MSA Live 25

Hey, I’m Samah!

I did my part 1 at Coventry University before joining practice for a year and studying at MSA.

I worked on retrofitting council housing and community engagement in social housing. My Sudanese heritage has deeply influenced my passion for community-driven design, as I believe that sharing memories and stories is vital to human connection.
Upstairs @ 3-B presents an exciting opportunity to engage with Nelson’s community and contribute to meaningful change. I’m excited to be part of this journey and explore new ways to create impact through design!

Beyond architecture, I am interested in fashion and styling, nail art, lifting and hiking. 

Posted 9 Mar 2025 16:54

Hello, my name’s Johnson,

I'm originally from Hong Kong. In addition to my academic interests, I also enjoy an active lifestyle, with a particular fondness for sports and music. I joined MSA In the Fall of 2024, prior to pursuing my graduate studies, I gained valuable professional experience working on interior design and housing projects back in Hong Kong. 

I'm passionate about leveraging design to create environments that enrich the lives of the people who inhabit them. I'm excited to apply this ethos to the work we'll be undertaking with This is Nelson, and to contribute my skills, knowledge, and diverse perspectives to the team. I'm greatly looking forward to working together with all of you!  

Posted 9 Mar 2025 19:47

Hey, my name’s Finley!

Before starting my master’s, I spent two years at a small London practice, working on projects from homes to bakeries to auditoriums, gaining experience from concept to construction.

I believe architecture should be engaging, tangible, and human-focused, with community and sustainability at its core.

I’m excited to be working on Upstairs @3B, creating meaningful spaces and bringing positive change to the local community. Looking forward to it!

Posted 9 Mar 2025 19:50

Hi! My name’s Jonathan,

I’m from Malaysia. I joined the MSA in Fall 2024 under their Postgraduate Program and before that, I was working on interior design projects that include Drafting, 3D-Modelling, as well as renders and visualisations in Malaysia and Singapore. 

I chose to work with This is Nelson because I believe in community engagement and outreach to strengthen the identity of a place, and Nelson has a lot of potential for great opportunities for people. I look forward to working with you all on this exciting project! 

Posted 9 Mar 2025 20:41

Hello, I’m Anisha!

I’m currently pursuing the Architecture and Adaptive Reuse program at MSA. I completed my Bachelor of Architecture in India and then worked on Interior Architecture projects in the Middle East.  
 
I chose this project because of its focus on community-centric design. Having lived in three countries, I have a deep appreciation for different cultures, and I think it is important to design inclusive spaces that reflect the needs of the community.  
 
I enjoy exploring new places and café-hopping!

Posted 9 Mar 2025 20:54

In-Situ is a socially engaged arts organisation based in Pendle, Lancashire. Established in 2011, it focuses on integrating art into everyday life, working closely with local communities to create projects that respond to place, people, and social issues. In-Situ aims to empower communities and foster meaningful cultural change through long-term collaboration.

This is Nelson is one of In-Situ’s key initiatives, delivered as part of the Nelson Town Deal. It is a community-led arts and culture programme designed to reimagine Nelson through creativity and collaboration. The project brings together artists, local groups, and residents to explore themes of identity, heritage, and the town’s future. Through events, workshops, and co-created spaces, This is Nelson seeks to empower the community, celebrate diversity, and create lasting social impact.

Posted 9 Mar 2025 21:02

On 25/02/25, we took an exciting first trip to Nelson and the 3B Systems space with our collaborator Michael. With our notebooks, cameras, and plenty of ideas, we explored the town, toured the site, and got a strong sense of its potentials and limitations.

A big focus was on designing engaging spaces for the local youth group while respecting the existing church building. We sketched, took photos, and recorded our thoughts, bouncing around ideas on how to make the space more dynamic, welcoming, and flexible.

By the end of the visit, we left with tons of inspiration, a clearer vision, and plenty of excitement! We can’t wait to bring it to life!

Posted 10 Mar 2025 00:36

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

We spent today building on the ideas we kicked off yesterday, getting stuck into refining our concepts and getting things ready for Thursday’s client review.

We started thinking a bit more technically about our designs and how we’ll present everything, making sure our ideas not only look good but actually work!

We’ve been working in pairs and small groups, bouncing thoughts around and starting to shape our project into something we’re really excited about.

Can’t wait to see how it all comes together over the next few days!

Posted 13 May 2025 21:45

Big day tomorrow for Group 32!
The BAs are meeting the client for the first time, and we’ve been busy getting everything ready for the review.
Today was all about bringing our ideas to life, modelling our concepts, drawing up elevations, and imagining the user experience.
We’re really looking forward to showing Michael how our ideas have developed since Day 1.
After the presentation, we’ll take some time to reflect, refine, and finalise everything based on his feedback, and if all goes well, we’ll be diving into physical modelling soon!

Posted 14 May 2025 22:33

Big presentation day for Group 32!
We shared our ideas with the client today and got some really insightful feedback that’s given us a clear direction moving forward. It was the BAs’ first time meeting the client, and they were amazing, confident, creative, and brave in presenting their ideas! After the review, we took time to reflect and started refining our designs, getting into the details like measurements, colour palettes, forms, logistics, and the overall user experience.
It was a fun, busy, and super productive day. We’re excited to get modelling and start putting together our publication soon!

Posted 16 May 2025 01:32

The logistics for our boards are sorted, and our designs are finally feeling real, we’ve made them feasible, and we’re so close to bringing them to life. Modelling officially starts on Monday, and we’re ready!

Today, we took a little breather from designing and shifted gears to focus on storyboarding and building up our publication. The BAs jumped in with research, diagrams, and some amazing conceptual collages to help shape the narrative.

With everything coming together so smoothly, we’re feeling really positive about our progress and excited for what’s next!

Posted 16 May 2025 23:59

Let’s start Week 2 with a bang!
We took some time off from our screens and changed the scenery to B15. Some of us are experienced model makers, while others are still learning, but we’re picking up skills quickly and learning from each other.

It’s been really interesting to see how we’ve all approached modelling our boards in unique ways. We’re so excited with how the models are coming along and can’t wait to finish them off tomorrow, ready to present alongside our drawings and renders to the client on Wednesday!

We haven’t forgotten about the publication… We’ve made a steady start and are hoping to pick things up as we go.

Posted 20 May 2025 00:14

Our modelling session has come to an end! We’ve finally brought our proposal to life with 8 boards, each representing a room within 3B Systems. The boards are themed around entertainment, music, storage, and presentation.

Their uniqueness and modularity reflect our collective vision and the initial impressions we developed together with the BAs.

We’re really proud of the progress we’ve made so far, and now, we’re locked in, with tunnel vision on getting our publication submission ready!

Posted 20 May 2025 23:36

Locked in and focused publication mode: ON

We’ve officially started working on our publication! It’s coming together with a mix of renders, drawings, collages, sketches, and, of course, our final models.

We’re aiming to finish it by Thursday so we can celebrate with a well-earned long weekend.

The BAs have been amazing, helping us pull everything together and jumping in with research, visuals, and layout. We even had some quick tutorials on InDesign, SketchUp, and Rhino to keep things moving smoothly.

Our client review went really well too! Michael was pleased with our progress and could really see how the project is coming together, and he even mentioned how much fun we seemed to have throughout the process!

Posted 22 May 2025 16:15

After a successful client review, we took time to reflect on the feedback and began arranging our boards to see how they interlink and tell our story.

The models have really helped us visualise the journey, we had fun testing, experimenting, and bringing our finalised designs to life.

Michael loved the outcome. He’s proud of our progress and said he’s genuinely enjoyed being part of the process with us!

Posted 23 May 2025 10:21

That’s a wrap on MSA Live!

After two exciting and eventful weeks, our MSA Live project has officially come to an end, and of course, we celebrated the only way that felt right…with a well-deserved Papa John’s :P

Let’s be honest, the pizza was essential, the deadline adrenaline was real!
Now, we’re shifting gears and focusing on pulling our publication together. We’re aiming to showcase our concepts in the most professional and polished way possible.

Fingers crossed for minimal stress and maximum sleep as we bring it all home!

Posted 23 May 2025 10:41

A playful twist on interactive learning, this board is a stage for imagination! The board features toss games in the bottom section and has hooks that feature as play or storage. The doors open to transform into a puppet show. The quirky hands on the sides can be used for hanging things or playful interaction. With funky playful faces and interactive features, this entertainment board can be easily moved across different rooms and sparks fun and excitement to any space!

Posted 23 May 2025 13:13

This modular display board comes with smart organisation for every space! Its foam board is equipped with adjustable hooks and shelves, offering flexibility. What makes it even more versatile is that the storage units can be removed to use as stand-alone storage units. These are perfect for storing items and carrying them across spaces and can even be tucked away! This board is both versatile and a practical solution that is lightweight yet sturdy.

Posted 23 May 2025 13:22

Designed for both creativity and multifunctional purposes, this display board is equipped with pegboards, fabric pocket storage, shelving units, adjustable hooks, and wheels for easy rearrangement. These are perfect for displaying fabric and storing the fabric rolls in site! Its modular design features allows it to be repositioned around the board and create interesting and ever-changing displays!

Posted 23 May 2025 13:23

A splash of colour and a whole lot of excitement. A vibrant board designed as a mini game zone for the kids! This board features a mini basketball hoop, a lower ball toss area and a fun hook-and-ring game. When playtime's over, the top portion can work as storage hooks and the lower portion can turn into hidden storage. The vibrant colours of the boards add energy to any room for active, creative play!

Posted 23 May 2025 13:36

The music board is designed for physical media and equipment storage paired with the social aspects of music. It features hexagon-shaped shelves and built-in drum boxes that can be removed to create additional seating. The side shelf can also be folded down to provide extra space, transforming the board into a mobile music hub for exploring music, listening parties, workshops and gigs.

Posted 23 May 2025 13:40

The climbing board is a movable cart with several unique design features, including a climbing wall, a ladder on the side, monkey bars on the top, and a shelf inside. When not in use, it can serve as storage space, and when needed, it can be transformed into a fun, climbable playground for children.

Posted 23 May 2025 13:44

The instrument board is designed as a playable musical instrument. It features pegs on the board that can be strung with strings, various percussion instruments, and children's music toys like xylophones, which can also be hung, making it an engaging and educational musical board for children. When not used as a musical instrument, the pegs on the board can also transform it into a utility pegboard for hanging and storing items.

Posted 23 May 2025 13:54