The BA at Manchester School of Architecture equips future architects with a holistic knowledge of the discipline in order to become creative professionals, critical freethinkers, and engaged citizens. This year the students’ work comes full of surprises, from which this display is a small selection. Students and staff are back in the school and have been enjoying a full in-person teaching experience.

In our efforts to create a more integrative approach to architecture, two new Humanities courses have been developed for BA1. ‘Thinking Through Drawing’ deepens the idea of thinking with the hands and ‘Histories of Architecture’ displays a complex fabric of histories, as opposed to a traditional linear progression.

BA2 and BA3 have developed new integration strategies with Technologies and Humanities areas, so Design Studio, being the unit core each year, becomes a real laboratory of techniques and theories. The Climate Action programme runs now through the whole programme, and we appointed a new Lead on Contemporary Practices to deepen our understanding of the role of the practitioner from year one.

The Skills Programme (tools and methods) and the Advanced Digital Design workshops have become a strong tool in supporting the students’ learning experience.

As you can see, there is no ‘MSA style’. We pride ourselves on offering a diverse approach to architecture, whose clearest manifestation is the broad range of different humanities electives in BA3, and the rich offer provided by the eight Ateliers (one more than last year). This is not just a reflection on Manchester’s multicultural ethos: it reflects the breadth of contemporary architecture and the high international profile of the programme.

Enjoy!