MSA Live 25

Group 17 / MARKET STREET REFRESH

Day 2 (13/5) : Video Team Visit Radio Diamond

This morning, the Video Content Creation Team met up to discuss our research and start planning the videos. Drawing on social media trends, we prepared interview questions and thought about key shots to take in the studio.

In the afternoon, we arrived at Radio Diamond, Moss Side, to begin filming. During the interviews with the radio presenters, it was great to hear stories of their career highlights and challenges, their favourite music genres and artists, and heartwarming stories of how they've helped the local community.

We learnt how to take professional videos throughout the studio, with tours of the broadcasting and podcasting spaces, and personal interviews.

Looking forward to editing the clips tomorrow!

Posted 13 May 2025 20:52

Group 28 / TEA AND TALES

Xiang L

Day 2
Site analysis!!

We started the investigation and study of the site.
There are four parts:
History (the background, area, and architecture of The Grange)
Population (demographic data of the surrounding area)
Facilities (what facilities are nearby, such as gardens, schools, hospitals, etc.)
Transport (how people get to the building)

Posted 13 May 2025 20:41

Clara Evangeline Dorathy ARD

We started of our day 2 by visiting the site on a sunny morning with our entire group. We split up into two groups, one group focused on conducting interviews with the local community people of Droylsden and the other group did an analysis to understand the on and off-site features.

It was amazing to see everything in action, the networks, physical infrastructure and social characters of the site and our gratitude to the local people who volunteered to take part in our interviews. We are already excited to start working on the project and hoping to bring life back to the public carpark at the Market Street.

Posted 13 May 2025 20:03

Group 02 / PORTLAND THINKSPACE

Xinyue M

Day2: Interior SWOT Analysis and Collage Image

In the morning, Ayaa led us in analyzing the SWOT of the site on Miro and invited everyone to discuss together. After then, we shared our visual images on Miro and described the strengths and weaknesses. Everyone also wrote down their opinions of others' visual images on Miro.

After lunch, Patrick provided a detailed introduction to the Modeling workshop and rendered the site visualizations. Subsequently, everyone proceeded to create collage visuals based on their preliminary ideas from the yesterday.

Pictured: Discussing and sharing moments!

Posted 13 May 2025 19:57

Group 09 / WINDOW INTO LINDOW

Luke F

Day 2 - Site Visit

On our second day of action week we ventured to site by train - splitting into three teams we each focused on three key areas of research to allow the team to consolidate the desktop research. We explored key areas of conservation, architectural sites, finding key moments of interest within the conservation area.

We took plenty of photos, collected samples and small artefacts to inspire the further design progress.

A great day out in the sun!

Posted 13 May 2025 19:38

Peiqing L

DAY 2 - Site Model
After developing our concept ideas, we began building a physical site model of the existing skate park in Alsager and some conceptual models. Site model will help us better understand the potential challenges we might face during the later stages of the design process.

Posted 13 May 2025 19:23

Group 18 / THE CANOPY COLLECTIVE

Peiqing L

DAY 2 - Brainstorm and Sketches
We’ve made great progress since yesterday’s brainstorm! Everyone contributed fantastic sketches, and we now have three distinct concept styles. Each one brings a unique perspective, and we’ve started forming rough ideas on the masterplan. The next step is to develop these further and refine the overall direction.

Posted 13 May 2025 19:00

Frances R

Day 2:
In preparation for the community consultation on Thursday, today we started to explore ideas around nature and structures. We searched for inspiration outside and sketched, modelled and discussed initial concepts in a beautiful green space around the MSA campus. We discussed and combined ideas and started to work well as a team. Bring on day 3!

Posted 13 May 2025 18:37

Group 05 / BOWLS TO BLOOMS

Patrick M

Today we took our initial planter design concepts further. In the morning, we discussed lessons learnt from yesterday’s initial meeting on site and solidified a plan layout. We then split into 2 groups to explore 2 different materialities through 2 different designs. We explored and interrogated these designs through sketching, scaled section drawings and scaled model making as well calculating a rough cost estimate per unit. To end the day, we formalised all our outputs into a document which send to the client.
We now await the client’s decision on the desired design to take further tomorrow!

Posted 13 May 2025 17:54

Group 27 / SENSESCAPE

Yuran W

Day 2 – May 13th: From Senses to Spatial Concepts

Today, we transitioned from playful exploration to structured design thinking. We began the morning by splitting into three sensory focused groups: touch, hearing, and sight. Each group tasked with brainstorming ideas tailored to their sensory theme.

Following that, we moved into collaborative space planning. Discussions flowed around how to organise zones within the basement room, and we mapped out potential layouts using diagrams. Practical constraints like ventilation and storage were identified and addressed creatively.

After lunch, each team sketched their own mock-up proposals. The variety of approaches sparked valuable debate, and we began to see our shared vision take shape. We ended the day by selecting a few promising ideas to take forward into tomorrow’s floor plan and section development.

From abstract senses to tangible sketches—Day 2 was a turning point.

Posted 13 May 2025 17:40

May 13th (afternoon)

In the afternoon, we shared our ideas as groups and kept refining them along the way. Then, we picked four projects to focus on and got ready to make physical models or even actually build parts of them to bring our ideas to life.

Posted 13 May 2025 17:11

Andreea M

DAY 2:
Day 2 started strong with a visit from one of the collaborators, who came by to check on the students’ progress and share some feedback. After that, the group split in two, some worked on the site model while others focused on developing conceptual models.

Posted 13 May 2025 17:06

Group 17 / MARKET STREET REFRESH

May 13th (morning)

After coming back from Stockport, today we split into groups to design furniture using plastic as the main material. During the brainstorming session, we tried out different ways—hand sketching, computer modeling, and making hand massing models—to explore all sorts of possibilities with the material.

This wasn’t just a chance for the BA students to bounce ideas around, but also a crucial moment for the MA students to help them try out new methods and improve their designs.

Posted 13 May 2025 16:59

Nikhil N

On Day 1, we commenced with a brief introduction of the site to the team members. We decided to split ourselves into six groups to analyse it from various perspectives, like physical, visual, and network teams.

After a few discussions and initial ideas, we as a team conducted an activity to sketch down the plans or concepts, such as what comes to mind by looking at the site and how you would design it as a green public space. One of the initial ideas involved relocating from the old car park to a well-maintained community garden that would include preservation zones, walkways, and skating rinks to attract locals.

Posted 13 May 2025 16:55

Group 30 / POSSIBILITY MACHINE

Sophie J

In the afternoon we reconvened in our teams to work on developing the models. The afternoon involved investigating viewpoints, adding materials and further exploring the rendering software. The enscape group worked primarily in Revit focusing on the skatepark as a starting point, with a view to looking at the other areas including the community centre, amphitheatre etc. in the days to come.

Posted 13 May 2025 15:39

Nur Iman Sofiah Binti NA

Day 1: Afternoon
This afternoon, we split into 2 groups, looking to create 2 different conceptual solutions for the
possibility machine. For this we we used collages to visualise design producing a final mood
board for each. After extensive discussion and iteration we ended the day by presenting these
ideas to each other, giving constructive feedback. The ideas produced, fed into the creative
concept of ‘the impossibility machine’ as proposed by our client, showing what we would design
with unlimited constraints. These ideas are to be presented to the client the next morning.

Posted 13 May 2025 15:31

Group 30 / POSSIBILITY MACHINE

Nur Iman Sofiah Binti NA

Day 1 : Morning
Today we became a team of 16, welcoming talented BA students into the world of the possibility
machine. We started the day with introductions, before learning some interesting facts (and some
lies) about each other during our icebreaker breaker game. This was followed by a meeting with
our very enthusiastic client Joseph Schneider, who gave a background on the project, after which
we set our brief and the agenda for the next 2 weeks. The morning saw initial engagements with
creative concepts surrounding the possibility machine, in which we explored our own visions of
this. Gathering into groups we brainstormed ideas, looking at precedents and starting to think
about our own interventions for the project. It was fantastic to see key themes of, sustainability,
play and materiality being considered within this design process

Posted 13 May 2025 15:25

Group 14 / FLOAT

Eleanor VB

Day 2!

A day of site explorations through sketches, historic desktop analysis and starting to map the site! We split into focused groups to explore different methods of site analysis, understanding the site’s significance and its main opportunities and challenges, such as its sensitive heritage setting.

From our immersive site visit yesterday, we took plenty of photos on the water and the surrounding context around the pontoon to bring back with us to Manchester. We collected these together and used these to capture the atmosphere of the site through sketches, serial visions and mixed-media collages.

Meanwhile, our history team delved into the rich history of the docks, unearthing stories of their significance to the city, as well as the background of our clients, The Canal & River Trust.

Lastly, our mapping team got stuck into the technical side and worked hard to learn on the spot. Our Master’s students mentored the BA students in the tools Digimap and AutoCAD, to produce key base maps to sketch and annotate over. This spontaneous peer learning brought a great energy to the room.

It was a great day to come together to reflect on the site visit and get to know each other better. We’re looking forward to continuing this momentum tomorrow.

Posted 13 May 2025 15:23

Group 10 / REIMAGINGING WATERBARN CHAPEL

Week 1. Day 1.
Part 2 : Team Lunch & Site Visit!

What better way to start the second half than a group lunch at the fan favourite pub, the Bishop Blaize?

The lunch was followed by an afternoon exploring the site with the team. We introduced the team to Ruth, who was again kind to join us. The sun was out in its full glory so we were able to see many more creative initiatives that the community of Gorgeous Gorse Hill undertook to make the area brighter, inclusive and interactive.

Who would not love these murals? We ended our day here and discussed our plans for the next day for many more interactive sessions.

Posted 13 May 2025 15:07

Group 14 / FLOAT

Lai Ying L

Day 1!

We launched our design week with an energising site visit to the Liverpool Docks for an up-close inspection of our site and the existing pontoon. Marcus from the River and Canal Trust welcomed us in the beautiful weather with an insightful introduction to the area, outlining key features of the site and the important themes to keep in mind throughout the day.

From there, we met Rob on the slipway to get strapped into our lifejackets before hitting the water in our boats and paddles! Approaching the pontoon from the waters gave us a completely new and immersive perspective on how the pontoon interacts with the water-side neighbourhood and marine life. Jellyfish spottings and signs of other aquatic life as we paddled across the waters sparked curiosity and excitement for the upcoming design work.

The day ended with a nap on our coach ride back. All charged up for the week ahead!

Posted 13 May 2025 15:01

Eleanor Somerset W

Our team has been busy preparing for our community consultation event at Valley Heritage this Thursday. We developed a series of interactive activities and a questionnaire for attendees to gauge their response towards the Waterbarn Chapel.

Engaging the community is an important step in our design process. It provides the opportunity to listen, learn, exchange ideas, and perhaps reframe our understanding of the site’s needs. In our discussions as a group, we have had to consider the best formats to effectively include the community in this process. Collaborating with the team at Valley Heritage and sourcing inspiration from literature like “Architecture and Participation” have been helpful in shaping our approach to community consultation.

Our hope for this consultation is to get a better sense of the town and its people. We are looking forward to meeting the attendees, hearing their stories, and learning how the Waterbarn Chapel can reflect the community’s identity and needs more.

Posted 13 May 2025 14:58

Group 29 / FOREST SCHOOL

Louise H

Day 02: Preschool workshop morning :)

This morning we took a small group to the preschool and ran a forest model making session, letting the kids show us how they see a forest and what they’d like in their school!

We were shown by the kids what games and activities they like currently, and colour, sound and texture we found was very important!

We have learnt a lot from this morning and we’re very happy with how the activity went, off to report back our findings to the team now :)

Posted 13 May 2025 14:51

Group 07 / TYLDESLEY SPARK

Alliah M N

Day 2!
We kicked off the day at 10am with a presentation from Kenneth, who walked us through the different areas of Hulme Park that the students would be rendering and visualizing. Once most of the group had arrived, we split into smaller teams focused on Enscape, Lumion, and V-Ray. From there, we began exploring the basics of SketchUp and Revit. Students started downloading the software and exchanging early ideas with one another.

Posted 13 May 2025 14:45

Group 36 / ECOHUB HOUSE

Ozgenur S

Day2:
Great day with lots of design ideas!
It was a very efficient brainstorming with the participation of everyone. We both designed the ecohouse of our dreams and discussed ideas on how to redesign EcoHub.

Posted 13 May 2025 14:18

Taras M

Days 1 & 2 Roundup

Tyldesley Spark is well underway! After meeting the team, our first couple of days have been spent understanding the brief and researching the site before we conduct our site visit.

We split into groups to research the history of the site, the planning and policy context, demographics and potential users, and precedent analysis, with each group producing a poster to summarise their research.

Tomorrow…

We will meet on site tomorrow to meet the client, explore the site, discuss our work from the first couple of days, and start generating ideas for the project.

Posted 13 May 2025 13:08

Group 29 / FOREST SCHOOL

Yan Hei Ashlie H

Day 01: A fun-filled start to our 2-week project!

Today we welcomed some BA and MLA students to join us on this journey. Upon a warm round of self-introductions, we presented our project brief, introduced our collaborator and the site, and gave an overview of our plans for the 2 weeks. This was followed by an insightful presentation by Lou on the value of forest school, which gave the team a better understanding of how it benefits young children.

To bring playful energy into the day, we headed over to Whitworth Park for some nostalgic sports day fun, including mini races and a few rounds of charades!

In the afternoon, we gathered to brainstorm ideas for different components that could be included in our forest school proposals, with much consideration given to using sustainable materials and creating sensory experiences tailored to children. Based on our discussions, we wrapped up our first day by expressing our initial concepts through collages and sketches. A great start to the week!

Posted 13 May 2025 13:02

Group 10 / REIMAGINGING WATERBARN CHAPEL

Tiree N

We are planning a consultation with Bacup and Stacksteads community groups on Thursday 15th May. This will be a form of creative consultancy, prompting collective memory through old photographs and current drawings of the Chapel, creating a historical narrative of the building in order to understand it's future. In addition, we will be presenting our initial concept designs in order to gain valuable and insightful feedback from locals.

We have begun by drafting elevations, plan and 3D site model drawings to present to Valley Heritage and the community groups on Thursday. Despite no archival architectural drawings being available for us to use, archival photographs and a site survey have enabled our drawing set to accurately represent Waterbarn Chapel.

Our drawing sets will enable us to create inventive yet grounded concepts this afternoon, illustrated through hand-made models.

Posted 13 May 2025 12:37

Catch-up with Ross & Lisa

We met with our amazing collaborators again!

Thank you Ross and Lisa, for catching up with us on Teams today. It was a really productive morning, and we’re grateful for the chance to speak directly with users.
We’ll now begin prepping for our upcoming community meeting. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly!

Posted 13 May 2025 12:31

Bringing New Life to Romiley’s Outdoor Space

Next stop—Romiley! The site is a long strip of lawn at the moment that is visible from the swimming pool and the gym.

What would we do for Romiley? We’re looking at making good use of the outdoor area to be more functional and enjoyable for all ages. Mini golf? Pavillion? Seating area? Sensory garden? Outdoor yoga space?

We don’t know yet but we're certain to bring it to life and can't wait to get started!

Posted 13 May 2025 12:31

Reimagining Outdoor Space in Cheadle

First up—Cheadle! It is on a slope with a planter in the front and a lawn at the side of the facility.

We aim to give it a fresh look by creating a more welcoming entrance and flexible outdoor space for everyone. We’re exploring ideas like improved greenery and kisok that encourage movement and social connection, making it easier for people of all ages to come together and enjoy the space.

Posted 13 May 2025 12:31

Group 31 / ECHOES OF INCLUSION

Teaming Up with Life Leisure in Stockport

It's our 1st time meeting with Ross and Lisa! We’re really excited to be working with Life Leisure again this year.

As a Community Interest Company (CIC), Life Leisure does amazing work making sure everyone in Stockport has access to affordable ways to stay active and healthy.

This time, we’re focusing on two local facilities to help reimagine their outdoor spaces. Our goal? Create more welcoming, active spaces for the whole community to enjoy.

We can’t wait to share more as the projects take shape!

Posted 13 May 2025 12:30

Nurul Atifah Binti AJ

Day 1 of our MSA action week was all about setting the stage for an exciting two weeks ahead! We kicked things off with a briefing to introduce the project and get everyone on the same page.

Then, to break the ice and get to know each other better, we dove into a fun game of Kahoot (because who doesn’t love a little competition, right?). After all the laughs, we settled into the project brief and started sketching out some initial ideas. A well-timed pizza lunch gave us the perfect fuel to keep the creative energy flowing.

We then split into groups and got down to business, diving into the design of the music spaces and gathering inspiration from precedent studies. Overall, it was a great start, and we’re all looking forward to what’s next!

Posted 13 May 2025 12:29

Week 1. Day 1.
Part 1 : Introduction and Ice Breakers!

The first day kicked off with a welcome to our new team members from BA and MLA courses. We met up at Manchester Technology centre and started the day with a few ice breaker activities to get to know each other. The day involved abstract, interpretative sketches of objects as experiential worlds- exploring ways of making our ideas visually communicative. This activity helped us understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and identify how each of us can work together.

This was followed by the site visit.

Posted 13 May 2025 12:15

Action week-day 1
To commemorate the first time the whole group travelled, we took a group photo!

Posted 13 May 2025 11:49

Action week-day 1
In the afternoon, our whole group travelled by bus to the venue (grose hill allotment association) to carry out research and provide a basis for further design. Firstly, the employer introduced us to the scale of the site, the buildings and gardens that needed to be updated, and clearly set out the problems they wanted to solve. After understanding the employer's needs, the team split into two groups, one to take photographs of the site and the other to take measurements of the site. It really has been a very interesting piece of research!

Posted 13 May 2025 11:47

Action week-day 1
Today was the first day of action week and our group had a brief project introduction in the morning. Firstly we introduced ourselves, then our group members described the information pictures of the venue, the employer's needs, the schedule of activities for the fortnight and the final outcome we need for the new members from ba1 and ba2.

Posted 13 May 2025 11:42

Group 14 / FLOAT

Lai Ying L

Reintroducing the Group!

FLOAT welcomes our BA students to the team as we kick-start the 2-week-long design period!

Posted 13 May 2025 11:14

This week, our group made a preliminary poster and action plan and had a discussion with the tutor about what needs to be updated and changed next.

Posted 13 May 2025 11:08

After conducting the venue research, our group had our first discussion. We summarised the requirements of the employers and the information about the venue. And, we had a preliminary discussion about the posters, budget, action plan, etc. that we need for the next step.

Posted 13 May 2025 11:07

Marwa Sanad Abdul Hameed AS

Visit the site
On the 8th of February our group members went to the venue together to do research. Our venue was in the grose hill allotment association. we had an interview with the employer to interview them about their needs for the renovation. And, as the site did not have a specific floor plan, we measured the site together.

Posted 13 May 2025 11:04

Group 19 / WILD BROOK

Our first site visit!

We first visited Wildbrook in February and toured the site and all its facilities with our collaborators, Dave and Lina. The site is situated in Oldham, Greater Manchester, and it serves its local community. Working with the charity Fareshare, Wildbrook curate food parcels designed to provide support for communities experiencing food insecurity.

Whilst on site, we saw Wildbrook's facilities, including polytunnels, raised planting beds, a smaller orchard, composting stations and plans to expand much further. Dave and Lina shared with us their plans to renovate the existing building to support their indoor programmes, including a community kitchen and co-working space. We looked into existing challenges on the site that pertain to distributing water across the growing hub. We also discussed plans for our Action Weeks with the collaborators, forming a plan for the outputs requested for the scheme.

Posted 13 May 2025 11:03

The prep and Julienne!

Over the past few weeks, we have met quite often to sort through the plethora of ideas that each of us had. With so many members come so many thought processes! While the task was mammoth, it became very smooth with the help of amazing collaborator Ruth, who was kind enough to join us on video meetings and discuss our plans.

Well, we must mention that these serious discussions were complemented by Julienne, the new mascot of our team and project and of course some amazing home cooked meals made by our team members. What could possibly be better? *chef’s kiss*

Posted 13 May 2025 10:58

Group 08 / FRIENDS OF WATERHOUSE

Meet the team!

You have met us individually, but we would love to introduce ourselves to you as a team. We are a group of Master’s students from MSA with diverse backgrounds in architecture, interiors and urbanism and come from different countries accross the Globe. The past few weeks were spent getting to know each other and sharing unique stories and experiences from our lives. It is interesting how all of us started growing as a team and are now here, pumped to welcome new members from BA and MLA.

We will be covering different aspects of several exciting things planned for these two weeks, so stay tuned!

Posted 13 May 2025 10:51

Group 04 / RESCUE HUB

Yuanhao L

Action Week: Day 1

It is great that we can see everyone's understanding of architectural thinking in today's icebreaker game. As well as our thinking about the project concept, many effective and important keywords were proposed, and we also integrated them together to form our concept mind map.

Posted 13 May 2025 00:32

Group 04 / RESCUE HUB

Yuanhao L

Action Week: Day 1

Today we meet all the BA1, BA2, and MLA students. We got to know each other through icebreaker games.
Today we discussed the concept of a rescue center, and the students expressed their ideas through different presentation methods (hand drawing, physical model, etc.). The ideas presented by everyone are great! Everyone also gets to know each other better through icebreaker games.

Posted 13 May 2025 00:32

See EJ

Emanuil and I visited Buttress Architects' office prior to the start of the MSA Live project, where we met with our stakeholder, Nigel, to present our plans and gather valuable insights to share with the students the following week. The meeting covered discussions on Grade II listed heritage buildings, the user participation activities planned for Week 2, and a CPD session on 'Colours in Design,' which helped us explore how colour can shape the atmosphere of our proposed space.

Posted 13 May 2025 00:27

Group 08 / FRIENDS OF WATERHOUSE

See EJ

The team held several preparation meetings internally and with the stakeholder to finalise plans ahead of the MSA Live week. These meetings helped confirm our plans, ensuring everyone is clear on their roles and that everything is in place to minimise miscommunication later in the project.

Posted 13 May 2025 00:22

Group 02 / PORTLAND THINKSPACE

Patrick A

Day 1: Initial Presentations

We re-capped the M.Arch/MA.AR team's work with the collaborator to establish initial concept ideas.

We also presented our practice/university experience to help familiarise the BA's with the skills we can help them develop.

Pictured: M.Arch/MA.AR work expose!

Posted 12 May 2025 23:26

Group 02 / PORTLAND THINKSPACE

Patrick A

Day 1: Icebreakers and Initial Ideas

We started off the day with some icebreaker activities to get to know each other better, following this we had some quick presentations from the M.Arch/MA.AR team to familiarise the BA's with our experience.

After lunch we broke off to research some precedents and sketch some initial ideas in-line with our collaborator's aspiration.

Pictured: Icebreaker Bingo!

Posted 12 May 2025 23:23

Group 32 / UPSTAIRS @ 3B

Jonathan Marcus Jia Qian L

Got to mingle a little with the BAs today! Brainstormed some ideas and dialing-in on our concepts for tomorrow. The creative drive they all have remind us of how old we are. Nonetheless, exciting and eventful start of Day 1!

Posted 12 May 2025 23:12

Sophie J

The afternoon began with a walkthrough of our existing 3D model of Hulme Park. This was followed by a detailed breakdown of the three software we will be using (Enscape, V-Ray, Lumion), including pros and cons, different uses, etc. We showed example renders extracted from each as well as some of our own from previous university projects. We discussed with the students their preferences for which software they would be interested in learning and separated them into three teams for the competition.

Posted 12 May 2025 22:32

Sophie J

We visited the site, first introducing the key elements within our scope of work. The students were given 45 minutes to explore, taking photos, sketching designs, etc. We then met the collaborator at the basketball courts and were given a guided tour of the park, during which they re-iterated our project brief, demonstrating their unique ideas and passion for the project.

Posted 12 May 2025 22:26

Questions to get you thinking!

What spatial issues will our design improve for the Plastic Shed?

How can the recycling of plastics as a material be meaningfully used in our design?

Who will benefit from these changes and uses of materials?

How does it improve the social, environmental and economic value of the reused space?

These are the key questions Caitlin faces before she starts work next month, and hopefully we can answer some of them in this small project.
Please upload any ideas you have into the designated space on the board. Here is the link:
https://miro.com/welcomeonboard/OXVaS3VVZWdaTzVSd0g4S2twL3YwL3R0SU1nR3NXbllvTlplR3hIUVBydWd3U3ZmLzZaZ25PUEduTG5NLzdOMXZnbTBYUzNwYStNamhNU2ZNcTJyZ3oyZDVmRFFLcm9UamZHeVpMbGdNSDdUSzhPK0tJcHQyQnZ2SXFITzZoU0tnbHpza3F6REdEcmNpNEFOMmJXWXBBPT0hdjE=?share_link_id=652229270206

We will present and discuss them tomorrow after the meeting.

Images courtesy of Agnieszka Kula, designer: Tomek Rygalik.

Posted 12 May 2025 21:35

Group 27 / SENSESCAPE

Yuran W

Day 1 – May 12th: First Day On Site

What amazing and inspiring first day!

We kicked off our SenseScape journey by introducing ourselves and the project in Geoffrey Manton 3.33. It was a chance to meet one another, share excitement, and begin imagining how we could design a sensory room that is inclusive, engaging, and meaningful. We explored previous examples, reviewed the existing room drawings, and introduced the colour palette that will guide the mood of the space.

Around noon, we walked down to Manchester Museum where our client Hannah welcomed us and guided us to the basement space and the very room we’ll be transforming. Her insights helped us understand the importance of designing a flexible and immersive space.

Then came a playful and collaborative highlight of the day: the sensory icebreaker game. Blindfolded, mute, or listening through headsets, teams attempted to model clay animals through non-verbal and indirect communication. It was a chaotic, hilarious, and surprisingly touching way to reflect on sensory perception, teamwork, and alternative modes of interaction.

After lunch, we reassembled at the museum entrance and followed Hannah through selected galleries for a deeper sensory exploration of the museum’s exhibitions. The phrase “to be museumed” was introduced as a term: what does it mean to be overwhelmed, absorbed, or transformed by a space?

After briefly measuring the dimensions of the room. We wrapped up the day by gathering our first impressions and inspirations, and began noting initial ideas for sensory elements and precedents.

Posted 12 May 2025 21:31

May 12

Tday, all the students gathered at MTC in the morning. After a quick introduction and some icebreaker activities, we took the bus over to the site to meet with Caitlin. She showed us the tools and the specific steps she uses to make the Plastic Shed, and we even got to join in and try out some of the manufacturing process ourselves.

During this, we learned about the dangers and safety precautions, especially related to high temperatures and equipment. We also got a feel for the hardness, size, and other properties of the material, which will be super helpful for our future furniture designs.

At the end, Caitlin showed us the finished product — a sleek, marble-like slab in a greenish hue. We’re thinking we might use it for some furniture down the line, so stay tuned for more updates!

Posted 12 May 2025 21:11

05.12 _ AFTERNOON SESSION

In the afternoon, we brought the BA1 and BA2 students to Charlton for a site visit, led by Laura, our project leader. She guided us through the area, offering insight into the surrounding context and helping us begin to visualise the spaces we’ll be working with.
We explored the exterior of the existing building that we’ll be renovating, taking note of its condition, materials, and spatial potential. We also visited the building where we’ll be running design activities with the Year 4 children — an important space that will shape much of our approach moving forward.
The visit gave us a stronger sense of place and helped us begin to connect our ideas to the real-world context — a crucial step as we move toward co-designing the upcoming workshops.

Posted 12 May 2025 19:33

05.12 _ MORNING SESSION

This morning marked our first session — and also our first time meeting the BA1 and BA2 students we'll be collaborating with. We began with a round of introductions to get to know each other and set the tone for the days ahead.
To break the ice, we swapped the usual “name and a fact about yourself” for a more creative approach: drawing. This simple activity helped us connect in a more relaxed and expressive way, opening up space for conversation and collaboration.
After settling in, we moved into our first task: brainstorming ideas for the two-day workshop programme. We discussed possible activities, sketched out initial thoughts, and exchanged ideas freely.
From thinking about what kinds of experiences we want to create for the children, to considering how the space should feel, everyone contributed something unique. It was a lively and imaginative start — all about opening up possibilities and beginning to shape the project together.

Posted 12 May 2025 19:11

04.30 _ SITE VISIT

It was our second site visit to Oswald Road Primary School. Laura, Christian, and Craig led us inside the vacant building and gave us a quick glimpse of the classroom.

Posted 12 May 2025 19:06

Group Photo at Radio Diamond!

Posted 12 May 2025 18:40

Group 28 / TEA AND TALES

Xiang L

Day 1
Site and Inspiration!!

MSA Live has officially started today!
The BA1 and BA2 students have now joined us, and we have begun our project according to the action plan.

First, we had a site introduction and an ice-breaking activity, where each member shared their idea of a dream studio to get to know each other better.
In the afternoon, students were divided into three small groups. Each group was tasked with discussing the highlights of the site, what elements they would like to add, and how to create a connection between the café and the bookstore.

Posted 12 May 2025 18:37

Day 1 (12/5) : Afternoon Visit to Radio Diamond

This afternoon, the team headed to Radio Diamond, in Moss Side, to have a tour of the studio, including the broadcasting and podcasting spaces.

The group met Theresa and Kim, Radio Diamond staff, who shared some amazing stories of how they have helped the Moss Side community through their radio station. It was great to hear their experiences and increase our understanding of the importance of their work.

We discussed some of our initial design ideas for the project and listened to their feedback, which will be useful when developing our designs tomorrow.

The Video Content Team shared some of their ideas for filming the spaces and will be back tomorrow to get started!

Posted 12 May 2025 18:36

COLLABORATOR: Oswald Road Primary School and Laura

Laura is an architect and an educator. Until about a year ago she was a Senior Lecturer at MSA and she is now working freelance on a number of creative architectural projects from workshop in schools to research projects, design work and lecturing. She has set up a collaboration with Year 4 [age 8-9] at Oswald Road Primary School in Chorlton on an exciting project to reimagine a recently vacant building on the school grounds. The school would like to know what the children would like this space to be and would like to run a day long creative workshop where the children can learn what an architect does and get real experience of the creative process an architect undertakes.

The children and teachers would certainly benefit from this project and hopefully the general public too. The hope is that the vacant building might act as a bridge between the school and the local community with a series of multifunctional spaces including provision for pre school age children and their families.

Posted 12 May 2025 18:31

Day 1 (12/5) : Morning Meeting

This morning, we had a full team meeting to introduce our client, Radio Diamond, and share their history and how they spread positivity within the Moss Side community.

We explained the brief of how we are going to increase the station's presence in the city and encourage public donations by creating visual content for them, including prints, merch, and social media posts.

We then split into 3 sub-teams: Print Design Team, Merch Design Team and Video Content Team, and began researching precedents and discussing initial colour schemes and themes. It was great to see everyone's initial ideas on Miro and discuss which designs would best fit Radio Diamond.

A great start to the week!

Posted 12 May 2025 18:17

Aparna J

Site Visit: Exploring the Potential for Transformation

As a group, we recently had the opportunity to visit our project site in Old Trafford, just a short walk away from old Trafford stadium. This location, especially lively on match days, presents both an exciting challenge and a great opportunity for regeneration.

We were met by Ruth, a member of Gorgeous Gorse Hill, who guided us through the site and shared insights into its history and potential. The site itself is an abandoned toilet block that has been out of use for many years. While it currently stands as an overlooked structure, efforts have been made in the past to improve its appearance—most notably through artwork painted onto its exterior. However, with this project, we now have the chance to go beyond surface-level enhancements and completely reimagine its purpose.

Our brief is to transform the space, breathing new life into it and creating something that benefits the local community. Given its prominent location in a high-footfall area, the site holds great potential to become a meaningful and functional space that integrates seamlessly into its surroundings.

This visit allowed us to not only assess the physical condition of the site but also to begin envisioning its possibilities. Seeing it in person helped us understand its context within the urban fabric of Old Trafford and consider how our intervention could contribute to the area’s ongoing regeneration.

With this first step complete, we’re now ready to begin developing ideas that will turn this forgotten space into something truly impactful.

Posted 12 May 2025 18:11

Group 38 / CORE COMMUNITY ENERGY PROJECT

Rebecca G

About the Project

Our Project is based at Oswald Road Primary School. We are working on creating a workshop for the Year 4 students over a day and a half.

We will be getting the children’s creative juices flowing and inspiring them with our architectural knowledge. From taking them on a site visit to appraise the site, to showing them 2D drawing techniques and 3D modelling techniques, we hope to teach them what an architect is and what they do through our interactive workshop and activities.

The site we will be using for our workshop is located on the school’s grounds and contains the old caretaker’s house, some outhouses and some external land in between. The school want to reuse this area of land to create a ground floor community space available for renting, first floor office spaces, and a nursery drop off and waiting area with external access. We will be using the children’s ideas from the workshop to help us design proposals for the school’s consideration, focusing mostly on the elevations and externals to really make an impact.

We hope to create an enjoyable, creative workshop for the children and incorporate their crazy ideas into something feasible and workable, and maybe the children will be able to see their ideas come to life one day!

Posted 12 May 2025 18:03

Alexia Teodora B

Lovely start of the action weeks for group 38!

After introducing the project to the new students, we came up with a detailed action plan that merges learning with engaging creative sessions.

We also brainstormed ideas for the ideal community space while trying to implement renewable energy sources within the users' daily activities.

Keep following our progress as we meet up for our site visit and create our proposed design document for CORE!

Posted 12 May 2025 17:43

Aparna J

Meet the collaborators !!!!
Gorgeous Gorse Hill

For this project, we’ve had the privilege to collaborate with Gorgeous Gorse Hill, a passionate community group based in Old Trafford, Manchester. Made up of local residents, their mission is simple yet impactful: to make their neighborhood a more beautiful, welcoming, and vibrant place for everyone.

Gorse Hill, home to Manchester United’s football ground and Lancashire County Cricket Club, is a diverse and well-connected suburb. However, like many urban areas, it has its share of underutilised spaces, neglected greenery, and opportunities for community-driven transformation. That’s where Gorgeous Gorse Hill steps in.

Through a combination of gardening, public art, and community events, the group is actively revitalising the area. They transform waste ground, abandoned flower beds, and forgotten verges into thriving green spaces filled with insect-friendly plants, colorful flowers, and even fruit trees. Volunteers from the local community help maintain these spaces, ensuring they remain beautiful all year round.

Art also plays a big role in their work. Collaborating with local artists and schoolchildren, they’ve brought creativity to the streets of Gorse Hill—decorating bollards, roller shutters, and utility boxes with nature-inspired artwork, as well as commissioning large-scale murals that celebrate the area’s identity.

Through their ongoing efforts, Gorgeous Gorse Hill is proving that small, community-led initiatives can have a lasting impact. Their work not only enhances the local environment but also strengthens social connections and civic pride—making Gorse Hill a more engaging and inspiring place to live.

Posted 12 May 2025 17:41

Group 06 / PLAYSCAPE

Ellesse L

12/05/25
Kicking Things Off with the BA Team

We had a great first meet-up with the BA students, and it couldn’t have started better! We began with some quick-fire introductions to break the ice, followed by a chat through the brief and what the project’s all about. Instead of jumping straight into rules or structure, we focused on getting to know each other — what people enjoy, what skills they bring, and how we all work best. It really helped build a sense of team early on. Once we’d settled in, we split into smaller groups to get everything ready for Inspiration Day. All in all, an amazing start to what’s shaping up to be a really exciting project!

Posted 12 May 2025 17:36

Day 01: Group and Project Introductions

It was a good first day of Action Weeks. All our additional students joined the team for an initial briefing on campus before we headed out to the site. There, we walked around the area, met our client/partner, and then split up into groups to conduct consultations with members of the general public.

Everyone got stuck in, and we got beneficial feedback that we can feed into the designs. These insights will prove to be useful as we move through the design stages of the project and have highlighted core themes and issues to address as a group.

Chadwick Dam is really nice on a sunny day!!

Posted 12 May 2025 17:36

Action Week One Outline Work

As part of Week 1, we aim to initiate our group working, using client consultation and data-driven design to establish a foundation for our designs. Following the delivery of a well-considered layout, finalising phase one of the client's reactivation of the site, we plan to begin our internal design competition in groups.

This mini competition will see our group members devise various projects that may lead to the council leveraging further funding for the scheme. A series of feasible well well-considered designs based on themes of accessibility, sustainability, and integration with the environment will ensure a well-filled and satisfied project. Through continual review of designs and refinement following further client and community consultation, we aim to develop our own group working and design skills.

Posted 12 May 2025 17:35

Preparation Work

To ensure we are well prepared for the upcoming activities, we have prepared essential materials as a group to help with the conceptual design work and community consultation.

Consultation materials will aid in our community engagement work. Questions will be devised to further our understanding of the park's use and criticisms from a community perspective and will aid in our community-centric designs for the scheme.

A site model will help contextualise our work and any physical modelling our group produces. We plan to present this model to our client, helping visualise our proposals and further the success of our scheme.

Posted 12 May 2025 17:35

Group 05 / BOWLS TO BLOOMS

Aparna J

Hello reader.
Welcome to the Half-Time Hub, our MSA Live Project! With our amazing collaborators at the Gorgeous Gorse Hill, we aim to give a refreshing transformation to an unused site in old Trafford. The site in focus is a former toilet block, currently sitting idle, with an incredible potential to be transformed into a thriving ‘hub’, which gives the centre stage to the local community.
We want to re-imagine this forgotten space by exploring design strategies through creative placemaking, that prioritize sustainability, social engagement, accessibility and urban renewal. The projects would bring together students from diverse backgrounds and experiences, making it a wholesome process to develop empathic and effective solutions.
Follow our journey as we work closely with our collaborators at the Gorgeous Gorse Hill and develop a vision for an amazing and vibrant neighbourhood.
Stay tunes for updates!

Posted 12 May 2025 17:33

Nicole D

Day 1 Intensive Week - A Warm Welcome!
It was so exciting to meet the whole team and we were so pleased everyone was keen to get stuck in. We met at the church and worked collaboratively outside in the morning to begin brainstorming ideas and get a sense of the space. By the afternoon, we had an array of design ideas and broke into two: one leading the site plan for the layout of planters, the other leading the design language of each planter. At the end of the afternoon, we came together and formulated a rough plan to build upon tomorrow.
We are excited to grow the design, and grow the beds!

Posted 12 May 2025 17:22

Group 05 / BOWLS TO BLOOMS

Nicole D

Tuesday 18th March
Community Consultation - Nicole, Pat and Jono took to the stage!
We held a presentation for the Church Committee and wider community to hear our initial thoughts for the site, with the help of Reverend Anna!
The idea of the pagoda was warmly received, other than health and safety concerns and the issue of vandalism. Upon reflection, we agreed the project needed to be refocused to just the planters- ensuring we could effectively deliver something the community can use, and do so safely.
The community engagement has made the project all the more exciting with people offering their help for building the planters during the two weeks- we look forward to all hands on deck!

Posted 12 May 2025 17:15

Site Introduction

Following our exploration of the site with our collaborators Hayley and Dan, we were informed that this is where Stamford Parkrun takes place. Is this an event that is important to her and the local community? Can our project help open up the course and access to Chadwick Dam to more of the community who live on the Ridge Hill estate?

Hayley has plenty of ideas herself, but she is looking forward to our combined knowledge and skills adding value to the project. As a group, we are going to try to engage the Parkrun community because there is an active volunteer base. We could get involved not only in ideas but maybe in actual work during the activity weeks, enhancing our engagement with the project and the community.

And can we get the entire team to do the run together?

Posted 12 May 2025 17:10

Group 13 / WHAT IF?

Alexander A

Quick Thinking - Our initial responses

The fantastic work produced on Monday afternoon by our team.

Posted 12 May 2025 16:48