lane Baths project, run by 'Always Ahead', has plans to transform the site of the former Crewe swimming pool into a centrally located, top quality, thriving community hub. Robert is also a Naturalistic Garden Design specialist and has his own company.

To find out more about Flag Lane Baths, please visit: https://www.flaglanebaths.co.uk/index.html
Follow along Robert's gardening journey on Insta at @robertscferguson

Posted 3 May 2024 16:25

It was great catching up with Robert and Alex yesterday over Teams as MSA Live is drawing near! We addressed how we'd collect the opinions and memories from the community of Crewe that used to swim at Flag Lane Baths, and how we would ultimately collate an output to exhibit.

Little did we know, Robert had his very own memory of Flag Lane Baths to share! Something along the lines of 'teaching three young lads how to swim at Flag Lane Baths, with each of them getting their certificate on the last day of their training prior to going on a ship' (Sorry Robert, for the life of me I can't remember the entire story but it's something along those lines). We thoroughly enjoyed catching up Alex and Robert and are excited to kick off MSA Live!

Posted 3 May 2024 16:48

DAY 1 OF DEEP DIVING

Deep Dive team is happy to finally meet the rest of the team and are excited for our site visit to Crewe tomorrow! After a round of icebreakers, we went on to introduce the site and then split into three groups tackling Crewe's site, vibe, and design outputs.

It was lovely to see all the groups get together at the end of the day to share their findings on Flag Lane Baths, and can't wait to 'DEEP DIVE' further into Crewe's rich history!

Posted 7 May 2024 15:36

More Photos of Day 1 !!

Posted 7 May 2024 15:52

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

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

Posted 9 May 2024 15:46

DAY 3 OF DEEP DIVING !!

In our architectural exploration, the third day of our project saw our team divided into the design and research groups. While the design team embarked on conceptualization and ideation, the research team meticulously analyzed interviews from a prior site visit with the local community, alongside decoding archival materials, including plans from the existing building. This collaborative effort seamlessly integrated insights from community perspectives and historical contexts into the design process, ensuring our creative endeavors are deeply rooted in empathy, authenticity, and reverence for the architectural heritage, setting a strong foundation for our innovative project.

Posted 10 May 2024 15:42

DAY 3 OF DEEP DIVING !!

Work of Day 3 !!
In our architecture project, one team is dedicated to generating ideas, while the other team is researching through interviews and archival documents to inform the project. The poster above is the collaborative work of both teams, reflecting the integrated efforts of creativity and research in our project.

Posted 10 May 2024 19:14

DAY 4 OF DEEP DIVING!

Today we put the spotlight on the fifth years with presentations from Alima and Mallika. Alima presented her dissertation topic on, 'Visitors and the physical envirnoment of museums: How can designers impact engagement?', which was incredibly insightful and beneficial as we move towards designing our gallery space at Flag Lane Baths.

Later in the day, Mallika led a workshop on Sketchup and V-Ray and its many uses demonstrated through her PS2 portfolio. We hope both presentations were helpful for the BArch students as they approach their studio submissions!

Posted 11 May 2024 21:53

Some of the great work BArch students have produced following Alima's presentation on designing museums on the basis of visitor engagement. It is lovely seeing the gallery space take shape as it draws on the rich history of Flag Lane Baths and the residents of Crewe.

Posted 11 May 2024 23:05

DAY 5 OF DEEP DIVING!

It was lovely catching up with one of our collaborators today as we got to show all the lovely work Deep Dive have been doing. The Research team has been steadily moving forward with the collection of research along with the creation of poster templates towards our final output.

On the other hand, we had the Design team working on 3D visualisations of our proposed exhibition in Flag Lane Baths. With the exhibition drawing near, we were happy to get some valuable insight from Alex, and are looking forward to the final outcome!

Posted 14 May 2024 10:25

Day 5 was spent planning and preparing for the exhibition which is going to be held at the second floor gallery space in MTC. We were able to show our collaborator what the next few days were looking like, and discussed the future of the exhibition material after MSA Live.

Deep Dive is currently planning on transferring all of the work, both digitally and physically, to Alex and Robert for them to exhibit it in Crewe, either at Flag Lane Baths upon completion or at the local Market Hall in Crewe. We are thrilled to have our work utilised and showcased beyond MSA Live, and hope it leaves plenty of happy residents for Crewe residents.

Posted 14 May 2024 10:27

Join us in 'Deep Diving' into the rich history of Flag Lane Baths and our proposed adaptive reuse project to transform it into a gallery space for the residents of Crewe!

Posted 14 May 2024 15:00

DAY 6 OF DEEP DIVING!

We have been working on collating our final research and design outputs in preparation for our exhibition happening on the 16th and 17th this week! It has been great seeing the project come together, and we can't wait to showcase what we've been up to.

Posted 14 May 2024 23:28

Pictured are our lovely BA2 students from Deep Dive as they work through 3D modelling, drawing, researching and assembling information in the lead up to our exhibition. Despite the photo showing otherwise, they are usually a happy bunch and are excited to power through the final stretch of MSA Live!

Posted 14 May 2024 23:38

DAY 7 OF DEEP DIVING!

Finishing up on the last few posters before we showcase them at our exhibition tomorrow. Deep Dive has been a great team to work with and we definitely couldn't have pulled this off without the help of our BA1 and BA2 students. Big smiles from the team as we work towards the final drafts!

Posted 15 May 2024 16:06

With great success, we were able to print half of our posters for our exhibition tomorrow. Fingers crossed the printers don't break down mid-priniting tomorrow!

Posted 15 May 2024 17:04

DAY 8 OF DEEP DIVING!

It has been great seeing the whole project come together! We thought it would be great to feature the 'Deep Dive[rs]' from BA1 and BA2 that helped make it a reality!

Posted 17 May 2024 13:59

We've officially wrapped up printing all the posters! With the exhibition space meticulously planned and adorned with our vibrant prints, we couldn't help but celebrate with some delicious cupcakes. Fingers crossed for a bustling turnout tomorrow, eager to feast their eyes on our collective efforts. Plus, we're thrilled that our collaborator will be joining us. Here's to a day filled with posters, and hopefully, a lot of smiles!!

Posted 17 May 2024 14:01

It is the best feeling to see all of our hard work up on display, do come over to the second floor gallery at MTC to take a look at what we've been up to for MSA Live 2024!

Posted 17 May 2024 14:54

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

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

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

...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