MArch Year 1, &Atelier

Hi! I’m Shreya, a MArch 1 student in the &Atelier. I studied undergraduate at the Amity School of Architecture and Planning in India.

I’m passionate about community-driven architecture, drawing inspiration from my background in India to design spaces that foster relationships between people. The Bradford Takeover project excites me because it aligns with my interest in connecting people with their heritage in playful, engaging ways. I see architecture as a tool to bridge cultures, species and the environment and create sustainable and mindful commons.

Beyond architecture, I like exploring new Hobbies like Hiking, Urban Sketching, running, cycling, boxing, wood carving, photography, and creative writing, anything that gets me out of my comfort zone and builds new memories. I love long conversations, small walks and little crazy adventures.

Day 1 - 12.05.25 - Let the Takeover Begin!

It was great seeing the rest of the team on the first day of action week! The MArch and MAR presented the project brief for the Bradford Takeover event, an introduction to Bradford's urban context, the importance of unifying the diverse 30 wards, and the design intentions for our festival event in the city.

We then did a quick icebreaker game to help introduce the team to key aspects of a festival. Soon after, we began doing an initial site analysis of Bradford's urban context to gain initial insights before the site visit on Tuesday.

Written by- Gabriel Tallara

Day 1 - 12.05.25 – Icebreaker

We did a quick icebreaker to help introduce everyone to the project brief. The key driver to this project is the preparation for a big festival to celebrate Bradford's historic development and the cultural diversity of the 30 wards in the district. So, we asked everyone to draw a key event that can take place in a festival, and we would pass that drawing to the next person and develop it further.

The key events people highlighted are stalls, food, or items that allow others to understand and connect to the cultural diversity of the people in Bradford. This is followed by entertainment, music, or performance and then by the fun activities that can be hosted.


Written by- Gabriel Tallara

Day 1 - 12.05.25 – Mapping Tutorials and Site Analysis

Before the site visit, the team did some initial research on the urban context of Bradford, particularly into the culture and infrastructure. In tandem, the MAR students has provided tutorials for the team to create informative maps visually by looking at precedents and showcasing the process of making site maps. These processes include key websites' recommendations to find information and software guidance and tips. The key areas we tried to highlight are the historic buildings with a rich history of Bradford's past: the Town Hall, Bradford Live, Alhambra and many more. These buildings will be the key to telling the story of Bradford's development within our festival game.

For key infrastructures, we investigated the key routes and circulation of how people enter and explore the city, the green spaces within the city centre, and ethnic diversity. These will allow us to explore the wayfinding element within our design and find ways to attract individuals from the outskirts of Bradford to the city centre.

Written by- Ziyang Zhou and Gabriel Tallara

Day 2 – 13.05.25 – Bradford and Saltaire Visit

Today, we had the luck of bringing the summer weather to Bradford for our site visit!

We want to thank our incredible collaborator, Jade Ibegbuna, for creating a thorough itinerary and an action-packed day for the team! In the morning, we visited Bradford's key buildings, such as the Town Hall, Alhambra, and Bradford Live, looking at key architectural details and characteristics that can be used in our project.

In the afternoon, we took a quick train from Bradford Foster Square to one of the city’s 30 wards, Saltaire. There, we explored the historical area of its salt mill countryside and also visited a great organisation, SAIL, who stores, recycles, and donates old materials from TV productions and theatre!

Afterwards, we returned to the city to meet with other stakeholders of the Bradford 2025 events team, Leap, and members of Bradford University to give us insights into how we can incorporate fun and engaging techniques for our project.

Written by-Gabriel Tallara

Day 2 - 13.05.25 - Visit to SAIL （Saltaire）

This afternoon, we had the chance to visit SAIL, a fantastic non-profit sustainable organisation based in Saltaire. We explored their Recycled Materials Hub, which aims to source high-quality reusable materials for the creative and cultural industries, such as theatre, film, TV, arts, and other creative projects. The hub’s mission is to reduce waste, cut costs, and support a circular economy.

We had some engaging conversations with Project Coordinator Pip and Executive Director Jamie from SAIL, who gave us a tour of the hub and introduced us to a wide variety of reusable materials—some of which were originally used in the previous City of Culture festival, which was amazing to see!

Together, we discussed the potential of these materials for our upcoming Bradford 2025 celebration strategies. From reclaimed sheet materials to a diverse collection of stage set props, we actively brainstormed how these resources could be incorporated into our future design works.

The visit left us feeling truly inspired, and engaging with the celebration-related materials gives us renewed confidence in the creative possibilities of our designs going forward.

Written by Jirong Peng

Day 2 - 13.05.25 - Stakeholder meeting

On the Second day, we had the privilege of meeting with key stakeholders and collaborators involved in the Bradford Live Festival, thanks to an introduction from our local council partner, Jade Ibegbuna, at the Bradford 2025 office. During this session, we engaged with representatives from LEAP, Bradford 2025, the University of Bradford, and the Youth Panel.

We presented our initial concepts for the interactive wayfinding game we are developing for the festival. The feedback we received was invaluable, with the stakeholders highlighting practical considerations and real-world constraints and pointing out new opportunities to enhance our proposal. Their insights will help us refine our approach, ensuring that our project is both ambitious and grounded in the realities of delivering an activity within a major cultural event like Bradford 2025, while fitting the needs of a very diverse audience.

Written by- Laura-Elena Popa

Day 3- 14.05.25 - Visit to the People's History Museum and the Museum of Science and Technology

Today we had a great time visiting the People's History Museum and the Science and Technology Museum!
On our first stop, we visited the People's History Museum, where we saw a lot of excellent display techniques, the way exhibits are displayed, the use of audio-visual presentations, and so on, in the various exhibits. This will help us to understand how we can better present the content of our project to the people who come to visit us.
We then walked from the People's History Museum to the Science and Technology Museum. There, we explored the history and development of various areas of science and technology in the UK, particularly the development of the textile industry. In the exciting science experience that followed, we experienced a wealth of interactive ways in which the games and displays worked well to engage people. These were a reminder for us to find inspiration for our games.
At the end of the tour, we briefly discussed how to design the rules of our game, and it was great to see that everyone came up with very interesting sketches of their ideas. It will be very interesting to combine or represent these ideas!

Written by Ziyang Zhou

Day 3 - 14.05.25 - Sketching Ideas

After an inspiring day exploring the People's History Museum and the Science and Technology Museum, our team wrapped up the visit with an energising creative session. Fueled by everything we had seen and experienced from interactive exhibits to powerful storytelling techniques, we gathered to start shaping the Bradford Takeover Game.

Each of us brought our ideas to the table, sketching out early concepts and sharing different visions for how the game could look, feel, and play. It was exciting to see the variety of approaches, some focused on storytelling, others on movement, challenges, or collaboration. There was a real buzz in the room as ideas bounced around and merged into new possibilities.

Our discussion touched on game rules, audience engagement, and how to reflect Bradford’s unique character through play. While nothing is set in stone yet, the energy and creativity in the room made it clear: we’re on track to design something fun, meaningful, and memorable.

Stay tuned—this is just the beginning!

Written by Shreya Tripathi

DAY 4 - 15.05.25 - Kevin Lynch mapping exercise

We began the day with a Kevin Lynch mapping exercise focused on Bradford, aiming to explore how individual perceptions of the city can vary dramatically-especially for first-time visitors. Each participant’s map depicted distances between key locations differently, and elements such as major roads, parks, and train routes appeared or disappeared depending on the mapmaker. These variations highlighted just how unique everyone’s experience of the city can be.

This brief but insightful exercise is proving invaluable as we design the wayfinding route map for the Festival of Culture in Bradford, ensuring our outputs reflect the diverse perspectives of those who will navigate the city.

Witten by- Laura-Elena Popa

Day 4 - 15.05.25- Sunshine, Strategy, and Smart Questions

Before diving back into design work, we took a refreshing break in the park to enjoy some sun and clear our minds. While there, each of us took time to reflect and write down five key questions about the Bradford Takeover game. These weren’t just any questions, they were designed to challenge our ideas, identify potential loopholes, and dig deeper into important aspects like rules, accessibility, security, and adaptability.

This exercise helped us think critically about the practical side of our designs. By raising questions early in the process, we’re setting ourselves up to create a game that’s not only creative and engaging but also thoughtful, inclusive, and ready to face real-world challenges. It was a moment of calm and clarity and a crucial step in shaping a better game.

Written by Shreya Tripathi

Day 4 - 15.05.25 - Collaborative Design and Creative Exploration

We continue Day 4 with a dynamic series of process development activities, focusing on the core aims and purposes behind the games we’re set to design. Through thoughtful questioning and lively discussion, we clarified our objectives.

Next, we divided into groups, each tasked with bringing one of the five heritage buildings to life through interactive and informative elements. Within these teams, we brainstormed, sketched, and began developing our initial design concepts, drawing inspiration from the unique stories and features of each building and our previous sketches from day 3.

To wrap up the day, each group shared their progress in a short presentation session. This collaborative exchange of ideas and constructive feedback not only sparked fresh inspiration but also strengthened our collective vision for the project moving forward.

Written by Laura-Elena Popa