Manchester School of Architecture (MSA) has launched MSA 2020, an end-of-year show celebrating the achievements and work from final-year students.   

This digital exhibition showcases the work of more than 400 graduating students and is a positive response from students and staff to the challenging situation over the past few months due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The online show features the work of final year students from across BA (Hons) Architecture, Master of Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture. The work is presented alongside insights from academic staff about activities and initiatives of the School.

Dr Richard Brook, Reader in Architecture at Manchester School of Architecture, who directed the exhibition, said: “We are delighted to be able to showcase the fantastic work and achievements from all our graduating students over the academic year. It has been a challenging time recently, but it has been met with the professionalism and imagination that we admire in our colleagues and students.

“We believe that enabling such a digital presence has provided an exciting opportunity to make MSA even more accessible to our friends and partners around the world. We’ve had a fantastic response so far, with over 15,000 visitors to the website in the first weekend from all over the world. The digital exhibition could not have been accomplished without the cooperation and support from staff and students to make this possible in such a challenging time.”

The BA (Hons) Architecture programme connects the study of history, theory and technology with the practice of architecture through design studio. Students work featured in the exhibition span across the areas of feminist design, technology and space, and spatial and urban strategies from seven design-led ateliers.

Dairy or Riots? by Ioana Naghi

For example, Sana Akhtar’s work focuses on community-based projects and creating spaces that reflect and celebrate different cultures which can be seen in her project The Azadi Social Housing and Welfare Centre. Meanwhile, Ioana Antonia Naghi focuses on large-scale interventions that could generate seamless and frictionless piece of infrastructure for the dairy industry as seen in her project Dairy or riots?

The Master of Architecture course is made up of eight design-led studios, also known as ateliers, alongside research and professional studies modules. Students from each atelier have presented work across focussed areas including spatial futures, landscape and urbanism and technology and people.

Annie Sibthorp’s project The Threshold Between Trans and Transed Space questions whether gendered architecture can be subverted to connect, celebrate and empower transgender lives. Adam Najia’s project presents a future scenario where Blackburn has been transformed into a virtual oasis where people experience their virtual interest in a spatial way in daily life.

The Threshold between Trans and Transed Spaces by Annie Sibthorp

Students from the Masters in Landscape Architecture course have explored the tensions and contradictions of the rural landscape in the context of an area sandwiched between Morecambe Bay and the Lake District National Park rich in biodiversity as well as historic and social complexity. The potential of a range of landscape scenarios based on pressing environmental concerns are also subjects of interest.

You can find out more about Manchester School of Architecture and explore student profiles on the MSA 2020 website.