Group 27
SENSESCAPE

‘SenseScape’ is collaborating with the Manchester Museum and the University of Manchester to design a dynamic, multi-sensory, and multi-functional educational space for children. The project aims to develop a series of atmospheric concepts and architectural plans that will serve as a design statement for future investment opportunities. We hope to design a sustainable, biophilic, and culturally relevant experience for future museum young visitors. We will work closely with the live client to refine and present this proposal, contributing to creating a new, exciting museum space. This is an excellent opportunity to partner with an established institution which is eager to embrace fresh ideas and perspectives.

Dominika W / Huaixuan T / Jessica C / Nour E / Yuran W

Dominika W
Dominika Wochowska, Continuity atelier, MArch 1

Brief background: I’m originally from Poland, but my architectural journey began in England, where I completed my undergraduate course at the University of Sheffield. I’ve always been passionate about designing spaces for children and participatory design, which I experienced first-hand while working as an architectural assistant in Leeds. I love model making and diagramming. I also enjoy experimenting with colours and materials that evoke emotions or influence users’ comfort. I chose this project for the museum because it combines my interest in children’s architecture with my passion for visiting museums and experiencing interactive, inspiring spaces.

Skills: Pencil drawing, model making, Adobe Suite, ArchiCAD

Interests: DIY, travelling, skiing, cooking
Posted 7 Mar 2025 18:28
Yuran W
Yuran Wang, Adaptive Reuse
Brief background: I’m from Beijing, China, where I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and interned at Tsinghua University's Architectural Design and Research Institute. Eight years ago, I visited the UK as a tourist and was captivated by its historic architecture and rich culture, inspiring me to pursue a Master’s degree here. I’m passionate about designing human-centered buildings and believe every project deserves enthusiasm and creativity. As a museum enthusiast, I believe they have the power to share so much more than just knowledge– I’m excited to collaborate and create fun, engaging spaces for children together. Let’s make something amazing!
Skills: Adobe Suite, Photography, CAD, Rhino, D5
Interests: Travelling, photography, music
Posted 8 Mar 2025 11:12
Jessica C
Jessica Coapes, SKN atelier, MArch 1

Brief background: I’m from the UK, originally from Newcastle and moving around a bit when I was younger. My undergraduate was at Oxford Brookes University and I graduated 2023, then spent a year in practice working in Oxfordshire at a company called Ridge and Partners. I have first hand experience with special needs requirements as I have an autistic family member, I’ve learnt about sensory rooms and their benefits for users. I chose this project for this reason as well as my previous undergraduate projects were mainly designed with younger people in mind so this challenge was a combination of my life and designing experience.

Skills: Sketching, Revit, Adobe Suite, AutoCAD

Interests: Music, Athletics, Reading and baking

Posted 8 Mar 2025 18:13
Huaixuan T
Huaixuan Tu, Adaptive Reuse
Background: Hi, my name is Huaixuan Tu. I'm from China.
My undergraduate study was in Xi'an, China and I graduated from Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts majoring in Environmental Design. I applied to study in the UK as soon as I graduated from university in order to further my studies and research. I expect design to be able to serve people, both physically and spiritually. I hope that studying in the UK will broaden my career, make more friends and create more ideas.
Skills: Sketching and photography, CAD, 3dmax, V-ary and D5.
Hobbies: sports, badminton, music, travelling, etc.
Posted 8 Mar 2025 22:26
Nour E
Nour Elzawi, CPU atelier, MArch 1

Brief background: I studied my undergraduate in Manchester School of Architecture whilst working in a small firm in my second year and directly continued Masters. I worked and volunteered in many museums and galleries across Manchester, including Manchester Art Gallery, Science Industry Museum, and Whitworth Art Gallery. I chose this project because I tutor secondary school children who may find this proposal appealing for education and play. I aim to keep my projects as sustainable and carbon-neutral as possible. I focus on improving software skills. I prioritise materiality and its performances in proposals.

Skills: Sketching and photography.
Interests: Hiking and outdoor activities.
Posted 9 Mar 2025 01:51
Dominika W
Hello everyone! Meet the collaborators!

We're excited about the upcoming Action Weeks and can't wait to share the effects of our collaboration with Manchester Museum! The museum's mission is to become the most inclusive, imaginative, and caring place you'll ever visit. As part of this project, we're working closely with Hannah and Wendy from Civic Engagement and Education, whose passion and dedication make this collaboration a true pleasure.
We are also closely collaborating with Pinc College, which works in unique ways with creative approaches to education. They have worked with groups such as the Greater Manchester Autism Consortium, which gives us a fantastic opportunity to create a space where every young visitor feels heard and valued. Through this collaboration, we aim to design a sensory room in one of the museum's spaces that will be accessible and supportive for children with different sensory needs. What's more, we hope to provide a space that supports and offers them comfort and the chance to engage in museum experiences fully.

We're looking forward to presenting the results of this exciting collaboration!
Posted 10 Mar 2025 20:13
Dominika W
This is the room!
Introduction to our project:

Our project, SenseScape, focuses on children, especially those in their early school years. We are creating the interior of a room in the basement of the Manchester Museum, which is right next to other educational spaces where children's workshops take place regularly. As the basement space is often used by schools, our room aims to not only serve as a place of engagement but also as a space where children can feel safe and supported. The project will bring together sustainability and culture, and the room will have a therapeutic, sensory focus, engaging children's senses of sight, touch, sound, and hearing.

What our Action Weeks will look like?

During the Action Weeks, you can expect an exciting workshop experience! As our project connects with the museum's collections, we can't wait to host a site visit where our collaborators will kindly show us the room and the exhibitions. We are also planning to collaborate with Pinc College, which will give us great insight into designing educational spaces focusing on different sensory needs. We're also thrilled to share that one of our future prospects might include an exhibition of our project outputs right in the room we are designing.
It's going to be an inspiring project with plenty of opportunities for creative exploration!
Posted 10 Mar 2025 20:40
Dominika W
First Site Visit -12th Feb

What an exciting day! After spending four hours in the museum, we still can't say we've fully explored all the rooms and collections! (4.5 million objects!) We were amazed by all the fascinating exhibitions within this building and their incredible educational value, which we would love to continue exploring in our project.

The site visit was our second meeting with Hannah and Wendy, following the December meeting that launched our MSA Live. During our discussions in the room, we learned that the planned room design should be pretty flexible, immersive, and functional.

After the meeting with our collaborators, we went for a coffee at the museum café, where we created our first drafts of the poster promoting the project. With excitement, we thought about the possibilities for the room, which we finally had the chance to see. We can't wait to return during the action weeks, this time with tape measures and even more ideas.

Take a look at the museum's collections here ->
https://museumcollections.manchester.ac.uk/
Posted 26 Mar 2025 20:51
Dominika W
Second Site Visit -5th March

This was our second visit to the Manchester Museum to have a look at our sensory room again.

This visit focused on talking to Jenny, who specialises in children's sensory needs. We talked about learning through play and learned about many sensory toys. It was an incredibly inspiring site visit!
Posted 26 Mar 2025 22:51
Dominika W
Hello from the collaborators!

Hi everyone! We can't wait to welcome our new team members, and in the meantime, we'd love to introduce our wonderful collaborators, who have prepared a few words about themselves.

Hannah:
''Hannah-Lee Chalk is Curator of Learning and has worked in the museum sector for 20 years in various roles including education, research, exhibition development, and as a curator. She originally studied Geology before undertaking a MA in Museum Studies and then a PhD in Social Anthropology. She has worked at Manchester Museum for many years, originally as a member of the Visitor Team and subsequently in a range of educational and project management roles before taking on her current role in 2016.

As Curator of Learning, Hannah oversees and supports the development and delivery of the learning programmes and is currently also involved in the development of the Wild exhibition. She is particularly interested in how the collections can be used to explore the intersection between social and ecological justice through programmes such as Carbon Ruins and the forthcoming Blazing World Escape Room.''

Wendy:
''Wendy Gallagher is Head of Civic Engagement and Education at Manchester Museum, part of the University of Manchester. She is an arts and heritage and education professional with over 25 years’ experience working across education, arts, health, culture, and heritage sectors. Wendy leads strategic initiatives in civic engagement, partnerships, and education. Coproduction, accessibility and inclusion is at the heart of our programming, exhibition making and redesign of our spaces. We want visitors to feel that they belong in Manchester Museum.''
Posted 21 Apr 2025 13:47
Dominika W
Third Site Visit - 7th May

Today we had our final visit to the museum (as a group of Master's students), followed by a tea meeting with the collaborators to go over the final details of the Action Weeks. Stay with us - exciting things ahead!
Posted 9 May 2025 19:35