Group 05
BOWLS TO BLOOMS

Bowls to Blooms is an initiative for the design and creation of a new community garden on the unused Boddan lodge grounds, an ex-bowls green next to Monton Unitarian Church. This project is supported by the Monton Church Committee and reverend, to design a wonderful space that can be utilised by all members of the wider community as well as the church members. Manchester Urban Diggers will also provide their valued input and knowledge from creating community gardens.

Jonatan M / Nicole D / Niloufar K / Patrick M / Yukun L

Nicole D
We are Group 5, working with Monton Unitarian Church to transform the unused Boddan lodge grounds, an ex-bowls green next to the church, into a community garden and venue. We are lucky to have the valued input of the church committee and are supported by Manchester Urban Diggers who have experience in creating community gardens.

The project has two stages:
1. To design and create a Community Garden, including raised planters, within the intensive week. We hope to get stuck in clearing out the garden and building the planters, ready to be opened on the last day for a community party!
2. Additionally, we will design a Pagoda to be situated on the hard standing where Boddan Lodge used to sit. This will provide some shelter for events in the garden and even a wedding venue for the church. We hope to design the pagoda and create a cost breakdown to make it clear for Anna the Reverend to employ builders to bring to life.

Unitarianism is a religion that welcomes each individual for themselves, complete with their beliefs, doubts and questions, making it a particularly welcoming community. We are excited to work with the church committee to design something that meets their needs and to all get stuck in together to create it during the intensive weeks, leaving them with a space that brings the whole community of Monton together.
Posted 10 Mar 2025 10:13
Nicole D
Hi, my name’s Nicole and I’m studying in MArch 1, within the Continuity Atelier.
After graduating with a bachelor’s in architecture from De Montfort University, Leicester I went into my Part 1 year out, working for DHA in Birmingham. I was lucky enough to work on a range of projects but particularly enjoyed the conservation work, so I’m excited to be working on a site with the beautiful, historic Monton Unitarian church. Being in the continuity atelier, we have a focus on designing within the context of the existing and I look forward to designing the community garden to add to the wonderful existing site.
During my year of travelling last year, I spent a month building a medial dispensary in Fiji, so have a little bit of construction experience and am excited to get ‘hands-on’ during the intensive weeks building in May. I don’t have particularly green fingers, but I’m looking forward to getting messy and planting with the raised beds with the community so I can learn and then plant in my own garden. I am excited to get the wider community of Monton involved and to work with undergrads to design and deliver something exciting that everyone can enjoy together!
Posted 10 Mar 2025 10:16
Patrick M
Hi! My name is Pat and I am a MArch 1 student and a part of the Continuity Atelier.
I finished my undergrad at University for The Creative Arts in 2021 and since have spent the past 2.5 years in practice at dMFK, a London based studio where I spent most of my time working predominantly on high-end commercial retrofit projects within stages 3-4.
I am detail driven, which is why in practice I really enjoyed working within stages 3-4 and why I chose to join the Continuity Atelier. Our project for Monton Unitarian Church is super exciting and I think my interests really compliment what we are trying to achieve with it along with the deliverables we are setting out to produce. My previous BA projects have always been some guise of a community led scheme so it’s exciting to be working on a live project where Monton’s local community is going to be so heavily involved.
Posted 10 Mar 2025 10:44
Yukun L
Hi, my name’s Yukun Liu, and I’m studying in MArch 1 within the CPU Atelier.
I completed my bachelor’s in architecture at the University of Liverpool and spent a year working in China, gaining practical experience across various projects.
For the Monton Unitarian Church project, I’m excited to be part of this project and to collaborate with my peers in a hands-on experience. Although I don’t have much construction experience, I believe that by working together as a team, we can support the community and achieve something truly rewarding.
Posted 10 Mar 2025 11:21
Niloufar K
Hi, my name is Niloufar and I’m studying Master of Architecture and Adaptive Reuse. I graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Sooreh University in 2016 in Tehran-Iran. In 2020, I moved to Oman, where I worked on various small and large scale residential/commercial projects in Muscat-Oman.
I’m passionate about the reuse of existing buildings and bring old structures back to life, therefore Monton church project is a wonderful opportunity for me to contribute by assisting Anna in repurposing the church landscape for community.
Posted 10 Mar 2025 11:49
Jonatan M
Hi, my name is Jonatan and I’m a MArch 1 student, joining as part of the FLUX Atelier at MSA. I graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Newcastle University in 2022 and have went on to work on a variety of small- and large-scale residential projects at BPTW in London during my Part I placement year.

I have always been drawn to the detailed aspects of architecture and enjoy understanding how things work by making them, which is why I am particularly excited to design the pagoda as part of our proposal. My hands-on experience with timber construction began at a young age, working on DIY projects around the house with my father. I’m really looking forward to working with the Monton Unitarian Church community to create a garden that is as much about the shared experience of creating as it is about the final space itself.
Posted 10 Mar 2025 20:00
Nicole D
Getting Presentation Ready!
Today's team meeting consisted of making a presentation for tomorrow's meeting with the church committee to propose initial ideas for the site and rally some help for building in the intensive week!
We sat down as a team and made a model of the site, added our initial idea for the pagoda and raised planters and created visuals from it.
Let's hope the Monton Community are excited by the project and want to get stuck in!
Posted 17 Mar 2025 11:03