MSA and the city

A City of Architects

We have deep roots the city of Manchester, where nationally and internationally renowned architects have been educated for over 100 years.

Striking buildings such as the city’s Neo-Gothic Town Hall, Neo-Classical Manchester Central Library, Modernist ‘Toast Rack Building’ and the nearby Imperial War Museum, are testament to the city’s rich architectural history that continues with the researchers, individuals and internationally renowned architectural practices who call the city home.

Manchester has one of the largest student populations in the UK with over 100,000 students living and working in a city where over 200 languages are spoken.

This diverse, youthful population combined with Manchester’s architectural, cultural and sporting heritage makes it an ideal place to be a student.

As a school of architecture that has facilities based within Manchester School of Art’s contemporary spaces there are numerous sources of inspiration and collaboration from graphic and fashion designers, to fine artists, filmmakers and curators.

Inspiration isn’t just in our buildings, it surrounds our campus including the high quality design and innovative problem solving evident in the city centre regeneration, the award-winning Whitworth Gallery, the contemporary HOME theatre, cinema and exhibition space, and the People’s History Museum.

Manchester also hosts regular festivals and events year round, such as Manchester International Festival and Parklife Festival, bringing world famous acts to perform.

Beyond Architecture

The city boasts a proud musical heritage with The Smiths, Oasis and Joy Division being three hometown heroes. Building on this history, the music scene is always looking forward with a huge range of venues and events such as The Warehouse Project bringing the most exciting new artists to town.

Sports fans are also well catered for. We’re home to two of the biggest football teams on the planet, Team GB’s cycling team and a test cricket ground too. If you’re feeling active, there is an Olympic size swimming pool, the National Squash Centre, indoor skiing and snowboarding all available to you. Or you can escape the city with the stunning scenery of the Peak and Lake Districts easily accessible by train.

For such an engaging and lively city, our home city is easy to navigate on foot, and one of the busiest bus routes in Europe runs directly past our campuses. Manchester also has many cycling routes, an extensive tram network, an airport only twenty minutes from the city centre, and three central train stations. Manchester is an ideal place to explore the UK and beyond with London, Berlin and Barcelona all two hours away by train or plane.