Group 34
COMMUNITY WAVES

Community Waves is an exciting collaboration with Manchester-based Radio Diamond. This volunteer-run station is a vital part of Moss Side’s community, allowing young people to develop broadcasting and sound recording skills. The station provides a platform to boost self-esteem amongst those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with educational needs, and with health issues. Our project aims to increase awareness of the station’s positive impact and to raise money to pay for their annual DAB licence, thus increasing their listeners and sponsors. Our action weeks will include a variety of tasks, such as using our design skills to create visual marketing content, including merch, poster design and video content. Students will have creative freedom while developing their design skills, using Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. We will also take part in exciting fundraising events to share our content and interact with the wider community. This project will be a great opportunity to promote and elevate Radio Diamond, allowing them to continue being a positive light within the Moss Side community.

Dulcie B / Wilfred George W / Xiaoyan H / Xin Qi O / Yukun T

Wilfred George W
For our first team meeting, Theresa from radio diamond invited us to visit the station in Moss side where we were given a tour. It was a really fun day, they were full of energy and positivity about the project. It was great to see their passion for their work helping the local community. We were shown the studios where the live shows were recorded and the recording studio which they rent out for artists to record music and podcasts. After that we brainstormed ideas about how we could help them to raise money for their DAB licence and how we can help them improve their marketing.
Posted 10 Mar 2025 13:27
Xiaoyan H
Name: Xiaoyan Hu

Hometown: Jiangxi, China

Atelier: Architecture & Adaptive Reuse

Skills: Autocad, Sketchup, Enscape

Undergraduate Education: Suzhou University of Science and Technology

Architectural interests: Renovation of old buildings

Hobbies: Zumba, Painting

Favorite music genre: Funk

Hi, I’m Xiaoyan! As an MA Architecture and Adaptive Reuse student at MSA, I’m passionate about bridging gaps—between old and new, stories and spaces. During my undergrad in Urban Planning, I redesigned historic Irish mines into museums, mimicked Icelandic flora for climate-smart structures, and balanced Hangzhou’s courtyard traditions with modern needs. Now, I’m thrilled to join MSA LIVE’s collaboration with Radio Diamond! Together with undergrads and the Manchester community, we’ll explore creative ways to amplify their voice: reimagining fundraising strategies, expanding public reach, and crafting sustainable futures for cultural spaces. Let’s turn this partnership into a blueprint for how adaptive reuse can empower not just buildings, but communities. Ready to rethink what’s possible? Let’s hit play on this next chapter!
Posted 10 Mar 2025 13:50
Xin Qi O
Name: Gwen Ong

Hometown: Malaysia

Atelier: FLUX

Skills: Autocad, Sketchup, Enscape

Undergraduate Education: University of Technology Malaysia

Architectural interest: Modularity in architecture

Hobbies: Badminton and swimming

Favourite music genre: R&B, jazz

Hey, I'm Gwen from Malaysia. I previously studied at the University of Technology Malaysia for my Diploma and Bachelors. During my years out I worked as an Architectural Assistant in an architecture firm based in Singapore, having the chance to get involved in quite a bunch of design proposals spanning across few categories such as community lifestyle, commercial, educational and residential. I love doing all kinds of sports to make use of my spare time. I am looking forwards to meeting our new team members & getting started with this exciting project!
Posted 10 Mar 2025 14:07
Wilfred George W
Name: Wilf Waddington

Hometown: Jersey

Atelier: Continuity

Skills: SketchUp, Lumion, Adobe Suite, AutoCad, Hand drawing

Undergraduate Education: MSA

Architectural interest: Adaptive Reuse, Arch Viz

Hobbies: Football, Skiing

Favourite music genre: House/Tech, Rap

Hi, I'm Wilf. I studied my undergrad at the MSA joining in 2019 and have come back this year to complete my masters as part of Continuity. After my undergrad I went travelling for a year before returning home to Jersey. I did my Part 1 placement in Jersey where I worked for an architecture team which was part of the local civil service, primarily working on educational buildings. I'm really excited to collaborate with Radio Diamond on a project that has the potential to make a meaningful impact on their community.
Posted 10 Mar 2025 14:35
Dulcie B
Name: Dulcie Burchill

Hometown: Oxford

Atelier: &

Skills: AutoCAD, SketchUp, Lumion, Adobe Suite

Undergraduate Education: MSA

Architectural interest: Sustainable Design

Hobbies: Travelling, Running, Painting

Favourite music genres: House, Rap, Indie

Hi! I'm Dulcie and I am in 5th year, studying architecture. I completed my undergrad at MSA and my Part I at Aew Architects, in Manchester, working on both residential and retail projects. I have a keen interest in designing sustainably, for both communities and the planet and have enjoyed exploring this this year within my atelier. My other interests include travelling and music. My love for music, combined with my interest in community development led me to choose to work with Radio Diamond and I can't wait for this project!
Posted 10 Mar 2025 14:53
Yukun T
Name: Yukun Tang

Hometown: Changsha, China

Atelier: &

Skills: Autocad, Sketchup, Enscape

Undergraduate Education: Wuhan Institute of Technology

Architectural interest: Minimalism

Hobbies: Durm

Favourite music genre: Digital Music, Punk Rock

Hey, I'm Yukun from China and after graduating from Wuhan Institute of Technology with a Bachelor's Degree, I've worked in Shenzhen as an Interior Designer specialising in Real Estate. Currently, I am studying for a Master's degree in Architecture and Adaptive Reuse at Manchester School of Architecture to prepare myself for the future trend of urban regeneration. Also, characteristically, I always tend to understand things in a simplistic way.
I believe that radio diamond is a very special project that provides us with a unique perspective on how things should be done. I look forward to welcoming new members!
Posted 10 Mar 2025 16:56
Dulcie B
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
Dulcie B
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
Dulcie B
Group Photo at Radio Diamond!
Posted 12 May 2025 18:40
Dulcie B
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
Wilfred George W
Day 2 (13/5) : Print and Merch Development

This morning, the print and merch team began developing sketches based on the precedents we explored on the first day.

We started the day by producing three sketches each, spending 15 minutes developing a rough idea of an illustration which could be used on one of the products and prints we will be making for Radio Diamond.

After producing 3 sketches each, we gathered together and collected everyone's ideas as a group and once we had all seen each others work and shared ideas continued to develop at least one of the sketches by hand in greater detail.

In the afternoon, students continued to develop their designs in preparation for digitalising and refining them further on day 3.

Looking forward to seeing how these designs progress tomorrow!
Posted 13 May 2025 22:29
Dulcie B
Day 3 (14/5) : Design Development & Video Editing

Today, the students in the Print and Merch Teams continued to develop their designs before beginning to digitalise them using Procreate and Photoshop. The master's students helped with the software and gave feedback on their designs.

The Video Team shared all the clips from the previous day and began organising how to edit them. That afternoon, we started editing the videos, extracting and cropping key parts and adding text and effects.
Posted 14 May 2025 17:50
Dulcie B
Day 4 (15/5) : Content Feedback & Development

This morning, the Print and Merch Teams continued to develop their designs digitally, using Photoshop and Procreate and exploring fonts to add on InDesign. The Video Team continued to edit the content, creating short, eye-catching videos to post on social media, adding effects, text and music.

We then had a full team meeting to show our work and give feedback on our designs and videos. We decided which design could be used for each merch or print piece and ensured each student knew how to progress.

It was great to see everyone's creativity and originality shine through their work. Following this discussion, everyone continued to work on their designs or videos from home.
Posted 15 May 2025 14:26
Dulcie B
Days 5 & 6 (16 & 19/5) : Design Feedback & Completion

On day's 5 and 6, the master's students gave feedback on the progressing designs which were then finalised with text, QR codes and merch placements. The Video Team continued to edit the content, creating a mixture of captivating clips for Radio Diamond's social media.

We were so impressed with everyone's work and unique ideas. Tomorrow, we will add any final edits, before printing and prepping for virtual and digital distribution across the city.
Posted 19 May 2025 22:04
Dulcie B
Day 7 (20/5) : Printing & Preparation

Following some final edits of our leaflet and poster designs, the Merch and Print teams prepared for printing, working out the best way to spend our budget. We bought paper and adhesives, and created 80 posters and 160 leaflets. We are so happy with how the work has come out!

The Video Team assisted where necessary and continued to edit the videos, making as much content as possible!

That afternoon, we had a full team meeting to review the prints and the students were briefed on the POA for tomorrow. We organised ourselves into groups of 2-3 to visit various locations across Manchester and discussed key sites to target. We discussed safety considerations and conversation points when chatting with the public. Finally, we shared the prints and adhesives evenly among the team, ready for tomorrow.

Posted 20 May 2025 17:46
Wilfred George W
Day 8 & 9 (21/05,22/05)

Today, both the Bachelor's and Master's students went all over the city distributing the posters and leaflets we had designed.

We split everyone up into groups of 2-3, and assigned each group an area of the city to distribute - ranging from, Hulme, University Campus/Oxford Road, Moss Side, Rusholme, City Centre, Northern Quarter, Fallowfield and Withington.

We targeted areas with lots of footfall where the prints could remain protected, such as shops, restaurants and barbers.

This task allowed students to engage with the public and promote our project with Radio Diamond.

The following day, Masters students will finish the publication and submission.
Posted 22 May 2025 16:48