Hey! I’m Scarlett, I grew up in Northumberland in the UK. After completing my BArch at the University of Nottingham, I spent a year in London working with Howells. There, I was able to broaden my skills and experience through fast-pass, large scale design projects. I’m now studying my MArch at MSA. My skills include collaboration, organisation and experience with AutoCAD, Sketchup, Adobe Suite, Enscape and Revit.

As a student of the SKN Atelier, I’m particularly interested in the use of natural materials in sustainable design and feminist architectural theory. Beyond my studies, I enjoy exploring new places or cooking a good meal!

I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work alongside a great team of people to create a thoughtful design for the children’s corner of the MMU Poetry Library!

The Collaborator

We are very excited to be collaborating with the MMU Poetry Library as part of MSALive 2025! This vibrant and welcoming library is located in the Grosvenor Building, right at the heart of the MMU Campus.

The team includes Becky (Director), Martin (Programme Manager), and Kaye (Education Manager). Being the first poetry library in the North West, they are super passionate about creating a place where everyone can ‘explore and enjoy poetry’.

The library has a lot to offer from a dedicated Manchester collection and multilingual poetry to zines, journals and a children’s corner. They also host a wide range of events and exhibitions throughout the year.

29/01/25 | Visiting the Space and Establishing the Output

To kick off our project, we visited the library and met the collaborators. This gave us the opportunity to explore the space and understand what the team are hoping to achieve through MSALive.

Their primary focus is a children’s craft station – a self-guided, flexible workspace with storage for art supplies and space to display the poems and zines created. The design should reflect the nature-inspired theme already present in the children’s corner of the library.

We also explored ideas for a wayfinding tool - a magnetic, low-tech signage system that can help visitors navigate the library. We intend to leave this as a concept design that the library can develop further if they choose.

Sustainability and adaptability were key themes in our discussions and will be central to the design process.

10/02/25 | Workshop 01

Our first team workshop gave us the opportunity to discuss project roles, explore initial concept designs and start planning out the action weeks.

We agreed that the craft station will be our primary focus and the wayfinding tool will be explored further during the action weeks, if time allows.

We started researching precedents of children’s furniture, creative play spaces, and practical storage solutions. A core concept started to take shape: a tree-like structure where children can hang their creations from its branches.

17/03/25 - Finalising Plans for the Action Weeks

In our latest meeting with the collaborator, we planned their involvement during the Action Weeks.

We’ll begin with a team visit to the library, giving everyone an opportunity to meet the collaborators and explore the space. Later in the week, we will host a collaborative design workshop where we will finalise the project concept. To end the MSALive weeks, we’ll host a soft launch, presenting a 'proof of concept' to the library team. This will include:

- A 1:5 scale prototype
- Full set of detail drawings
- Construction manual
- Material schedule
- User manual

This package will give the library everything they need to secure funding and commission a high-quality final piece. It also offers a great chance to gather feedback from visitors before moving ahead with the project.

We can't wait to get started!