MArch 1, Continuity

Hey! I’m Gabriel, and I am a March 1 student studying in the atelier Continuity. I completed my undergrad at Leeds Beckett University and excited to continue my studies in Manchester.

I’ve always been interested in the architectural language of adaptive reuse projects, especially the juxtaposing language of the old and the new. I think it’s important to celebrate the existing layers of the history of the building, and also allowing the imperfections of the past to shine through its design. This is why I wanted to engage with this project as it is holistic with my beliefs as the buildings in Bradford contain a deep relationship with the evolution of the town and needs to be resurfaced to the diverse community.

I have a keen eye for the small details in things, which perfectly translates into my love for photography, films and sketching. In some of my free time, I enjoy being active outside of the studio, like training in volleyball, keeping fit in the gym and also reading books to inspire my creativity towards my design in architecture.

Meet Our Collaborator!

Hi everyone, please meet our lovely MSA collaborator for this project, Jade!

"Hi, I’m Jade Ibegbuna, Head of Cultural Partnerships at Bradford Council. I have the pleasure of working with so many incredible cultural and community groups across the district whilst enabling projects (such as this one) to innovatively amplify our Bradford story. I am a proud Bradfordian, passionate about changemaking and I’m also a Clore Fellow 2025: https://bit.ly/43M3vBC

Working as a collaborator on MSA Live is an absolute joy as I get to work with amazingly talented minds and creative energy – the passion, care and imagination that the students show for Bradford shines through and is reflected throughout their designs. Bradford 2025 is the UK ‘City of Culture’ so this year’s MSA Live designs are being created at a pivotal moment in Bradford’s history.

MSA Live is a fantastic programme, fantastic students and a fantastic team – I am very much looking forward to what this year brings."

Day 9 - 22.05.25 - Final Debrief

On Day 9, we prepared for our final collaboration meeting with Jade on what we produced during the second half of the action week. As everyone refined their interactive element for each key building of Bradford's City Centre, we confidentially presented our final models to Jade. We aimed to deliver clear instructions on how each interactive element is played, how it can encourage individuals to continue our urban trail through the city centre, and how this can be incorporated in the future to introduce new faces to Bradford.

Overall, the presentation went great; Jade joined us online and gave us some insight into how each activity depicts each building well, allowing more community engagement by welcoming locals to each building and understanding its cultural value. Our last task is to create a video showcasing how our heritage trail operates and providing clear instructions on completing each activity.

Written by Gabriel Tallara

Day 10 - 23.05.25 - Bradford Heritage Trail

Day 10 was the last day of this fantastic project! Based on Jade's comments from the final debrief, we worked on the quick instruction video on how we intend to guide people through our Bradford Heritage Trail. We encouraged everyone to help lead with the task, making a fun, upbeat, and informative video on how the trail works.

Day 10 - 23.05.25 - And Scene...
And alas, apart from completing the publication, we celebrated all the accomplishments, achievements, and engagement from everyone in the team with pizza and some games!

We hope that you (the reader) have enjoyed the journey and process of the Bradford Takeover project! We want to thank everyone on the team, including all the BA and MLA students, for engaging and adding their flair to the project. But we would also like to massively thank our lovely collaborator, Jade, for being a great client and for all her efforts to make our MSA Live project smooth sailing for everyone!

Written by Gabriel Tallara