Hi, I’m Liesje, I’m a BA1 Architecture student here at MSA. I am thoroughly enjoying the experience so far, particularly when progressing my initial ideas into workable concepts.
I’m looking forward to developing a new skill set through the work I do during MSA live, and I think that Cyan+ is the perfect opportunity to achieve this.

As a group we went out on a site exploration, following a suggested route that we developed for our project. Starting by Platt Fields Pond, we walked through the park, chatting and making note of the surrounding environment. We then walked through Rusholme, passing multiple green spaces and noting their clear potential, while also acknowledging drawbacks and how to tackle them. Our walking route ended in Whitworth park, and we then continued to the MTC to consolidate our thoughts and findings. It was a lovely way to both generate ideas from the site, and interact with each other more after our first meeting. This was a very valuable day!

On our second session together, we discussed and worked through our ethics agreement, risk assessment, and budget for the project. We discussed possible both ethical and physical risks and how to tackle them as a whole group. We then split into groups of three with each group filling in and submitting each form. All of our documents were approved!

On Sunday 26th of march, we braved the rain, and visited the Feel the Rhythm Pocket Park to volunteer with helping them prepare the park for the spring and summer gardening season! We helped litter pick, clear fallen leaves and branches, and identify elements of the park, such as fallen planter bed walls, that may need attention after the winter. While doing all of this, we chatted with the other volunteers and gained an insight into how the pocket park is run and how it is used by the community. We also had the opportunity to ask them a few questions about our proposal and which elements they felt were best and which needed more work. This was an extremely valuable experience for all of us!

In the afternoon of Sunday 26th March, we continued out into the rainy Manchester weather, and met with Cyanlines for their guided walk along their Cyanline 3. Along the route we learnt a lot about the features of the route that helped them plot the line, also allowing us take inspiration for our Cyan+ line. As well as learning a lot about the history of Manchester. Talking to others on the tour allowed us to gain useful insight on what they value about Cyanline 3 giving us a lot to consider when furthering our own Cyan+ line proposal.
At the end of the walk we had the opportunity to tell the group about our project, sparking interesting conversations and ideas generation!
We were all relieved that by the end of the walk, the rain had cleared!

In the final week of regular MSA live meetings, we discussed what we’ve done so far, covering engagements, past sessions and more. We were joined by a MLA1 student, prompting reintroductions and a good summary of what our project involves. We then explored what there was still to do, planning our presentation, and intensive week, forming an action plan. We then divided into groups, each taking on a different task. It was a very productive session!