We started the session finishing off the last few details of our group poster for the blog. Our day comprised of planning out the group’s spending budget, our risk assessment timeline and ethics. When taking on these tasks we mutually chose to divide and conquer — we broke up into groups of 2-3. We were adamant on offering and providing help where necessary to work efficiently and effectively. By the end we had completed all the tasks besides the timeline, as most of the group members were unfamiliar with the process of creating one.

Hey, I am Nandi Mahlangu currently doing my first year in Architecture, at Manchester School of Architecture.

As an international student from South Africa I’ve been exposed to a rich diversity of cultures, traditions and various equality issues that have driven my fondness for architecture.

I find interest in how people inhabit space. I am intrigued by the ways individuals adapt and reinterpret even the intended use of a place. To me, architecture is dynamic it evolves with the people who occupy it. One of my main motivations for studying architecture is the desire to contribute meaningfully to communities that are often marginalised or overlooked.

This project felt well suited to my interests of engaging with the needs of voices that are not always heard. I am eager to explore how it will deepen my understanding of design as both a creative and socially responsive practice, especially as I continue learning in a new country and gaining wider perspectives through travel.

A productive morning spent at the B12 workshop, making a model focused on the interior space of the site.

This model along with floor plans will help both us and the Talkshop attendees visualise their needs and aspirations for the space.
By hosting a workshop, the young people will be able to engage and share their thoughts and ideas.

March 17 - Publication

This day consisted of looking through past publications as a general guide of what we should produce for our Talkshop Publication. We then began with identifying the content needed to supply readers with an overview and process of The Talkshop. We then moved onto testing out various layouts for the publication booklet and finally dividing out tasks for the group to do over the Easter Break. By deciding to distribute the tasks among the group we would be able to manage balancing MSA Live with our other course modules. The assigned tasks consisted of development sketches,precedent studies and writings.

Action Week Day 1
The final stretch has begun!

Our first day of intensive week began slowly, however we made significant progress. All present members of the group went around and shared our new updates to the project, complete or incomplete, just so that we could gain a clear understanding of how many tasks were still outstanding. Collectively we shared the digital and physical iterations of the redesigned space, and we provided feedback and suggestions of elements that could be improved. We proceed with working on our digital model and renders, capturing scenes of the interior space. Once our outputs were completed, we set out a plan of how we will make our final model and the final drawings. We ran through our publication to highlight any criteria we still needed to complete as well.

Action Week Day 2
Reshuffling the workspace!

We decided to relocate to the MTC so that everyone could have access to software and found that this worked efficiently.
Since the project focuses solely on redesigning and improving the interior space, we decided to capitalise on incorporating indoor appropriate activities, privacy and soft furniture. Renders of the new furniture and lively interior were produced during the session, while 2 members of the group spent the day in B15 making a model of the furniture that has been redesigned for the space. It was quite the strenuous task as we wanted to ensure that we could meet the deadline we had set for ourselves, and the dynamic duo managed to do this. “Submit this into the modelmaking competition” ~Scott Miller, 2026.

Action Week Day 3
Completing Our Visualisations!

Our round table talk was about the logistics for our presentation, and drafted a checklist of what goals we aimed to achieve by day end. We then went on to split into two groups to complete the final drawings, visuals and outstanding text.