Group 26
LEARNING WITH LORETO

There are 150 Loreto schools across 6 continents and our brief is to create a conceptual design for a new school in Aweil, South Sudan. Through a series of workshops, we will collaborate with Loreto students. Our findings from this will inform how the new school building can support the students, teachers and wider community.

Aidira S / Boting R / Brygida F / Isabella J / Libby M / Muchen Z / Sarah M / Sethika S / Stephnine A / Thabisile M / Viola A

Stephnine A
Hey! My name is Stephnine (or Steph), I am a BA1 student in Manchester School of Architecture. I chose to study architecture as I love how the evolution of the world can be shown through buildings. Needless to say, I enjoy learning about the history of architecture, and how things have changed through time and I aspire to have a hand in shaping the future. For this project, I am most excited to learn about different customs and cultures in Sudan, using them to lead our creative direction. Loreto College is more than just a school for the students in Sudan; I can’t wait to have a part in such a meaningful project.
Posted 18 Feb 2026 12:52
Brygida F
Hi! I’m Gita (Brygida) and I’m excited to work on this project because of my interest in working and collaborating with people, being conscious of cultural contexts that I’m working on. I’m always excited about exploring different ways of implementing safe and sustainable designs to tackle issues within communities. Being in my first year at MSA, I look forward to working in a multidisciplinary team and building new skills in a professional work environment!
Posted 18 Feb 2026 15:00
Isabella J
Hi, I’m Isabella!
I am a MA1 student at the University of Manchester. Through my studies and placement year, I’ve developed strong skills in architectural programmes such as Revit, AutoCAD, and Photoshop, while still holding onto my love for hand drawing and making things by hand, the passion that first drew me to architecture.

I’m really excited to be working on such a unique project alongside my peers. I have a strong interest in vernacular and community-led design, and with my previous experience working in education, I’m looking forward to bringing my enthusiasm into working with Loreto. I’m especially keen to use workshops as a way to inform and inspire my architectural thinking while collaborating with the wider community.
Posted 19 Feb 2026 10:44
Muchen Z
Hi, I am Muchen, a Architecture and Adaptive Reuse student from China.

During my undergraduate architectural studies, I mastered Rhino and SU modeling skills, D5 rendering skills, and gained a basic understanding of Grasshopper. I enjoy making handcrafted models and have tried working with various materials for models.

The oversaturation of the Chinese construction industry has led me to consider and act on a shift towards the professional direction of reusing existing buildings. Now my research focuses on the reuse and adaptive transformation of abandoned buildings, and the preliminary research based on community and geographical context is also very important in this field.

My knowledge of South Sudan comes from a relative who was a member of the Chinese peacekeeping force stationed there. I was deeply impressed by the destruction of architecture and even social culture in conflict areas. This has made me very interested and motivated to help with the reconstruction of post-war areas and the reconnection of culture and architecture.
Posted 19 Feb 2026 15:53
Sarah M
Hi, I’m Sarah!

I’m a MArch 1 student in Some Kind of Nature Atelier. Before this, I completed a MEng in Architecture and Environmental Design, which deepened my understanding of sustainability and strengthened my commitment to eco-friendly design. This experience shapes how I think about architecture, pushing me to consider climate, materials, and long-term ecological impact as integral to the design process.

My work is strongly influenced by care, feminism and socially sustainable design. I’m interested in how architecture can challenge power dynamics and create spaces that truly feel inclusive. I’m especially drawn to community-led approaches that treat nature’s needs as equal to ours and ask who and what we are designing for.

I’m really looking forward to working together on this project and exploring how architectural ideas can genuinely respond to social contexts, real experiences, and ecological responsibility.
Posted 19 Feb 2026 18:31
Libby M
Hi, I'm Libby and I'm a MArch 1 student in the Infrastructure Space Atelier. Through my studies I have focused on the impact that the built environment has on the well-being of people and communities. I put this into practice during my time in industry, where I mostly worked on the retrofit of listed buildings.

I think that user engagement is a key part of every design process, and I have previously run co-design workshops during my studies and attended community engagement events whilst in practice. I'm looking forward to building these skills through the MSA Live project by working with a range of stakeholders.
Posted 20 Feb 2026 12:33
Viola A
My name is Viola and I am a first-year BA student from London. My passion for the built environment is deeply entwined with my commitment to human rights, particularly in exploring architecture’s role in preserving cultural and collective memory and restoring communities. I look forward to working with students at Loreto College on this exciting new venture, ensuring that our collaborative efforts provide functional spaces for female education and make a lasting social impact.
Posted 20 Feb 2026 12:58
Aidira S
Aidira Smailova - BA1 Architecture, MSA

I chose architecture because I've always been fascinated by how spaces influence the way people feel, behave, and connect. Growing up multiple countries because of my mom's further education exposed me to different cultures and buildings, and I became curious about how design reflects identity and values. Architecture felt like the perfect balance between creativity, analytical thinking, and social responsibility.

What I enjoy most is the process, researching context, analysing site conditions, and transforming ideas into spatial solutions. I am particularly interested in how architecture can support wellbeing and shape stronger communities through thoughtful design decisions.

For the South Sudan girls' school conceptual design project, I am excited to design something with genuine social impact. Creating a safe, climate-responsive, and culturally sensitive learning environment feels incredibly meaningful. I look forward to exploring how local materials, spatial organisation, and community values can shape a school that empowers and inspires its students.
Posted 22 Feb 2026 14:46
Sethika S
Hi! I’m Sethika, a BA1 student from Cambodia. I chose architecture because I want to have a hand in shaping the world; to heal it socially, environmentally, and economically. The thing I enjoy most about architecture is drawing as a means of comprehension and communication. For this project, I’m most excited about envisioning the many ways that Loreto College can be built to accommodate and inspire the children of Aweil. I feel thankful to be part of a project that resonates deeply with me and the kind of work I want to be involved in as a professional.
Posted 22 Feb 2026 15:11
Thabisile M
Hi! I’m Thabisile, a Foundation Year student at the Manchester School of Architecture, helping to design the forthcoming school in Aweil. I got into architecture because of how well-rounded the subject can be; it’s a balance between philanthropy, art, logic, and business. It challenges how I think. As personally fulfilling as architecture is, I also enjoy the community that it creates. Architectural design connects like-minded people, in the same way that MSA Live has. I’m excited to work with my peers to create something that has an impact on a community outside of my own. Loreto Sixth Form is the college I attended for my A-Levels and it’s great knowing I have the opportunity to work with them to help develop the skills and confidence of other girls, just as Loreto did for me.
Posted 22 Feb 2026 18:32
Boting R
Boting Ren

MArch Architecture | Manchester School of Architecture

I am currently studying MArch Architecture at the Manchester School of Architecture, with a background in architectural design and construction-oriented thinking. My work focuses on translating conceptual ideas into buildable spatial strategies, with particular attention to material logic, structural clarity, and cost feasibility.

I approach design through a practical and technically informed process, prioritising constructability, resource efficiency, and climatic responsiveness. I am especially interested in projects within low-resource contexts, where architectural decisions must be grounded in available materials, labour conditions, and realistic budget frameworks. Rather than treating architecture as a purely conceptual exercise, I value disciplined design development that responds to real-world constraints.

My strengths lie in early-stage feasibility studies, construction logic, and budget-aware design coordination. I enjoy working at the intersection of design and delivery, where architectural intent is tested through technical resolution and material strategy.

Through this MSA Live project, I aim to contribute to construction-led thinking, cost and material research, and pragmatic design development, supporting the team in producing context-sensitive and achievable architectural proposals.
Posted 5 Mar 2026 14:40
Brygida F
03/02/26 Today we all met for the first time. We started with some icebreakers, including
‘rose, bud, thorn’, in which we all said one skill we thought we would bring to the
team, one thing about the project that we were excited for and one skill we wanted
to improve through the project.
Next, we discussed how we would work together as a group, including how often we
would meet and who would take on different roles within the project.
We read through the project brief together and each spoke about what we thought
the project outputs could be. We created a list of questions that we had for our
collaborator, Laura, about the project.
Over the next couple of weeks, we have been set the task of creating a poster for our
project. We decided that it would also be useful for us to do some research into the
context of the project in order for us to gain a deeper understanding of the brief. We
created a list of different research topics and assigned one to each member of the group.
Posted 17 Mar 2026 10:24
Brygida F
03/02/2026
Following our initial group session, we met with collaborators Laura and Ian to discuss
the project brief and our first steps. Laura is a practising architect and educator, while
Ian is leader of the Sixth form at Loreto College Manchester.
The two gave us a brief description of the history of the Loreto Colleges, which were
founded using the guiding principles of Mary Ward, a Catholic nun and pioneer of
women’s education in the 17th century. Loreto College Hulme was the first of these,
founded in 1851. Today, there are 150 Loreto schools worldwide. This includes one in
Rumbek, South Sudan, which was founded in 2008. The civil war in Sudan meant that
the country’s infrastructure and education system had largely collapsed.
We have been tasked with creating a design concept for a girls’ school located in Aweil,
a town around 200 miles from the existing school in Rumbek. This is to be done in
collaboration with students in Loreto College Hulme’s Architecture Society through a
series of workshops, organised and coordinated by us. We’ve also been put in contact
with James, an architecture student who is working in South Sudan at present.
Questions were raised on whether we’d be able to communicate with students at the
school in Rumbek, as we all agreed that this would be important in informing our design
approach; however, we aren’t yet sure whether this would be possible.
Overall, today was a promising start to this exciting project. We look forward to meeting
the students in the Architecture Society and making our first design moves…
Posted 17 Mar 2026 14:53
Brygida F
07/02/26 Sethika and Aidira had the pleasure of meeting a friend from North Sudan over coffee to discuss the cultural, political, and historical context of South Sudan. This is what they had to say: Her name is Walaa, she is North Sudanese, grew up in Saudi Arabia, and feels deeply for
the people in South Sudan. We learned about:
The civil war between North and South Sudan and how the latter became independent
How South Sudanese are victims of classism. She told a personal anecdote about a
relative adopting a little girl from South Sudan and how
How South Sudan is agriculturally rich and full of natural resources, but they remain a poor
country
Their dire economic state
How South Sudanese may move to North Sudan for better career prospects and still live in
poor conditions.
How the older generation of South Sudanese may bear resentment towards North Sudan
and how this perpetuates the social divide.
The way children are not encouraged to go to school and to start working from a very young
age.
After the discussion, we supplemented these takeaways with real statistics to support our
research. We also plan to watch the film Goodbye Julia, as per her recommendation, to aid
our understanding of systemic racism against South Sudan and the events leading up to
their independence in 2011. It was interesting to learn about the cultural differences as
well as movements like SPLM and conflicts between two different ethnic groups.
Reflection: We were engaging in more than just research. It felt like a cultural exchange as
we also identified shared struggles with our own cultures (Cambodia and Kazakhstan). This
prompted us to reflect on how we can utilize our education to heal our respective
countries, even throwing out little ideas about how we can do so.
Because our site is in Aweil, Sudan, we’re mostly limited to desktop research which I
anticipate may make us feel somewhat far removed from the project. However, having this
face-to-face interaction helped us feel closer to the project, to really feel for the
beneficiaries of Loreto College.
Posted 17 Mar 2026 14:56
Brygida F
10/02/26
We began with a brief discussion about the areas that we had covered in our
research (more to come on this next week!). A common theme that came up
throughout the research was sustainable agriculture and the part that this plays in
the curriculum of South Sudan.
We spoke again about how we could define the brief for the project. Through
communication with Laura, we think that our brief should focus on collecting
information about the future users of the school and their needs to create design
principles for the project. We will then use these principles to create concepts for
aspects of the new school.
We brought together a few different ideas for a name for the project and decided
that ‘Learning with Loreto’ described the key themes of learning, collaboration and
the Loreto schools.
Laura sent us a list of dates on which we could run workshops with the students at
Loreto Manchester and we decided on three that we thought would be at key times
throughout the project.
Posted 17 Mar 2026 15:02
Brygida F
10/02/26
During this week our group began to form poster ideas, some of which we discussed over this weeks Teams meeting. We created a poll to get everyone’s ideas over WhatsApp on the posters, provided feedback and finalised the poster!
Posted 17 Mar 2026 15:04
Brygida F
10/02/26
Following Sethika and Aidira’s meeting with Walaa, our group decided to take Walaa’s advice to further educate ourselves about South Sudan by watching „Goodbye Julie”. We then discussed our experiences watching the film in our following meeting.
Posted 25 Mar 2026 16:09