Hi, my name is Niamh and I’m an MArch 1 student at the Manchester School of Architecture, where I also completed my undergraduate degree. I completed my Part 1 placement at John McCall Architects in Liverpool and continue to work there alongside my master’s studies.

Through both practice and university projects, I’ve developed a strong interest in user-centred design and sustainability, with a focus on creating practical, well-considered spaces.

I’m looking forward to working on a live project and collaborating with the client and local community to deliver a thoughtful and effective proposal.

Session 2: Brainstorms, Bold Ideas & Mild Chaos

Today was where the creativity began. Armed with our own ideas, we dove into brainstorming concepts for the group’s poster and name. Some of us flying solo like lone geniuses, others teaming up to bounce ideas around like a high-stakes game of creative ping-pong.

The room quickly filled with everything from “this could actually work” to “wait… what is that? Somehow, through the chaos, patterns started to emerge. Debates were had, sketches were scribbled, and a few questionable names were (thankfully) left behind.

By the end, we managed to land on a concept that everyone could get behind. It’s still a work in progress, but it’s got potential, personality, and just the right amount of chaos baked in.

Next stop: refining, developing, and turning this spark into something submission-ready. Stay tuned.

Session 8: Measure Twice (…or Improvise Once)

Today’s session started, as many of ours do, with a moment of reflection. Upon meeting this morning, we reevaluated the budget report we had previously submitted, particularly our travel costs. We had confidently estimated around £45 for a return bus trip for the whole group. In reality, the numbers had other ideas. On the day, Uber turned out to be both cheaper and faster, which felt like a small but satisfying win (sigh of relief from this car sick team member! )

Once on site, our collaborator gave us a tour, which helped ground a lot of our ideas. We discussed the direction of both an external temporary structure (to sidestep planning requirements) and an internal permanent intervention that respects the Grade II* listing. It was a really useful conversation that clarified where we’re heading. We also took photos of key areas, elevations, and services to build up a solid reference base.

Then came the survey.

We carried out both internal and external surveys of the relevant spaces, armed with tape measures and optimism. Measuring larger areas—especially the nave—proved to be more challenging than expected. Safe to say, longer tape measures would have helped. A lot.

Still, we got what we needed, and left with both measurements and a bit of perspective.

Productive, slightly chaotic, and a reminder to come better equipped next time

Session 12: Coffee, Communication & a Change of Scene

Before our scheduled day of building the publication and preparing presentation work, this session took a slightly different direction. After raising some communication issues within the group with our tutors, we were encouraged to step back from the project for a moment and spend some time together outside of the usual studio environment. The suggestion of “go for a coffee” becoming official tutor-approved advice.

So, after revisiting the budget, we decided to take the group out for coffee as a small team bonding activity before starting the day’s work. Not everyone was able to make it, so there weren’t any dramatic overnight fixes to the communication issues, but it was still a genuinely enjoyable way to start the session.

It gave us a chance to talk more casually before jumping straight back into publication layouts, presentation edits, and the usual organised chaos of deadlines. More than anything, it helped break up the monotony of the scheduled studio days and set a more positive tone for the work ahead.

A small change to the routine, but a useful reminder that collaboration is sometimes helped most by simply taking a step back together first.

Session 13: The Final Presentation

After weeks of meetings, surveys, revisions, publication edits, and more layout changes than any of us would like to admit, today was finally presentation day.

The session began with final checks, rehearsals, and making sure everyone knew their sections before presenting our finished proposal to tutors, peers, and collaborators. Although our own collaborator unfortunately couldn’t attend in person, we had been in contact beforehand and received really positive feedback, which reassured us that the scheme successfully responded to the brief and the needs of the space.

The presentation itself felt like a strong way to wrap up the project. It was rewarding to finally share the work after seeing how much it had developed from the early brainstorming sessions into a resolved proposal backed by community feedback, site analysis, and collaborative design decisions.

We also received encouraging commentary from tutors, particularly around the value of reflecting honestly on the collaborative process throughout the project. Looking back, the project became about much more than just the final design outcome. It was also a lesson in communication, adaptability, compromise, and learning how to work through challenges as a team.

A slightly surreal end to a very busy few weeks, but a satisfying one. Definitely earned the post-presentation food and coffee afterwards.