The 1st Year of BA (Hons) Architecture at MSA starts with a series of small projects where students will develop knowledge about the relationship between space and the human body through design explorations for small activity spaces. Throughout the year the studio project gains complexity, and students engage in a collaborative masteplanning exercise, which leads to an individual project to develop of a housing unit towards architectural resolution.

These studio-based projects are supported by a skills programme where the essentials of conceptual drawing, modelling and software-based representation are taught. In parallel to that, in semester 1, students learn about History and Theory of Architecture through a series of lectures and seminars, which support the development of reports and essays based on desktop studies and building visits. And, in semester 2, students engage in learning about Architectural Technologies through lectures, case studies and a design project focused on the development of prototype models that demonstrate awareness of the materials and detailing of buildings.

Studio 1.1

ACTIVITY SPACE

PROJECT HABITAT ARTEFACT A | ACTIVITY SPACE

This project challenged the students to use architectural design to expand the possibilities of public space use. The chosen site was Stevenson Square, Manchester. Its temporary pedestrianization has changed how people occupy a space formally dominated by vehicular traffic. The students’ task was to design a habitat artefact – a single space enclosure or pavilion – each responded to the spatial qualities of the square whilst providing shelter for an activity of their choosing. The activity had to involve an aspect of performance, and subsequent design responses took into consideration the dynamics of movement throughout the space, both internally and externally.

LIVING SPACE IN TIME

PROJECT HABITAT ARTEFACT B | LIVING SPACE IN TIME

This one-week project required the students to reflect on the relationship between architecture and time, and how living spaces in cities can evidence aspects of culture and technology through time. Students developed observation and interpretation skills to explore various urban contexts through sketching, diagramming, photography. This exploration revealed insights into aspects of contemporary living in the city, and was documented in the form of an Architectural Discourse using visual and textual media to communicate their interpretation of this relationship between space and time.

TEMPORARY LIVING SPACE

PROJECT HABITAT ARTEFACT C | TEMPORARY LIVING SPACE

This project asked the students to challenge preconceptions around living spaces. It prompted students to explore the notion of temporality in architecture by designing a temporary microhome in the city. The aim was to develop an architectural response to contemporary challenges such as temporary homelessness and the provision of emergency shelter in an urban context. The project started with the students identifying potential sites though an understanding of client needs, before developing designs which addressed key requirements in terms of space, functionality, and levels of enclosure.

Studio 1.2

COMMUNITY LIVING SPACE

PROJECT HABITAT ARTEFACT D | COMMUNITY LIVING SPACE

PART 1 CONCEPTION

This project aimed to expand the students’ experience in designing living spaces by reflecting on the challenges and responsibilities of transforming our built environment and engaging them in the collective action of making living spaces in the city through a CoDesign activity. For the first stage of the project students worked within their Studio Groups as a ‘Project Team’ aiming to conceive a masterplan for a housing development for a site in Hulme.

The masterplan then became the basis for each student to conceive an individual single-family dwelling which formed integral part of a collective community. The key functional & spatial requirements for this single-family dwelling were as follows: the family needed to be composed by four individuals; all dwellings were two-storey high with two/ three bedrooms; and the overall size of the dwelling should be no more than 85 square metres over the two storeys.

PART 2 RESOLUTION

In part 2 of the project, the students worked individually to advance their single-family dwelling designs from a conceptual to a resolution level.

Throughout this process, they explored and developed their designs through key strategic design decisions. This involved considering qualitative aspects of both functional and spaces, such as stairs and corridors, in terms of comfort and accessibility; environmental performance in relation to the climate emergency; as well as tectonics i.e. materiality, constructability and structural performance. SF Material composition, and the connection between building parts and systems formed part of this enquiry.