Group 03
BRICK BY BRICK

In collaboration with Oswald Road Primary School, we will be preparing the materials for and then leading a 2-day workshop in the school with the Year 4 students. The workshops will work to teach the children what an architect is and what they do. Together, the Manchester School of Architecture students and the Year 4 children will explore how architects design and develop new concepts on an old caretaker’s house, a storage shed and some land between that is located on the school grounds that they are looking to repurpose for the children’s and the community's benefit. The focus will be on the workshop with a variety of activities, tasks and learning opportunities, with the most important outcome being inspiring the younger generation with skills that we have learned through our education so far. Let’s build up our knowledge together brick by brick, piece by piece, and most importantly have fun while doing it all!

Aysha MK / Chia-Yu L / Chung Hei M / Ke Han O / Rebecca G

Chia-Yu L
Hi, I’m Joy.
I am from Taiwan.
I am currently in the MA Architecture and Adaptive Reuse program and I studied architecture at Chung Yuan Christian University for bachelor.
My interests include observing beautiful details, the design of lights and shadows especially attractive to me. Outside of architecture I like to do handcrafts, recently I crochet a lot. Also I’m a talkative person, I really enjoy chatting with people.
I am looking forward to working with Brick by Brick and Oswald Road Primary School mostly because I like kids. I used to be in a group that holds camps for primary students, but never done something about architecture with them, so I’m quite excited to see their creativity!
Posted 10 Mar 2025 00:26
Aysha MK
Hi, I’m Aysha!
I was born and raised in India, where I completed my undergraduate studies. After working for two years, I am currently doing my masters in MArch, CPU(Ai) atelier

Nature has always been at the heart of my design approach—I could spend hours just watching the sky! I believe nature has so much to teach us, and I love exploring how it can shape architecture. At the same time, I’m keen on blending these ideas with technology to create practical, future-ready designs.

What excites me most about The Oswald Old primary school project is interaction with children! I once taught a class of primary kids on Teachers' Day back home, and those three hours were both the most challenging and the most fun. Kids see the world so differently, purely through nature and their surroundings. And I think I’ll learn just as much from them as they will from me. Plus, spending two days making them more aware of their everyday spaces sounds like an amazing, joy-filled experience!
Posted 10 Mar 2025 16:22
Chung Hei M
Hi everyone, my name is Chung Hei Mok, but feel free to call me Henry to make things easier. I am originally from Hong Kong and completed my bachelor degree at Newcastle University. After a few years of Part 1 placement in the UK and Hong Kong, I am in my first year of the MArch programme, currently working in the ''Non-Standard Habitats'' atelier.

The relationship between architecture and humans has always intrigued me. No matter how well the setting suits the users' needs or how the aesthetic language appeals to our senses, a great design is always created by a thoughtful mind behind it. For me, exploring the story behind each project, what it is and how it came to be, is at the heart of my architectural interest. Outside of architecture, I am a huge football and photography fan.

In ''Brick by Brick'', I am excited not only to teach the kids about architecture, but also to see how their creativity can inspire me to rethink how architecture can be interpreted from this bilateral relationship. I hope this experience sparks new ideas and offers a playful exchange of thoughts. I am sure it will be a fun and inspiring event!
Posted 10 Mar 2025 17:21
Rebecca G
Hi, I’m Rebecca.
I am from the UK
I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Nottingham and am currently in my first year of the Master of Architecture course in the Continuity Atelier.

My interests include understanding and designing spaces for people and function and the old-fashioned way of doing things with a simple pen and paper, like drawing by hand and physical modelling.
Outside of architecture I love to travel to all over the world and experience fun activities and different cultures. I also like to read and write, and growing as many plants as possible on my windowsills and, much like my plants, I like to be outside in the warmth (preferably on holiday somewhere).

I am looking forward to working with Brick by Brick and Oswald Road Primary School because it offers the opportunity to inspire and teach younger children and will be a different experience than what is usually offered on projects at university, hopefully expanding and varying my skillset not only in the workplace but also in life. I am exited for the action weeks ahead!
Posted 10 Mar 2025 18:19
Ke Han O
Hi, I'm Ke Han.
I am from Malaysia.
I completed my undergraduate degree at the Manchester School of Architecture and am currently pursuing a Master of Architecture at CPU Atelier.

I am confident in using Rhino, Grasshopper, AutoCAD, InDesign, and physical modeling.

My interests include designing with a clear narrative, ensuring that every thought process behind it has a strong justification. Besides that, I enjoy working with both digital and physical mediums, allowing me to experiment with both the real and virtual worlds. Outside of architecture, I also enjoy writing short stories, watching K-dramas, playing badminton and chess, and traveling.

I am excited to work with Brick by Brick and Oswald Road Primary School to see how the younger generation thinks outside the box and expresses their creativity. This opportunity inspires me to share knowledge that might encourage them to explore architecture in the future.
Posted 10 Mar 2025 23:03
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
Chia-Yu L
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
Chia-Yu L
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
Chia-Yu L
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
Chia-Yu L
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
Chia-Yu L
05.13 _ PAPER FOLDING TEAM

Day 2 involved us getting more a hands on with our work. We have been working on creating a net of the caretakers house that the children can cut out, fold up and stick together from a single A3 piece of paper. We had to think: ‘how do we make this 3D building into a 2D net?’
Using the 2D drawings kindly provided by our collaborator, Laura, we printed them out and stuck them together, cutting off pieces, sticking them in new places and adding other pieces to convert the 2D drawings to 3D. This allowed us to create our first prototype of the net and the first model iteration. Still some amendments to make to get it right but we’re well on our way!
Posted 13 May 2025 22:07
Chia-Yu L
05.13 _ MODEL MAKING TEAM

The model making team were taking their digital models and drawings to the physical today with a trip to the B15 workshop. We were working on creating a prototype model of the caretakers house and the outhouses at a 1:50 scale. Good news; it worked! 
We will be creating 3D models of the site for the children to build on and extend with their own materials and ideas on the workshop day, so they can get really hands on with the space. 
We are working on preparing the files ready for laser cutting our model components later in the week. There’s lots of models to come, hopefully we have enough hands to carry them all!
Posted 13 May 2025 22:08
Chia-Yu L
05.13 _ PRESENTATION TEAM

The presentation is how we are going to teach the children the skills involved in the workshop. We were working out what exactly we needed the children to know and how to best present them to the Year 4s. We needed to make sure the presentation was going to be informative, engaging and interactive, what better way than a bit of a quiz and some involved activities. We were working out how to properly explain architectural terms to children in a way they would understand and be able to apply to later activities. We are making sure to keep it colourful and creative and inspire some young architects in the room!
Posted 13 May 2025 22:16
Chia-Yu L
05.14 _ PAPER FOLDING TEAM

Today means continuing to work on the paper model folding activity for the workshop. We are working out the kinks from yesterday’s prototypes, adding a few hatching textures to bring it to life, and finalising the layout of the sheets for printing.

We are also starting to look and creating some 3D furniture pieces that the children will be able to use when creating their own designs in plan as well as on the 3D models to make them pop and come to life. This involves flattening the 3D pieces into nets once again, showing us how to think in two different planes and work between them. They’re very small though so we’re considering the real feasibility of this for the children (and us) to be able to complete.
Posted 14 May 2025 17:31
Chia-Yu L
05.14 _ MODEL MAKING TEAM

We are working hard to get the models done today. We are working on making a sturdy base for the children to build off and get really hands on with. We’re all busy making use of the B15 workshop and the laser cutter and we’ve been glueing the pieces together so we’re all prepared for next week. 15 models later and we’ve got quite a collection ready to build on and take with us to detail with the children. We’re quite happy with the progress of our work so far and are ready to reconvene tomorrow to update the rest of the team on our success
Posted 14 May 2025 17:43
Chia-Yu L
05.14 _ PRESENTATION TEAM

Today we have been working on refining the PowerPoint ready for the presentations. It’s looking colourful and interactive and explains our concepts in simple terms. We’re still working on the animations to add that extra bit of fun but the content is well on its way to completion.

We have also started looking at creating some collages of the site to include in our informative sessions with the children to show them the potential of the site and some ideas we have had to develop it and what people training to be architects can do. This is our opportunity to show off to them a little bit with what we know and hopefully inspire them more for their future careers.
Posted 14 May 2025 22:07
Chia-Yu L
05.15 _ BRINGING THE TEAM TOGETHER

Day 4 has us in a great position we have spent today preparing as many materials as possible ready for our workshop days. We printed out some further prototypes this morning to test some different paper thicknesses to decide what would be best as a balance between being sturdy enough and easy enough to fold. Once we had decided on that, our budget was put to use buying and printing 100 sheets of the paper cutting nets.

With printing under way, every extra hand was being used to cut out the paper folding plans to save some time when we get to the school next week. This is really justifying our choice to cut them out - if we find it tedious the Year 4s definitely will. We really appreciate all the team members that are getting stuck in and cutting out as much as possible for us.

Site plans have also been prepared ready for the children to draw on and build on next week. Today has been the most expensive day but we have also produced a lot to show for it. We’re really filling up our work table but everyone’s still upbeat (despite aching hands from all the cutting) and we’re really looking forward to the workshop next week!

The presentation is also nearing its end so we think we’re in a really good position for the approaching end of week 1.
Posted 15 May 2025 18:12
Chia-Yu L
05.16 _ CONTEXT, CREATIVITY, and CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS

Day 5 was filled with energy and creativity as the team delved into designing the nursery space. The group was split into three teams, each developing imaginative, thoughtful, and practical proposals for the building.

The day began with in-depth site analysis. Teams examined the site context—considering surrounding buildings, solar gain, and prevailing winds—and discussed how these factors might inform spatial planning and enhance the user experience within the nursery.

Embracing a hands-on approach, students sketched their ideas using traditional design methods such as adjacency diagrams and bubble diagrams, encouraging spontaneous creativity and collaborative thinking.

A particularly engaging moment came when students compared their proposals with the approved plan that is currently set for construction. This sparked a series of critical discussions around the rationale behind key design decisions. With insightful guidance from MArch students, the group speculated on the logic behind certain choices—questioning, for instance, the placement of toilets or the efficiency of space planning. These conversations proved to be invaluable learning experiences, especially for the BA1 and BA2 students, who displayed a strong curiosity and enthusiasm for real-world architectural thinking.

Armed with contextual understanding and new perspectives, each team continued to refine their designs, focusing on elements they found most compelling. From spatial flow to user interaction, the diversity of ideas brought a richness to the collaborative design process.
Posted 16 May 2025 23:39
Chia-Yu L
05.16 _ LOOKING AHEAD _ GROUP VISION FOR DEVELOPMENT

Each group identified key aspects of their designs that they hope to further develop after the two-day workshop. These ideas will eventually be combined with feedback and creative input from the children at Oswald Road Primary School, forming a collaborative and user-informed proposal.

Group 1 focused on spatial arrangement, experimenting with various layouts to maximise efficiency, improve circulation, and enhance user experience. Their design was deeply rooted in site responses, using contextual factors to inform the placement of programme spaces. Once the layout was established, the group turned their attention to materiality—exploring how choices in transparency, privacy, and lighting could elevate the design. The team also began to develop elevations and sections to communicate their ideas more clearly.

Group 2 centred their exploration on the canopy structure. Through a series of iterations, they tested different placements and scales, always guided by site analysis and environmental factors. Their design was supported by a strong sense of reasoning and justification, especially in response to solar exposure and circulation. The group also examined the detailing of the canopy's supporting louvres, considering factors such as constructability, cost, carbon footprint, transparency, and privacy.

Group 3 took a keen interest in the façade, with a strong emphasis on sustainability. Greenery became a central design feature, reflecting their desire to promote environmental awareness within the nursery space. Initially, the team explored different spatial arrangements to optimise efficiency while also introducing playful and innovative design ideas. One such idea was the creation of buffer zones—transitional spaces that act as safety measures and enhance user flow, offering both practicality and thoughtful spatial design.

Overall, the day was full of rich, collaborative brainstorming. The teams are now well-prepared and enthusiastic for the upcoming workshop with the children. We're all looking forward to seeing how their ideas can merge with ours to shape a truly creative and inclusive design. Excitement is building as we move toward a day of imagination, interaction, and co-creation!
Posted 16 May 2025 23:43
Chia-Yu L
05.19 _ WORKSHOP DAY1

Today marked the first workshop day that we’ve been preparing for, and we quickly realised that we couldn’t really be prepared for what we had to come. While the day didn’t go completely to plan - including trouble with Wi-Fi meaning we couldn’t project the PowerPoint so Henry had to improvise (he deserves a real ‘well done’ for that) - the day was lots of fun, and we hope educational for the children as much as it was for us. For a lot of the group, it’s the first time we’ve worked with young children, and for some of us that have worked with younger children, it feels like it’s been a long time, so It has been a fun and interesting learning curve for all of us.

After the initial, partially improvised, PowerPoint in the hall, we went on a ‘site visit’ to look at the caretakers building that we have been working on and got the children to draw and note what they could see in the building and what more they want from it. The students got involved talking to the children about their ideas and why they wanted what they had drawn (ready for designs later on). We were really impressed with the creativity of the children and the variety of ideas that they were able to produce in a short amount of time with not too much prompting from us. Perhaps there are already a few budding architects in the group!

Next, we returned to the children’s three separate classrooms and got to paper folding. We were able to work with the children in smaller groups and got to know each of their personalities a bit better. There was such a variety in the decorated and built paper nets, really showing off each of the children’s personalities.

The day was a lot of fun (if tiring) with a promising start to the workshop and the ideas that could come from it. We’re ready and excited for the full day of work tomorrow getting more in depth with what an architect is and does and teaching the children some new things about the profession. We are hoping we can get them excited about the work and get some more great ideas generated in the coming activities that we can use later this week in a proposal of our own for the site.
Posted 19 May 2025 22:33
Rebecca G
05.20_WORKSHOP DAY 2 CLASS 4A PLAN DRAWING SESSION

Today was the final workshop day at Oswald Road and the culmination of our preparation work. Our work today was all in the classroom, meaning that a master’s student from each group had to teach a class.

For class 4A, the responsibility fell onto me. For being not completely prepared for this undertaking, I think it went rather well. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to talk to a room full of children like that, but they were all really attentive and receptive to the PowerPoint. I have to say that the PowerPoint was great so props to the team that pulled it together - it was easy for me to follow and for the children to understand what we were working through.

The morning session consisted of teaching the children some more architectural skills. The children picked up and understood the concept of plans, sections and elevations through drawing their breakfast and a piece of fruit amazingly and this helped immensely with the coming tasks.

I didn’t really know what we were expecting when we gave the children the site plans, but what they came up with was creative and imaginative and they took the conversations over themselves once they were started. They talked about what they wanted to include and discussed between themselves how they would put them into the spaces we had, and the students helped out with what the children were thinking. I think this process helped us to realise just how much we have learned through our studies so far that we subconsciously think about when designing when we had to try to pass on some of this information to the children as they were drawing. In turn, the children have reminded us of the creative freedom we once had back then and how that can help us create more imaginative designs ourselves, and I think we were all thinking of ways that we could try to make some of their crazy designs more into reality throughout the process, making it an invaluable experience for all of us.
Posted 20 May 2025 23:32
Rebecca G
05.20_WORKSHOP DAY 2 CLASS 4A MODEL MAKING SESSION

The afternoon session consisted of creating 3D models of the crazy ideas the children came up with earlier in the day. The children really showed their personalities through the model making and I feel like the students really encouraged this. So, we managed to create 5 completely different models in the end, including a cat mansion, a monster eating the building, lots of pools and football fields, stargazing areas and colourful murals and stained glass. The model making is where the children really let loose and created designs completely out of the box. Whether we were expecting this, I’m not sure, but we were all incredibly impressed with what the children came up with. I’m really hoping that the students are able to take the colour and fun that the children put into their models and plans into a more feasible designs later in the week that we can present to the appointed architect.

I think the workshop was a great learning opportunity for everyone in the classroom from all different points of view. I’m hoping that the MSA students have learnt to let loose a bit and get some creative ideas flowing near the start of a project and think more about what a project provides to a client before getting too bogged down in too much detail. And I hope that the children at the school had a lot of fun and learned something about architecture along the way.

I want to also say a big well done to the other students in my room that were helping the children. They interacted great with the children and brought their own approaches to the group that helped create the variety of outcomes. I feel like they were thrown into the deep end with this workshop but everyone did amazingly and they should be proud of how they all did today.
Posted 21 May 2025 00:55
Chia-Yu L
05.21 _ FROM IMAGINATION TO REALISATION

Following two exciting days of workshops with the children at Oswald Road Primary School, we’re now transitioning from concept to reality—taking the imaginative ideas shared by the children and developing them into practical, feasible architectural proposals.

Building on the format from last Friday, the team once again split into three groups, each focusing on a different aspect of the nursery building.

Group 1 focused on spatial planning. Using their design from last Friday as a base, they incorporated key ideas from the children while also referencing the approved collaborator’s plan. The result is a unified, finalised layout. One recurring theme from the children was the desire for a space where opposites could coexist—quiet and loud, active and calm. Interpreting this architecturally, the group designed a central multi-purpose space surrounded by supporting programme areas. This flexible core allows for a wide range of activities: reading, playing, and, amusingly, even swimming—highlighting the children’s bold creativity and sense of fun.

Group 2 continued developing the canopy design. One child’s drawing, inspired by Elmer the Patchwork Elephant, became a key design driver. The team embraced this idea, exploring a colourful, modular canopy that balances playfulness with function. Site analysis informed the choice of materials—some canopy panels are transparent to allow natural light through, while others are opaque for shading. Colour was not only used for aesthetic reference but also to create a relaxing and playful atmosphere suited to a nursery setting. Using Rhino and Grasshopper (with support from one of the MArch students), the team explored computational design to determine the most effective placement of each module.

Group 3 took charge of the façade, drawing on the children’s playful suggestions, such as swings and interactive elements. The group dissected these ideas and reinterpreted them through an architectural lens. One key outcome was the transformation of a swing into a rain chain feature—adding movement and tactility to the building while celebrating the spirit of play. After a series of iterations, the team arrived at a dynamic façade design incorporating hexagonal panels inspired by the children's references to football and interactivity.

Tomorrow, we’ll bring all three design strands together through a digital model and photomontages—combining our architectural insight with the joyful creativity of the children to form a holistic, community-led proposal.
Posted 21 May 2025 19:49
Chia-Yu L
05.22 _ VISUALISING THE FINAL DESIGN

Today we began our session in the CAD Lab, continuing the process of bringing our nursery design to life by producing final outputs. The focus was on translating our collective ideas into a coherent visual format using SketchUp and Rhino, helping us to refine and communicate the spatial qualities of the proposal more effectively.

The team split into two groups to streamline progress.

Group 1 began by taking yesterday’s final plan and developing it into a 3D model. This move into three dimensions allowed us to better understand the spatial relationships and identify areas that required adjustment. One key discovery was that some furniture arrangements that looked fine in plan appeared overcrowded in 3D. This prompted a review and rearrangement of furniture layouts to improve comfort and circulation, reinforcing the importance of visualising spaces beyond the flat plan.

Group 2 jumped straight into modelling the canopy using Rhino. Thanks to its modular nature, the canopy was quick to assemble, allowing the group to move on to basic rendering using Enscape. These early renders helped bring the design to life and provided immediate visual feedback. People, furniture, and context were added to give a sense of scale and proportion. Building on this momentum, the group also began modelling the façade based on yesterday’s design work, incorporating it into the overall rendering.

Later in the day, the team explored AI tools for visualisation. With guidance from one of the MArch students, we learned how generative AI can quickly produce visual representations of design ideas—offering a fast, effective way to communicate atmosphere and intent.

Although the model wasn't fully completed by the end of the day—as things took a bit longer than expected—we had contingency plans in place. Tomorrow, we’ll continue refining the model and produce final renders to complete our visual package.
Posted 22 May 2025 20:56
Chia-Yu L
05.23 _ THE FINAL PUSH

It’s the final day, and the team came together with full momentum—determined to bring all our ideas to life and present them in a clear, engaging format. With everyone now working as one unified group, we focused on finalising the digital model and producing high-quality renderings to communicate the depth and detail of our proposal.

The atmosphere in the room was energetic and collaborative as we refined every element—from spatial layouts to façade details—to ensure the final visuals reflected both the creativity of the children’s input and our architectural thinking. Rendering became the key focus, allowing us to produce a comprehensive visual narrative that ties together weeks of work, workshops, and design development.

As the day drew to a close, we wrapped up our outputs and gathered for a final group photo—marking the end of MSA Live Group 03’s journey. It’s been 2 full weeks of learning, collaboration, and creativity, and we’re proud of the outcome we’ve created together.
Posted 23 May 2025 18:52