Look Up Manchester

Contour States

2012-01-29T17:28:00.000Z

Urbanized Screening

2012-01-17T12:05:00.001Z

On Thursday the 19th of January at 6.30pm there will be a screening, over at the Deaf Institute here in Manchester, of Gary Hustwit's new film, Urbanized. The third film in his documentary trilogy series, following on from Helvetica and Objectified, looks to the urbanisation of our planet. Worth a visit.

Dwelle

2012-01-10T11:22:00.001Z

Manchester's Dwelle has recently completed a mock up of its micro house. Situated at the foot of the curry mile in Rusholme, it's original approach to home living appears somewhat lost in a barren landscape of mediocrity.

The Start of the End

2012-01-03T18:27:00.001Z

Elisabeth House in Manchester has begun its demise. Demolition has engulfed the building and it's new existence is on the horizon.

The End: Warehouse

2011-12-11T17:02:00.001Z

Copyright Jack Penford Baker

Business School vs Business School

2011-11-01T09:44:00.000Z

Image Copyright to UofM

The University of Manchester, in collaboration with Bruntwood, have released information on the proposed phased development of what is to become an expanded Business School along the Oxford Road Corridor.

The plans come as MMU's very own new Business School reaches the final stage of construction, with an opening date set for the summer of 2012. The 2 institutions look to promote the importance and growth of Business in Manchester, as the city looks to a service-led developments to act as a backbone to it's economy.

Image Copyright of MMU

The University of Manchester's scheme looks to expand the current Business School, housed in the University Precinct, with a £60million budget for new conference facilities, a four star hotel and an executive education centre for the training programs which the University have for external corporate clients.

Bruntwood is the only name mentioned in the press release, however it appears that BDP are the chosen architect for the scheme. There vast portfolio of educational-orientated work over the past 50 years puts them in a great position to deliver a much needed refresh to the school. However the shift away from student based development perhaps shows where the University of Manchester is looking to expand and grow on a more economical level. The joint venture with Bruntwood highlights the University's desire for commerciality. Bruntwood own a significant share of commercial property in Manchester, and there expansion down the Oxford Road Corridor perhaps signifies a change in the future of Universities in the country, moving towards an entirely privatised outfit of further education in the UK.

Rashid Rana + Asia Triennial At Cornerhouse

2011-10-06T09:10:00.004+01:00

LastFriday saw the openings of Rashid Rana’s first major public show, titled‘Everything Is Happening At Once’, and the Asia Triennial Manchester 11 at thekeystone of modern art in Manchester, Cornerhouse.

Rana’sexhibition is an accumulation of his work from 2006 to present. His work looksto blend the line between the viewers perception of imagery. With the use ofuniform grids, and matrixes of phenomenal quantity of photos, Rana challengeshis cultural heritage with underlining layers hidden within the scale, onlyvisible up close, a blur and unreadable at a glance. Particularly in Gallery 2,‘Between Flesh and Blood’, there is a collection of works that challengeculturally and politically the perception of multi-culture and unified world.At a far the space appears to be littered with great mosaics and carpets fromAsia, yet up close you begin to see their true detail, and a new layer isrevealed. Small images build up the bigger picture, images of slaughteredanimals manifest themselves into a beautiful Persian carpet. A typical mosaicbegins to fade into a sea of tiled pornographic images, only visible at closeproximity. Other pieces that lay across the 3 floors range from theaforementioned subjective images to grand scaled objects of art that use thespace and exploration of the viewer to create a unique interaction with itself.

Ranawork deals with the concept of scale beautifully, ‘Deseperatley SeekingParadise II’ draws you into to it’s grandeur and prominence in the room. As onecircles and begins to read what is on show the large scale skyline is revealedout of nowhere. It then all changes, as one gets closer the scales shifts andthe revelation of the matrix of images depicting small houses from the artist’shometown of Lahore in Pakistan. The exhibition successfully engages with it’saudience on many levels, and the interaction and visual teasing leads to anenjoyable exploration of the space.

TheAsia Triennial Manchester 11 launched on Friday. A festival celebratingcontemporary visual art from Asia. Rana’s exhibition is just one of thefeatures happening between the 1^st of October and 27^th ofNovember. Cornerhouse is also showcasing the film programme for the festivaland a variety of talks curated for the festival. Events are happening acrossthe city and information about it can be found on their website; http://www.asiatriennialmanchester.com/

Cornerhousesits at the heart of contemporary culture in Manchester. It’s dominance of thescene is a testament to the beliefs it works to, and the determination toshowcase contemporary pieces of all medias across all platforms. Except whatnow is to become of Cornerhouse. Plans are already set in motion, withinternational architects Mecanoo designing a new home for Cornerhouse and theLibrary Theatre, what does the future hold for this landmark outlet of art. Weare all in awe of the current space, and some trepidation has to be felt forthe relocation and space that it will transition to. Finally what is to becomeof the space in which we love to got to, will it’s function change, or is itmerely an expansion and faith in the success of contemporary art.

Rashid Rana: Everything is Happening at Once runs atCornerhouse, Manchester from Sat 01 Oct until Fri 30 Dec 2011 and admission isfree.

The Shed

2011-09-26T17:11:00.000+01:00

Copyright Jack Penford Baker

As the flood gates on Oxford Road are opened mass hysteria erupts across the city. The student's have returned, carted from their idealistic suburban lifestyles into a new world, a different world, their world for 3 - 7 years.

As the fresh blood of architectural students first litter their rooms with posters and flyers, and then proceed to litter the streets with themselves, so to has MMU with a collection of new builds across the All Saints Campus. The Business School is still to open it's doors, and the new Faculty of Arts building is just under a year from completion, one building has opened (although still incomplete), the "Shed".

Copyright Jack Penford Baker

Situated just behind the Mancunian way, the "Shed", an old chemical warehouse, has been transformed into the temporary home of the Manchester School of Architecture. Gone is the penthouse view from Chatham, in it's place a flexible vast single storey structure, a chance for the user to determine the place in which they work.

Although seen as a temporary relocation for a single year, the refurbishment seems more of a long term investment for the university, and why shouldn't it. Chatham doesn't offer great studio space, but it does have other benefits. Why not then utilise both spaces, offering a more attractable faculty.

The refurbishment has been designed by local architects, and fellow tutors, Re-Form architects. After their fantastic refit of the Neighbourhood's office in the Northern Quarter, their understanding of space and ability to utilise and reuse what is existing and subtly transform the space. The building still is to be complete however, and a final opinion can not be given until so, but it's current state is the right direction for the MSA to be taking.

New Year + New Posters + New Writers

2011-09-20T18:02:00.000+01:00

Vinoly + Manchester City's Domination

2011-09-20T11:43:00.000+01:00

Manchester City Football Club and Vinoly Architects submitted a planning application to Manchester City Council yesterday for a new Training Academy. Positioned on 80 acres of brownfield and industrial land, the scheme looks to put MCFC at the centre of English Football development.

The site will include 14 full size training pitches and a new 7,000 seated stadium for the youth teams. They have also allocated upto 5.5 acres for community lead schemes, including the possibility of an education facility.

The vast cash injection and sudden growth happening over at the Etihad stadium is the start of something big in the East of Manchester. Over the decades as Salford has flourished into a secondary centre of Manchester in the west, it appears that now is the time for the east to finally succeed and expand, competing with the city centre and Salford as a destination.

As Alsops master plan in Ancoats still seeks it's success you wonder whether the expansion at MCFC will help sandwich it in, positioning it within the centre, rather than the edge where it currently sits. There is also the very quiet BDP Master plan for the further context in and around the stadium. Their scheme is still to be seen but the massive overhaul of a leisure lead development can only change the future urban grain of the city.

Can a city work well with 3 key destinations, or will they begin to merge, blurring the lines between the areas, expanding what is deemed the "centre", and becoming the catalyst that turns Manchester into the city of Greater Manchester, a new Mega-City. Built to rival that of London and Paris, even as far as New York. The city of the future.

Pictures: The Depths of Manchester

2011-08-28T13:16:00.004+01:00

Last Monday I took part in a tour of Manchester's hidden canals. Organised as part of the Rochdale Canal Festival, we began our descent from within the Great Northern Warehouse to be created by a mass expanse of great structures, unknown by the average mancunian. A true hidden treasure of Manchester.

PICTURES: The View From Here by Andrew Broadey

2011-08-03T19:38:00.002+01:00

The view from here by Andrew Broadey Discussion: how will exhibition space evolve in future years?

2011-08-01T21:14:00.002+01:00

Thursday night saw the opening of a new exhibition at BlankSpace. Titled "The View From Here", the exhibition looks to challenge the audience's perception of art, and the space in which it is displayed.

Drawing from his recent phd work at the University of Leeds, Andrew Broadey has created 3 pieces of work that explore the public's idea of conventional exhibition space, re-imagining the typical aesthetics of gallery space by exhibiting the space as the art, immediately creating a meta paradox in which the viewer begins to ask one's self what objectifies something as a piece of art. Andrew has perfectly questioned the typical approach to art, by exhibiting the space in a different medium he has shown that our view of what art is can be defined simply by the space in which it is exhibited. If this is the case then you begin to wonder if everything is art, simply waiting to be put in a white box room.

As you enter the gallery space you walk towards the first piece on show, "In Display". A series of prints lined along the wall, depicting standard Perspex leaflet trays. This piece documents the typical gallery approach to exhibition of art. The innate object is a standard element to most galleries, littering walls with printed information about what it is one is seeing. How is it that something as creative as art is always displayed in such a mediocre, mundane, and repetitive space.

As you walk up the stairs you are welcomed by a series of white box rooms accompanied by a series of objects. Titled "Shadow Box", these rooms explore the power exhibition spaces have in controlling the viewing experience, and helping define the art on show. Included in the spaces are a lamp, a Perspex cube and a pictogram. The 3 components depict the capacity that they have at displaying art.

The final piece, titled "Day Room", is a site specific catalogue of the space in which the art sits. By photographing the space periodically throughout the day, Andrew has managed to create a piece of art out of the room in which the art is displayed. The accumulation of the ever changing light within space is displayed in a gridded format, methodically outlining and breaking down the light conditions of space.

Andrew was kind of enough to let me discuss with him about his approach to the art on show and a further exchange about how what makes and defines the space of an art gallery. We talked about the progression and evolution of gallery space. If you think to say 300 years ago, art was part of the home, displayed on the cluttered walls of great estates, hung above the mantle piece to act as a focal point. Then art expanded and a bigger audience was needed, galleries appeared, a space in which to display art. Andrew discussed how it wasn't until the mid 20th century that what we now understand to be a gallery space, the typical "white box", came in to use. We began to talk about what it is that defines a gallery space, is it as simple as putting a collection of art in one place, or does the space have to be as subtle and yielding that no focus is taken from the art.

Street art posed an interesting debate as to wether the wall in which it is painted is the gallery, therefore meaning the world is one giant canvas, waiting to be painted. Land art is a significant art form as the land becomes both the art and the canvas, a strikingly similar premise to that of Andrew's work. There is a mass convention of what exhibition space should be, and perhaps it's form is the essence of what art needs in order to be truly appreciated, but is it the end to the development of the space?

What does the future hold for the space in which art is exhibited, is the white box the final solution, or will it be replaced or kept and a new gallery space invented with the evolution of new mediums for art. How can galleries expand from where they are now, without losing site of their true purpose, the positioning of art for all to see?

I recommend on all accounts a trip down to BlankMedia's BlankSpace, and have a look round out Andrew Broadey's work, it makes one question the space in which one views art. It is on show until the 7th of August.

BlankSpace is at 43 Hulme Street, Manchester, M15 6 AW.

By Jack Penford Baker

All images copyright to Jack Penford Baker

BlankPages Issue 37

2011-08-01T20:54:00.002+01:00

The great folks over at BlankMedia have kindly featured Look Up Manchester in this month's issue of BlankPages. Head on over to their site to have a look at both the online magazine and also the brilliant work that the collective do.

Dr Dee @ MIF

2011-07-10T18:05:00.003+01:00

Image Copyright To Manchester International Festival 2011

2 years ago Manchester saw itself invaded by the international arts community, providing it's landscape as a blank canvas for outsiders to come and transform, however this time it's changed, this time Manchester has transformed itself for the world to see. With great Mancunians returning to help cement Manchester as a cultural haven, it is also a chance for those helped by Manchester to give someone back.

This year sees the return of Damon Albarn to the festival. In 2007 Albarn's Journey To The West began it's stage life at MIF, headlining the festival. This time around his project steps away from the comfort of an existing outfit, and in to an entirely new field, a contemporary English opera about the great Elizabethan alchemist, titled Dr Dee.

Upon entering the theatre one is greeted with an elongated room, cut out to leave a cross section. A plethora of instruments are scattered across the room, from all types of guitars and percussion instruments to unusual sculpted objects, unknown to the western world of music. Unbeknownst to the audience, the orchestra sits quietly below the stage, isolated to an acoustic-only presence, all that remains is a slither of high gloss stage, fulfilling what appears to be the hierarchy of the play, but then the music begins and all changes. The room begins to rise during a procession of key English historical figures, accumulating in a crisp empty stage, sandwiched between the 2 elements of music.

Image Copyright To Manchester International Festival 2011

Albarn and Norriss' have developed a fantastic contemporary English opera. They manage to achieve a new breed of opera, one accessible to a much wider audience, one that keeps to the traditions, but adds a new layer, Albarn and his band.

As the band hovers above the stage you begin to see and hear the magic that has been created. The juxtaposition between Albarns melancholy sound mixed with the perfect tones of the opera singers works to each's advantage. They compliment each other as the performance between them unravels. The billowing spectrum of the opera singers sits perfectly with the sombre tones of Albarn's voice. And it's with the help of the contemporary songs marriage to the English operatic performances that make it so accessible.

The cast perform to an astounding class, most notably the lead performance from Bertie Carvel, and the eerie countertenor Christopher Robson depiction of Dee's mystic Kelley, and help to make the show a triumph. As much as the hype for the show has been about it's writers, praise must go out to Frantic Assembly for their help with the opera's movement. For it was the emphatic characterisation employed through the movement mixed with the inclusion of projection that helped to progress the classical art in to a modern age.

Image Copyright To Manchester International Festival 2011

Dr Dee has emerged as a forward thinking approach to opera, contextualising our wealth of history in a contemporary outfit, without the loss of appeal to the traditional audience, making it suitable for all. Its position and warm reception has added a great contribution to the discussion of the art of opera's evolution. Should it, as well as most forms of art, evolve as one style/type after another or can one thing evolve alongside it's context, disregard for reinventions of an old style, more a progression a single entity. Can a classical art form such as opera survive forever, or should it evolve and contextualise itself more with the now?

MIF Discussion - Should we treat the arts as a progressive evolution or as a disposal form, chucked out and replaced whenever we see fit?

The Day We Sang

2011-07-10T11:23:00.004+01:00

The Day We Sang - Copyright MIF 2011

That Day We Sang - by Victoria Wood

Review by Amy McIntyre and Dick Downing

It’s not that unusual to have a community choir, often with young people in it, singing on the professional stage. It’s more unusual for it to be made up entirely of primary school pupils.

Victoria Wood’s play with songs is about the Manchester School Children’s Choir, and its hugely successful recording of ‘Nymphs and Shepherds’ in 1929.

No. Really it’s about how a subsequent loss of sense of joy affected two imagined members of that choir as their lives unfolded, and how they overcame that loss.

Lots of us got to sing as primary aged children. How many of us went on to sing in secondary schools and beyond? And how many more settled into a largely joyless adulthood, with little chance of creative expression and fulfilment?

The Day We Sang - Copyright MIF 2011

VW constructs a beautiful device through which one particular character rediscovers excitement and joy in his life. A boy from an unpromising background loves to sing, to the point that he is put in detention and nearly misses out on an audition for the choir. We have already met the boy as an adult (little Jimmy turned into middle-aged Tubby, a beautiful performance by Vincent Franklin) and see both boy and man anxiously awaiting the audition decision of the choir mistress. The two then share the journey towards the famous Columbia Records recording. At the same time, a shy girl becomes a shy woman, expressing her frustration at being saddled with the name Enid in a classic Wood song along the lines of ‘Let’s do it’ (remember - ‘beat me on the bottom with the Woman’s Weekly’?), brilliantly delivered by Jenna Russell.

The adult boy and the adult girl get it together and rediscover joyfulness. But how many don’t? For how many will secondary school and a humdrum career forever eradicate their playfulness? Mr Gove should come and see this play and realise that secondary education needs to include the creative and expressive opportunities that could help sustain a sense of engagement, teamwork, playfulness - and joy - for more kids. His batty baccalaureate pretty much precludes secondary schools from giving those sorts of experiences across the board, leaving it to the resourceful (and resourced) parents of privileged kids while overlooking ‘a scruffy lot of elementary school brats’.

The Day We Sang - Copyright MIF 2011

It won’t be ‘Nymphs and Shepherds’ that does it for today’s kids (probably!). It might be rap, or pop or heavy metal or whatever. ‘That Day We Sang’ reminds us all that we need joyfulness in our lives. Singing is a pretty good start, and education as a whole can do with a damn site more of it – joyfulness, that is. This show, dripping with nostalgia (for Berni Inns and Wimpy Bars even!) really is about now.

Come on Govey, give all the kids a chance for joy; you know you want to!

Festival Square

2011-07-08T07:47:00.005+01:00

Festival square, the epicentre of the festival. Albert square has disappeared, replaced by a white eruption rising up to toy with the grand clock tower of the town hall. Bringing 2 event spaces and a vast beer garden fitted out with benches and deck chairs, akin to a quintessential british seaside. Food and drink are available, entertainment flows throughout the day, and in the evening music explodes as renowned DJs descend in to the tent.

The square is free for all to enter, and check the programme for the music in the evening for a great night.

Alphabet City

2011-07-06T21:06:00.005+01:00

Tonight Manchester Modernist Society launched Alphabet City, a beautifully crafted booklet that takes you through Manchester's Modernist History, from A to Z.

With a return to the traditional draftsman, each drawing has been hand drawn to intricate detail. From the Barton Aerodrome Tower to the soon to be demolished Elizabeth House in St Peter's Square the collection of drawings displays the vibrant modernist heritage of our great city.

The booklet has been launched along side Manchester Modernist Society's Open house at their HQ in Salford this weekend and on Sunday a 2 hour tour around the A to Z of modern Manchester will start at 1pm from the Mark Addy. The publication has been produced in conjunction with Manchester Municipal Design Corporation and Forever Manchester, with links to Not Part of Festival.

The exhibition is open till the end of the weekend, at the MMS HQ in Salford, and the booklet will be available there, as well as a view of the drawings in the true form.

The Return

2011-06-30T21:15:00.001+01:00

Today, the 30th of June 2011, sees the return of The Manchester International Festival (MIF). A biannual festival that transforms the vibrant city of Manchester in to a thriving cultural landscape, draped in music, drama, design, and art.

Having started in 2007, the festival looks to highlight the importance of the arts in the city, both in it's past and future. The city stands in awe as familiar spaces metamorphise into rich cultural epicentres for events held over the 18 days. Previous events have included the likes of a J. Bach concert hall by the starchitect that is Zaha Hadid (reported previously here - http://lookupmanchester.blogspot.com/2009/08/zaha-hadids-j-s-bach-chamber-music-hall.html) and in 2007 The Gorillaz staged their first production, Monkey: Journey To The West, all in a resulting in a fantastic collection of art in the city.

Bjork (images copyright to MIF)

This year sees the line up expand even future than previous years. Not only does Damon Albarn return with a new production, the opera Dr Dee, directed by Rufus Norris. The magical Icelandic singer Bjork returns to the UK for the first time in over 3 years with a collection of 6 shows held across the 3 weeks of the festival. Among the high profiled events sits the heart of everything on show, the Festival Square.

Dr Dee (images copyright to MIF)

Situated in Albert Square, sits Roger Stephenson Architect's (formerly Stephenson Bell Architects) Festival Pavilion, the centre of the festival. Open throughout each of the 18 days, it will be the pumping heart. From it one can enjoy daily entertainment, or simply enjoy the music from DJs whilst sitting with a nice cold drink. Everything you need to know about the festival will be found here. Constructed over the past few weeks the temporary structure looks to reflect the town hall's clock tower, subtly toying with it's height.

True Faith (images copyright to MIF)

MIF is a fantastic accumulation of our diverse culture here in Manchester, and Look Up Manchester is going to be right in the centre of it all. Reviews and discussions of the festival events will be posted throughout the duration and daily updates will keep you all up to date with what there is to see. The first event to be attended and discussed will be Damon Albarn's Dr Dee at the Palace Theatre on the 5th of July. Following that will be True Faith, a retrospective look at both established and emerging creatives based in Manchester. A mixture of live music and interviews will help to explore the importance that Manchester has as a city of culture.

Many other events will be covered right here in the blog throughout the festival, keep your eye on twitter (by following the MSSA @themssa and our writers @jackpb and @butcherluke) and enjoy the festival!

Endless Design

2011-06-05T13:59:00.000+01:00

I was told something disheartening this week. Whilst attending the Job Centre for his fortnightly check in, a friend of mine was asked a question. Would you consider moving to London? On a number of levels this seems rather inappropriate, for starters how could one consider moving to the capital on a chance? Secondly it seems some what unsustainable for a Manchester based service to give up and send every unsuccessful jobseeker to another city, the result can only be a fully mobile population, spending their lives permanently moving city to city, perhaps this week one will be in decorating in Birmingham, and the next answering phones in Glasgow. A city of Manchester’s scale is self-sufficient enough, but it can’t sit back and begin to offload it’s inhabitants, it will only crumble and diminish.

My friend however is in the world of design. Economic times have reprimanded the need for quality, and money is no longer invested as greatly in to this field. 30 years ago London was the only place to go if one was to make it big. This isn’t necessarily true, more of an urban myth that perhaps still stands today. After several months without a job I began to think that London was the only place where I was to be successful. So much so I moved down with a suitcase and began an internship. I had several interviews during my time there, but nothing came from them. Ironically moving to London is what helped me to get a job in Manchester, discovering that a job in design can be anywhere, London is bigger, but so is the population, statistically you are just as likely to get a job there as you are in anywhere else.

It leads me to wonder what the future will behold for the design industry. Our lives’ have so easily adapted to the modern technology. Taking the past 10 years we have moved from mediocre black and white mobile phones to 3D tvs and phones more capable than high end pcs a decade earlier. The creative industries have merged with technology available, harnessing their capabilities to benefit production, creating a truly 21st century profession.

If we work so well with technology, and have become so in tuned, will we begin to evolve along it’s path? Cloud based storage is about to erupt in technology. The concept of storing all of your data currently sat in your device in the ether. You would be able to access it from anywhere in the world on any device. This immediately reduces device’s sizes and flexibility to take a wider range of forms. By removing the need for storage, and all future devices emulating what is stored somewhere else, we begin to live in a truly mobile world. Interaction can become so immediate and simple that physical presence is no longer required, a life where senses are replaced with technology.

As design and technology evolve together we begin to remove the need for the local. The question then of one’s location in reference to a design job will become negligible. The world will become one local entity. Work can be completed from your flat in Manchester, on a project in Honk Kong, without ever visiting or physically meeting your client. Offices are no longer needed as you begin to realise the trip into work is inefficient and unnecessary. Why spend money visiting consultants when you can all sit round a virtual table. As the synergy between technology and design accelerates the shape of the city will be transformed. The hierarchy will be lost, centers no longer required, uniformed blocks will sprawl out and the eventually physical interaction lost.

Get Over It! Gets Closer

2011-05-07T11:08:00.000+01:00

There is now less than one week to go before the Get Over It! Symposium hosted by students from the MA Architecture and Urbanism course at the Manchester School of Architecture. The event is being held at Sandbar, Manchester, a well known watering hole for academics and architects in particular. Sand Bar is characterised by a series of small, intimate spaces where it is hoped informal discussions and debates will take place, supporting the main space that well be set up in a more traditional 'lecture' format. In keeping with the main theme of "Recession. Creative Opportunity?" the event will tackle a range of issues including architecture, technology and economics, with two main debates focusing on the present situation and the future. Lunch will be provided for all those who pre-register for the event with a theme of 'soup-kitchen' (to register please email kathryn.timmins@stu.mmu.ac.uk).

Students will be dressed in home made Get Over It! attire.

The event is being chaired by Owen Hatherley, journalist and author of 'A New Guide to the Ruins of Great Britain' (reviewed here). Other speakers attending the event are: Elizabeth Varley of TechHub London; Mark Lemanski of MUF Architects; Geoff Denton of White Arkitekter; Rose Marley of the Sharp Project; and Dr Mark Jayne of the University of Manchester. Professor Tom Jefferies, Head of the Manchester School of Architecture will also be talking about the new RIBA Hub that will be opening that evening to coincide with the MSA Design Awards 2011.

Student Jack O'Reilly shows off the T-Shirt stencil.

The event will start at 10am and will run until approximately 6pm. Keep an eye on the blog and twitter feed for more information and live updates on the day.

The Importance of Being Warehouse

2011-04-02T21:59:00.000+01:00

Design is suffering, our capitalist society is sitting back, dormant and scared of the very standards it lives by. The mass media panic has forced us to retract spending money, defying the economy’s natural sustainability, and tipping the balance between form and function. Consumers have taken to the bare essentials, disregarding quality for the immediate cheap option, disillusioned by price rather than belief in investment.

It’s in the darkest moments that we realise the remarkable. Collaborations help to sustain professions that cannot always depend on themselves. The idea of sharing resources to help strengthen one’s work to produce something not achievable independently is incredibly evident in the creative cultures. The art of multi media has itself become a single entity, and it’s success proves the progressive nature of joint ventures.

Images Copyright of Jack Penford Baker

Manchester has always been a haven for music. Venues litter the city streets, people pour in and out of shows, flirting with the prospect of an eternal stream of live music. From the start of Joy Division, through to the Mercury Prize winning Elbow, Manchester has become a center for music in Britain. With the music came other cultures. A silent collaboration between all underground elements of design has helped to cement a thriving industry in the North of England. Perhaps the pinnacle is seen with the Hacienda. A prolific night club born out of music in the late 1980’s. It’s impact on music is astonishing, and it’s survival highlighted a remarkable prolonged life.

At the heart of the Hacienda was a brilliant relationship. Factory Records saw music and design bleed into each other. Tony Wilson, Martin Hannett and Alan Erasmus, all from a musical background, set Factory Records up with the help of Peter Saville. Saville’s background stemmed not from music, but graphic design. It was this relationship that saw a fantastic multi media collaboration grow. The artwork was elevated to a new level of importance, treated on par with the music. This infusing of medias began a new age of culture in Manchester.

Images Copyright of Jack Penford Baker

But times have changed. The introduction of the internet helped to snowball cross-media work. Everything began to be celebrated; music began to only be seen as a multimedia presentation. Music videos became an entirely new media, and their importance rose and rose, overtaking the music itself. In the modern generation of music culture the balance has been tipped, multimedia has metamorphisised itself and is now mistaken for music. There no longer is a relationship because it stands as a singular object. This isn’t to say music is no longer music, but rather like all things, it has evolved.

The balance between medias is a difficult thing to achieve. The days of the Hacienda saw a humane understanding between the different cultures, and it appears to be at this scale that multi media works best.

Images Copyright of Jack Penford Baker

The Warehouse Project is a modern example of cross media collaboration, where limits of expansion has helped it to stay at it’s peak. The current recession appears to have been benefit rather than a hindrance. Proving that quality is preferred by the consumer. It’s high cost location has helped to stall planned construction nearby, preventing the inevitable demise for the autumn long event.

Upon one entering the desolate car park housed in the caverns of Piccadilly train station a surprising revelation occurs. The existence of such a large scale event feels hyper real and out of place in such a heavy urban environment. Exiting train passengers are unbeknownst to the frivolous frolics happening meters below their feet. Passerbys catch glimpses of spellbound attenders floating in and out of the ambiguous entrance, but inside a new world of visuals and sound takes one into a euphoric state.

Images Copyright of Jack Penford Baker

Underneath the Victorian arches unnerved by the bellowing bass of music sits music and video, working together as a collaboration, as multimedia. The two work together to lure your senses into the abyss of light and sound. Like with Factory Records, the music takes the more prominent position, but the visuals add so much more to the experience, the two together make the Warehouse Project.

Images Copyright of Jack Penford Baker

The success of the WHP is down to many things, some is pure look, others critical acclaim, but what makes it stand out as a truly individual experience is it’s understanding of a truly great collaboration of multi media. It’s the collaboration that is essential for the survival and importance of the creative industries.

Get Over It! Symposium

2011-03-20T08:00:00.001Z

On May 12th 2011 the students from the MA Architecture + Urbanism course at the Manchester School of Architecture will be hosting the second in a series of annual symposia. Building on last year's highly successful 'Hive Minds' event, this year the event, entitled 'Get Over It!', will tackle a range of pertinent issues currently afflicting the world of architecture and urbanism.

Recession. Creative Opportunity? A symposium organised by the
MA Architecture + Urbanism at the Manchester School of Architecture MAY 12 2011

"In a time of economic austerity, political uncertainty and social crisis, how can the city move forward? GET OVER IT! will bring together a range of speakers from diverse disciplines to investigate methods for extracting potential from the current recession. Architecture, technology, sociology, politics, economics, culture and education all have a role to play in the reconfiguration of the city. Instigated by the MA Architecture and Urbanism students at the Manchester School of Architecture, the aim of the symposium is to address new creative opportunities for redundant city spaces and the broader built environment."

Further details will be confirmed in the next few weeks. For the latest information keep an eye on the blog or twitter feed.

Guest Blogger: Eamonn Canniffe

2011-02-13T12:52:00.007Z

Eamonnm Caniffe, a lecturer at the Manchester School of Architecture, has politely offered to provide an article to feature on what hopefully will become a recurring section of guest bloggers.

A prolific writer and lecturer, he currently runs the Architecture Research Centre and the MA in Architecture + Urbanism at the Manchester School of Architecture. His work revolves around the urban environment, having published books that cover a wide spectrum of architectural theory, including the Politics of the Piazza: the History and Meaning of the Italian Square and Ethic: Design in the Contemporary City. He frequently publishes his own musings on his blog; Guttae and his lecture series at university are always full of fanatical discussions.

A surfeit of surface and an excess of space: New Islington and Spinningfields, Manchester
A paper delivered at SPACE IS LUXURY the 24th AESOP (Association of European Schools of Planning) Conference Helsinki 7-10 July 2010

Periodically Manchester has been the subject of planning studies that have sought to provide an improved urban environment. These have reflected changes in architectural fashion, and historically have comprised proposals for the central civic areas, slum clearance leading to comprehensive redevelopment, and most recently re-urbanisation. Because of their size and the only partial and haphazard completion of these public strategies, as well as the fluctuating fortunes of commercial development, a fragmentary urban environment has been the result.

The current accommodation between public and private interests presented a series of development opportunities, although the projects that have been implemented suggest a certain level of enduring banality. The image of the industrial city that survived and has been promoted is now complemented by the elaborately patterned facades which conceal the shells of unoccupied spaces. This sharp division between utility and decoration continues to haunt architectural and urban debates, and Manchester’s present state is entirely typical of many British cities, despite the oft-repeated claims to primacy or uniqueness.

On July 5 2009 central Manchester was the site of a performance piece by the artist Jeremy Deller entitled Procession which featured a series of surprising tableaux. While the commissioning of an art event might not have the authentic resonance of a traditional urban ritual (such as the Roman Triumph, or Holy Week in Seville), this populist production for the Manchester International Festival had much to gladden the jaded urbanist’s heart. It had a Roman road, Deansgate, to process along between the castrum origins and the later medieval core. It had an eager and appreciative crowd gathered either side of the route. And it had a series of familiar and unfamiliar sections evoking some mythic scenarios. The Rose Queens of Manchester’s largely defunct Whit Walks traditions were joined by a robust outing from The Ramblers. The all-singing, all-dancing, mock-baroque of ‘The Adoration of the Chip’ contrasted with a fleet of hearses commemorating closed but legendary nightclubs, from The Hacienda to Rotters. The Big Issue Sellers and Unrepentant Smokers (followed by a sobering health warning) provided the smudge of ‘gritty northern realism’ but the procession concluded with the crowd gleefully following down Deansgate. The pied pipers were, alas, not the Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Pipe Band from Bolton, but the equally delightful Caribbean band Steel Harmony, sweetly syncopating the works of The Buzzcocks and Joy Division.

Perhaps the performance of Procession did not have the transcendent qualities of a great urban narrative reenactment, but it said more about the notions of civic pride and place than the banal receptacles of spectacular consumption which form Manchester’s recent cosmetically enhanced cityscape. Early in the sequence a truck mocked up as a textile mill complete with a smoking chimney brought the built environment of the city into the spectators’ consciousness, the ur-form of industrial space drawn as a belching icon through an apparently very different context. In particular two recent developments, New Islington and Spinningfields, highlight the superficiality of the strategies that typify recent planning decisions aimed at transforming the image of the city.

Outside the city centre, in the rather desolate doughnut of inner city margins, more public investment is evident through the attention focused on problematic inner city estates created in the wave of post Second World War slum clearance. As the latest demonstration of this policy, the redevelopment of the Cardroom Estate in East Manchester is intended to remedy the scars of industrial squalour and post-industrial decline. Urban Splash were commissioned as lead developer to deliver a re-invigorated community, with a mixture of social and private housing, between the booming city centre and the Eastlands development initiated on the back of the 2002 Commonwealth Games. The masterplan produced by Will Alsop in that year for the rebranded ‘New Islington’
promised a bright future of ‘urban barns’, an extended waterside landscape with a new canal arm, and the trappings of twenty first century city living. The exploitation of a vivid colour palette suggested a slightly forced optimism in the face of the serious problems of the area and the general greyness of the climate. Whatever the more theatrical aspects of the Alsop masterplan the strategy of ‘fingers’ (of accommodation, of landscape and of water) was adaptable to the compartmentalisation of the plan into different packages, with different scales and housing types, and to be produced by different hands.

New Islington presents a situation where there is the attempt to accommodate both divergent ends of Manchester’s social divided spectrum. The masterplan for the area required the accommodation of the existing depleted population, and the attraction of a new aspirational class who would be prepared to endorse Alsop’s aesthetic with their cash. The area will take some years, possibly decades, to mature, but the first new developments of social housing, Islington Square by FAT Architects and Guest Street by dMFK, are occupied and Alsop’s CHIPS development of apartments is beginning to fill in the pattern of fingers of occupation specified in the masterplan. A further architectural competition, dubbed ‘Tutti frutti’, confidently invited participants to invest £200,000 for an empty plot on which to build a terraced house. Only time will tell whether this optimistic not to say economically precarious vision of the harmonious urban future will root in the previously neglected urban environment of the Cardroom Estate.

Will Alsop’s 2002 masterplan exemplified the mediation of this strategy through the use of seductive communicative means, a narrative which suggested that a difficult reality had been overturned by an urban fiction. After substantial infrastructural works and relatively modest domestic projects by other architects were completed, this landscape of continuing urban desolation has been epitomised by the finalising of the long-awaited CHIPS apartment building, it its own way as baroque as the theatrical vision of the chip which featured in Deller’s Procession. Nothing could be further from the anodyne image of conventional urban renewal in Britain. Uncannily similar to the computer simulation produced as part of the marketing campaign, Alsop’s brightly-coloured reveals, the building’s super-graphics and the waterside location will perhaps distract the architectural tourist from the brittle quality of the building’s construction. While CHIPS exemplifies a certain degree of disengagement from its context, this distance is only a symptom of the frenetic switching between development and disillusion which has provided the backdrop to British urban regeneration.
This see-saw now moves at such a pace that forms are exhausted virtually the moment they are disseminated, diminishing the aura of the architectural and urban object, while fuelling the appetite for further novelty. However, what is most startling in the fulfillment of the masterplan is the meanness of the spaces provided for occupation in contrast to the generous provision of public open space, in sharp contrast to the overdevelopment evident in other parts of the city. The lack of construction caused by the economic downturn therefore means that a series of isolated developments will enjoy an amplitude of open space in varying degrees of completion and abandonment for some time to come. The bus stops are in place to ferry future residents, but eight years after inception one would still have to be a very optimistic pioneer to invest your hard-won mortgage in this key example of contemporary urban anomie.

Whether ambitious projects such as New Islington indicate foolhardiness or naivety, they suggest that an incremental and open-ended policy for regeneration would be less wasteful of resources and aspirations, and would produce an environment where the quality of the public realm could be utilized rather than merely decorated. The economic benefits of such a strategy might take a long time to accrue, but the indications are that such a course might result in a city that is less self-consciously alienated from its inhabitants. As has already been indicated the compromised nature of Manchester’s contemporary urban form is a product of fluctuating regeneration policies of the last quarter century. Beginning modestly with projects for conversion and reoccupation in abandoned industrial areas in response to the economic collapse of the early Thatcher years, an urban aesthetic was developed, a post-industrial interpretation of the postmodern which was specific to the city. Following the damage caused by an I.R.A. bomb in June 1996, Manchester’s regeneration accelerated to place it as a frequently cited exemplar of British urban policy, and its identification with traditional urban forms was in turn abandoned. The result has been that, in the city centre, a policy that with varied degrees of success had sought to preserve the character of the 19th century city was turned overnight, as a
result of the bomb, into a policy of "boom". Aesthetic concern for the city, in the attempt to defend the integrity of historic buildings, was deemed unrealistic and reactionary. A premium was placed on the novelty of the intervention, in illogical contrast to the sensitive preservation of industrial structures and environments that had been followed previously. Projects developed since that post-bomb period have eviscerated the urban structure of the 19th century city and replaced it with high-rise buildings in an ill-defined groundscape. However it is possible to discern that this fragmented cityscape has its origins in planning policies that have been pursued with varying degrees of vigour since the end of the Second World War.

The general situation of decline was a disease for which the 1996 IRA bomb damage was decisive in accelerating radical surgery. Whereas the planned response to decay had been to simulate traditional forms of urban growth in a condensed time scale, even more dramatic possibilities could now be considered. Allied to the commercial threat of out of town retail development, the bomb provided the opportunity for the city to reconsider itself in global terms. As a result Manchester city centre was rapidly redeveloped, and as the new skeletal concrete forms grew from the rubble there was a brief moment to remember the city's aspirations and analyse where current developments were leading. In its 1997 design guide Manchester City Council promoted a particular vision of its stewardship of the urban environment. In particular, this document focused on sustainability expressed through a diet of familiar physical criteria that were deemed to have somehow lapsed from designers' collective consciousness. A strategy was proposed which simultaneously adopted traditional patterns of urban design and projected an innovative vision of Manchester's place in the world. Of course, Manchester has long had an international reputation for commercial
pragmatism regardless of the social and urban consequences. 19th century visitors from continental Europe were shocked. De Tocqueville and Engels remarked on the disastrous social fallout of the early industrial urban experience. Despite this hellish vision, the radical industrialised space of the Manchester mill was exported to Berlin by the Prussian court architect Schinkel and transformed into the beginnings of a new urban vernacular of brick, cast iron and terracotta. More than a century and a half later these processes are reversed and Manchester has to import the latest industrialised building methods in an effort to survive as the commercial centre in the region let alone improve its position in the global economy.

The juxtaposition of these regeneration projects was promoted as part of national urban policy after the 1998 Rogers report Towards an Urban Renaissance with the remaining industrial context, the later 19th century architecture and organic urban cityscape only adding to the pathos of the simulated central business district which has most recently been created in time for the latest financial crisis.

This strategy is most evident in the Spinningfields development, sited in the area of the city that had been most directly affected by the 1945 Plan. Crown Square, a civic area of court and municipal buildings has been rebranded as a financial and retail centre by the developer Allied London. The morphological tradition of disconnected object-like structures has been revived, erasing the intervening six undistinguished decades. Key to the recent developments is the model provided by Albert Bridge House completed in 1958-59, a work of austere modernism which has always provided difficult environmental microclimate conditions for office workers and passers-by. The winds generated might now be funnelled between it and its new neighbour in the Civil Justice Centre (Denton Corker Marshall 2007), which acts as a backdrop to another product of the post-war era the peculiarly retardataire Crown Court (1962) by the city architect Leonard C. Howitt.

The architectural history of Manchester is spattered with previous attempts to create business districts which have survived to be regarded subsequently as high points in its urban heritage. The indigenous typological invention of the ‘palazzo’ warehouse formed the sober scenography to the streetscape of, for example, Princess Street in the mid nineteenth century. Scale and decoration both became more inflated by the time Whitworth Street’s canyon between terracotta facades was formed at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. King Street, the banking district of the city until the early 1990s has a family of many generations of structures from C.R.Cockerell’s Bank of England through to Casson and Conder’s National Westminster Bank. They asserted their integrity (largely) through the articulation of their stone surfaces, rusticated in traditional forms, ribbed and tooled in the modern, occupying their plots from the vantage point provided by high ground floors. The break in this pattern was provided by Lord Esher in Pall Mall Court with its smoked glass lined public space to the rear, which represented the latest developments in business architecture and indicated the way to the present situation.

The treatment of the small number of significant examples of architectural heritage reveals the evaporation of civic values in the Spinningfields development. For example, Lloyd Evans Pritchard’s refurbishment of the original John Rylands Library building has revived the fabric, but the new planning arrangements introduced with the latest ill-advised extension (Austin Smith: Lord 2007) suck the life out of Basil Champneys’s building. While many may mistake the building’s Deansgate frontage for a church, they all recognise that it is a building of significance and quality. The new entrance in the side extension suggests nothing more than yet another banal retail space, or perhaps a failing department store. The new buildings of the area are without any sense of place, and are glumly staid, a small scale vision of the technocratic urban centre fundamentally delineated by Le Corbusier eighty years ago. They stand around the development awkwardly misaligned with each other and unconvincingly heterogenous in their exterior forms, different wrappings around the same sort of functional space. But at least they have a genuine function, unlike the public realm of the area, where the same futile decorative mentality attempts to modify the obvious meaninglessness of the space.

In confirmation of this gestural drift, the largest new civic structure of the development, the Civil Justice Centre presents a series of confusing images. The banality of the building’s organisational diagram, a frontside and a backside, a spine of circulation, presented a degree of self effacing refinement which the architects attempt to overturn by squeezing the floors out as cantilevers. As they slip into the huge structure through an embarrassment of a public entrance what are those involved in the legal process to make of this gymnastic display of potential collapse? The appearance of disintegration is effected to provide the judges with a dining room with a spectacular view, but also a largely enclosed major court room. Such reassuringly utilitarian messages are commonplace in Manchester architecture, so the lack of sentimentality could be thought of as a demonstration of the genius loci of the city, or an appropriation of vacant disregard for reality. Essentially the building represents nothing more than a monument to the bureaucracy of family breakdown, which despite its very expensive efforts is relatively hard to distinguish from the banks and accountancy firms that litter Spinningfields.

The marketing strategy of the city centre residential boom has been transferred to the commercial office sector with the attempt to produce a ‘community’ out of office workers. Not surprisingly economies of scale play their sometimes unacknowledged part. Throughout the Spinningfields development the public spaces are particularly redundant, lacking the sort of fluid changes of occupation one would witness in an authentic place. The new spaces are there to provide hierarchy to otherwise largely indistinguishable buildings, to ‘add value’ in the cost per square metre of an address on a ‘square’, over one on a ‘boulevard’, over one on an ‘avenue’. Urban space in these situations is part of the commodification of urban property rather than the provision a genuinely public realm.

Looking ahead, the new spaces created as part of the Spinningfields development are so stupendously formless they can only indicate their eventual occupation by yet more office building. Large patches of lawn suggest future development plots that might give more definition to these late manifestations of s.l.o.a.p. (space left over after planning). Lines of skater-proof benches provide rhythm of potential occupation, although hard up against the glass elevation of the Civil Justice Centre, they offer little prospect of comfort, let alone a view. In Hardman Square the enigmatic forms of polished black stone attempt to provide interest to the yawning space which opens out towards the monuments of early twentieth century Manchester, the rear and stage door of Sir Albert Richardson’s Opera House (1912) and the roofscape of Joseph Sunlight’s Sunlight House (1932). This public space complements the essentially private functions of the work place, while the cultural and civic monuments, the Rylands Library, the Crown Court and (perhaps thankfully) the new Magistrates’ Court struggle for a public presence against their newer, attention seeking, commercial neighbours, with their V-sign columns, confusingly suppressed entrances, ineffective signage, and the visual detritus of internal occupation.

The package of aspirations that the occupant is offered by Spinningfields represents a particularly impoverished form of urbanism. Attention lights on the palette of accumulated brands precisely because the physical environment (buildings and spaces) in which they are contained is so banal and devoid of consolation. While the scholastic gloom of Basil Champneys’s John Rylands Library (1899) perhaps offers no direct model for contemporary emulation, the quality of its construction and longevity of its use and occupation present a sharp riposte to the disposable buildings and spaces of today. This lamentable situation is exemplified by the latest miserable product of retail / office space, 2 Spinningfields Square, which has appeared adjacent to the “last significant flowering of Gothic in the city”. Individuality is reduced to the illumination of corporate logos and the complexity provided by a gratuitous and hard to occupy plan form, produced by its prismatic form as a reductio ad absurdam. Nothing more underlines the inappropriateness of this particular commercial bauble to the present economic circumstances than the promotional CGI film where two improbably refined financial services employees divert themselves with a few minutes of retail therapy before the inevitable arrival of their redundancy notices.

The perhaps equally inevitable arrival of economic stagnation brings a sense of closure to these recent developments. Praised as innovations they have introduced often dramatic change into the Mancunian cityscape, but the incompleteness of their resolution, and the fragmentary discontinuity their thwarted plans produce is firmly rooted in an urban tradition identified by Roland Nicholas well over sixty years ago, where

‘the spirit of materialism and indifference to beauty … has been mainly responsible for the undistinguished appearance of the present city centre.’

References:

Eamonn Canniffe and Tom Jefferies, (1999). Manchester Architecture Guide, Manchester Metropolitan University Faculty of Art and Design.

Eamonn Canniffe, (2006). Urban Ethic: Design in the Contemporary City, London and New York, Routledge.

Eamonn Canniffe, (2000). Tabula Rasa as Tradition: Rebuilding Manchester Again, Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review, Volume 131, 26-33.

Eamonn Canniffe and Sally Stone, (2007). Building Study: de Metz Forbes Knight’s Guest Street Scheme in New Islington, Manchester, The Architects’ Journal, No 18 Vol 225, 25-37.

Eamonn Canniffe, (2007). Exploring the fragments of a discontinuous city: Post-Regeneration Manchester ‘Planning for the risk society’ Association of European Schools of Planning XXI Naples July 2007.

Eamonn Canniffe, (2008). Tradition and Change in Post-Regeneration Manchester, Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review, Volume 203.

Northern Quarter: Britain's Best Neighbourhood?

2010-11-27T21:27:00.001Z

Afflecks Palace. Image from the Manchester Evening News.

The Academy of Urbanism, a think-tank that aims to "extend urban discourse beyond built environment professionals", has awarded Manchester's Northern Quarter the Great Neighbourhood Award in the 2011 Urbanism Awards. At a ceremony in London the Academy, whose members include architects, planners, engineers, developers and designers, announced the Northern Quarter as the winner from an initial short-list that included Belfast's Cathedral Quarter and Glasgow's Pollokshields. The 450 Academicians who make up the organisation were asked to pick a winner from each category based on the results on an assessment visit to each location last summer. Key to the nomination and assessment method was how improved and enduring that urban environment is.

Speaking about the Awards John Thompson, Chairman of The Academy of Urbanism, said: "The Academy of Urbanism created these awards precisely to recognise places ... which have helped transform local quality of life through good design and planning ... the high standard and broad spread of nominees ... inspires confidence in the widespread community-led regeneration that continues to take place across the UK and Ireland." (The Press Release available here). Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, Mr Thompson added that the Northern Quarter is "one of the most interesting places in the country."

The award has sparked a debate in the city and the country as a whole as to what exactly constitutes a great neighbourhood. Some critics have cited that the Academy, by its very nature of dealing with Urbanism' excludes certain communities however the response from Mr Thompson to this has been to define Urbanism as the "footprint we collectively leave on the planet." Comments on the Manchester Evening News article responding to the award were mixed but on the whole reaction from Mancunians has been positive

Manchester City Council's Pat Karney, speaking to the BBC, said he was "pleased as there's a real community feel to the place [and] the warmth of the people that live and work [there] and the cluster of small business has created a very desirable neighbourhood."

Vaughn allen, chief executive of Cityco, Manchester's city centre, also speaking to the BBC was keen to point out how the Northern Quarter "has transformed itself and diversified, creating an eclectic mix of fashion designers, independent shops, bars, cafes and restaurants, creative agencies and private galleries."

However, Dave Haslam, author and DJ (he DJ'd over 450 times at the legendary Hacienda club) was quick to disagree as to him "a neighbourhood' should be a fertile, intriguing, comfortable mix." He went on to add that "it's increasingly become a spill-over from the Printworks in the evening and some of that arty bohemian thing was part of what made the area special is draining away ... the fact is you never see children in the Northern Quarter - or old people. I imagine a perfect neighbourhood to have a school of a nursery, a park, somewhere for old people to sit and watch the world go by, and so on."

What is clear here is that the term neighbourhood is a loaded one, with different meanings to different people depending upon their own personal experiences of the urban space that makes up their own past, present and visionary (future) neighbourhoods. Something which can not be denied has been the ability of the Northern Quarter to regenerate, re brand and reinvent itself without little private capital investment which has come to symbolise city-centre regeneration projects of the last 20 years.

Cornerhouse and Library Theatre to Share New Home

2010-11-25T22:59:00.001Z

Cornerhouse Entrance (from Cornerhouse Website)

Two of Manchester's leading institutions for the visual arts have announced plans this week to share a purpose built facility in the City Centre. Cornerhouse is a centre for contemporary visual arts and film in Manchester, located on a prominent and busy site at the intersection of Oxford Street and Whitworth Street, with Oxford Road Station nestled in behind. The Manchester Library Theatre Company has, over the past 58 years, produced high quality seasons of drama, musical theatre and plays with a growing education programme in the basement of Manchester Central Library.

A new "major cultural facility" will become the home for both Cornerhouse and Library Theatre Company. The City Council hopes that the new £19 million purpose-built facility - boasting five cinemas, 600 sq m of contemporary gallery space, a 500-seat theatre and smaller studio/education spaces - will help "unlock" up to 10,000 jobs in a key regeneration area in Manchester city centre - The First Street development.

Dave Moutrey, the Cornerhouse Chief Exectuive, had this to say on his blog: "Clearly the arts do have real hard economic value and can make a very positive impact on people's lives so it is a credit to Manchester that public and private sectors recognise this and are still prepared to act." Whilst Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: "These highly imaginative proposals will be a win-win for Manchester. They support existing jobs and will help attract others to this important gateway site. In the aftermath of the recession and facing unprecedented public sector cuts this is exactly the sort of scheme we need to get people into work, get our economy moving even faster, and show the world that Manchester is still an ambitious city still on the up."

Cornerhouse has drawn up a number of plans for expansion in recent years, most recently there was Arca's black rubber-clad box (2008) and David Chipperfield's reworking of the former Kinemacolour Palace cinema (1998). However, it appears that the constraints of the site and the current building have meant that a move to a new purpose-built facility, with the increased potential to expand its creative programme, is too attractive to turn down.Nothing has yet been announced about the redevelopment of the Cornerhouse's current home but occupying such a key site in the City Centre careful consideration should be given to programme this takes.

The Library Theatre, as part of the ongoing refurbishment work to Manchester Central Library (by Ryder Architecture), was investigating the potential of moving to the Theatre Royal in Peter Street (being worked on by Stephenson Bell) however these has been scrapped on cost grounds.

'Functional model and outline design concept'
by RHWL for developer of the site, Ask (from Architects Journal)

The new site, close to the former Hacienda club on Whitworth Street, could be open by 2014. An international design competition will be launched for the project which already has £16 million of financing ring fenced (as part of the Library Theatre relocation deal) and a further £3 million expected to come from third party contributions and future capital receipts.

Read the full 'Report for Resolution - First Street Cultural Facility' by Manchester City Council here.

MSSA Talks: An Exploration of Timber Structures by Malcolm McGregor

2010-11-18T23:54:00.000Z

MSSA Talks - the new name for the Manchester Student Society of Architecture Lecture Series - hosted it's second event of the 2010-11 academic year on Thursday 18th November 2010 with an interesting and thought provoking presentation by Malcolm McGregor, a Director at London based Pringle Richards Sharratt (PRS). Entitled 'An Exploration of Timer Structures' Malcolm McGregor outlined how the practice's research into the structural and aesthetic qualities of timber in a range of building typologies - principally in the form of Cross Laminated Timbers (CLT).

The talk began with McGregor outlining his own personal experiences in the architectural industry which included an explanation of his architectural education at Bath University where he was schooled in principles of CIAM modernism and by Peter Smithson (during his Part 2). These rational, pragmatic influences could be seen in the later projects where he often referred to creating a 'modern' design. He also spent 8 years working in Germany after the fall of the wall, before joining PRS.

Sheffield Winter Garden. Image Copyright PRS

After setting up his own frame of view for the audience McGregor proceeded by talking about a number of 'failures' - projects he felt didn't adequately resolve the use of timber in either their design or construction - by the practice. These included the Westend Housing proposal for Berlin and the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford. The reasons given were wide ranging but were effectively due to cost and the perceived risk of timber structures during a fire. Shrewsbury Music School, the first CLT project built in the UK with an acoustically sealed and naturally ventilated performance space, and the Sheffield Millennium Galleries and Winter Garden were highlighted as the first non-failures. The Sheffield project in particular seemed to be highly successful in creating a new public space in the city, an aspiration the practice would appear to duplicate in later projects.

Interlaced with the projects McGregor referred back to several design processes and methods of inquiry used by either himself or the practice, including the important part a sketch plays in these processes as a tool for quick consultation and expanding ideas. He also touched on notions of prototyping, testing with both computer and built models, research and developing a critical position. The acknowledgement that certain projects are simply a reiteration of earlier design concepts, albeit refined with each iteration, was a refreshing statement for the students in the room to hear, as was the importance to understand the critical relationship between architecture and the client/funding institution.

TfL West Ham Bus Garage. Image Copyright PRS

The rest of the talk was devoted predominately to two projects - the TfL West Ham Bus Garage, London and Hull History Centre, Hull. The first project grew out of a need to relocate three bus garages from the Olympic site to a new, consolidated, location for 350 buses. A series of vaulted sheds form an "acoustic shield" to protect neighbouring residential properties from the busy (and often late running) operations of cleaning and managing buses. The vaulted forms are made possible by a structure of timber arches (laminated glulam beams on this occasion) that aimed to be everything an "a tin Ikea-like shed" isn't. A high level of natural light is allowed to permeate into the workshop spaces to improve the working environment. The environmental credentials of the scheme include a 100kW tall wind turbine , CHP, biomass, water harvesting, recycled aggregate in construction and a green roof to promote biodiversity have resulted in the site generating 27% of its energy demands through on-site renewables.

Hull History Centre, Hull. Image Copyright PRS

The Hull project saw the creation of an innovative new centre that holds the joint local studies archive of Hull City Council and Hull University. Resonating with the Sheffield project the practice sought to create a new public route through the city that became a "public court" under an ETFE promenade. The project marked a shift for the practice in that the timber structure was manufactured locally, by Kingston Craft Centre, whereas previous projects have used German/Austrian/Swiss firms. A striking and challenging design, that posed some issues for the manufactures who were not equipped with CNC equipment of their European counterparts, has been excellently detailed and the final solution offers a facility "the envy of archivists everywhere" (in the words of Dan Snow, historian and broadcaster).

In summary the talk offered a fascinating insight into how the practice has worked to provide "harmony in timber" to deliver their beliefs in an architecture that is "modern, elegant and sustainable."

Year Out Diary: Part 4

2010-11-17T22:52:00.001Z

ADAPTING

Finding work is difficult at the best of times, but what does one do when the work needed to progress is unavailable, and to work outside of the field doesn’t aid your career path significantly. Of all the architectural students that graduated with me in the summer, very few have found themselves work in an architect’s office. Several have chosen that the profession is no longer suited for them, others are taking time out to decide, not worrying about the need for a job, but several are stuck in an endless trap.

Unable to progress with what they want students have to succumb to pressure and delve in to other jobs as a necessity. These jobs will offer support and a means to an end, but are simply an extension to the waiting.

All through university you are paying to design, with guidance. Part 1 sees a student arrive at a notable level of maturity, sufficient enough to work in the professional environment, still with guidance. Ascertaining the degree enforces the conclusion that we are capable of designing, however lack the knowledge to transition to a built form. This all means that although we are unable to be independent architects, we can still practice and design architecture.

Luke Tyson, a student at the MSA, has found himself in this predicament that is the architectural professions sever lack of positions. Instead of retreating from the battle of finding work, he worked out a way around it. With the help of old tutors and a generous amount of people plans have been laid out for a new architectural community to be set up in the heart of Manchester.

Stepping away from the typical business environment of an architect’s office, Y4 plans to offer Part 1 students the opportunity to gain the relevant year out experience needed to progress in a cooperative work scheme. Competitions will be the main focus, but the workshop-based group will be able to decide what it is they want to design. They will be practicing architecture in a modern adaptable system. Unpaid means the project will be self sufficient, contributors just work the 20hrs needed a week over a few days, leaving the rest of the work for paid work.

The fact that something like this is able to happen only helps to support the importance of adaptability and elevates the study of architecture to a new area of ethics.

The scheme is still being finalized, however Luke has begun to run a blog for the project. Job vacancies, competitions and other news will be posted on the site. If you are interested in the scheme Luke can be contacted at lukejacktyson@live.com. Any support available will go a long way.

Part 1 Year Out: Diary Entry 3

2010-11-14T20:22:00.001Z

ALTERNATIVES:

Finding a year out placement is proving to be more difficult that first envisaged. Practices seek to interview potential employees, but then wait until the work is in, providing them with a wide variety of choice, but leaving prospective students waiting indefinitely. I have attended countless interviews, only to return home having no idea when a decision might be made. This problem isn’t that of the companies, more just the bad luck current architectural student’s have in graduating into a difficult period. The practices themselves cannot afford to risk the employment of people without security of work and pay. So we simply have to persevere and wait until the time is right.

What is one to do? Knowing that work is not readily available we have to adapt to the current environment. If nothing is happening, make it. Look to competitions online for student entries, use your knowledge of the architectural field and branch out. Employer’s look for people who have expanded out of their original limits, and ventured further a field to different areas of work that still relate to the profession. Design is a humungous area, with architecture just a small percentage. Graphic design is heavily apparent in Architecture, working with that will only benefit you.

RIBA have adjusted their guidelines to allow for the disposition we find ourselves in. Although an architectural placement is preferred, you can branch out while staying under the bracket of year out experience. Work on a construction site is allowed, as is work in a planning office. If you are thinking of working in these areas double check with whomever you are doing your PEDR with, as they have the final say.

Through the contact of a friend and a boredom of no success, I managed to get work as an intern at an international architectural magazine down in London. Unpaid, and only a sofa promised for a short period, I decided to move down simply to escape the trap of finding work in an environment of little work. 3 days a week, 10 – 6, the job was different to say the least. Although an architect’s magazine, the work was far from it.

Publishing is an interesting profession. The experience I gained while there was more than useful. It wasn’t architectural, rather administrative work. Except architect’s work in that environment, to be able to fit right in at a company is tremendously beneficial. I also learnt that just asking can get you along way. So much is available to those who ask. What I received always varied, but it still was something. It showed me that you can achieve anything at any scale; you just have to be in the right place at the right time.

I have now got a job, at a new practice in Manchester. I start soon, and although I am glad to be out of the internship and London, it was still a critical tipping point to my architectural career. The people I met, and the contacts made will always be available to me. I also would never have got this job if I hadn’t been down there. Finding work is difficult, and the unknowing prospects of it are a pain to deal with it, but learn to turn it on its head and use that spare time to accomplish other things.

by Jack Penford Baker

Outstanding Research at MARC

2010-10-24T17:24:00.002+01:00

Dr Albena Yaneva of the Manchester Architecture Research Centre (MARC) and the Manchester School of Architecture (MSA) has been awarded the RIBA President’s Award for Outstanding University-located Research for her work An Ethnography of Architecture.

The judges said: "This type of sociological and anthropological research into design practice is significant for architecture, adding a new perspective to the way we understand architectural processes. The two books are enjoyable to read, linking through hypertextual narratives an impressive quantity of historical information and technical data, stories and anecdotes, theoretical research and empirical observations."

Dr Yaneva describes her work as being “intrinsically transdisciplinary” crossing “the boundaries of science studies, cognitive anthropology, architectural theory and political philosophy.” Her current research projects are Moving Networks: Architectural Tools for Tracing the Social and The Architectural Presentation: Techniques and Politics. Her work also includes the Mapping Architectural Controversies project. The two books that formed part of the research output by Dr Yaneva, “Made by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture” and “The Making of a Building: A Pragmatist Approach to Architecture” were both published in 2009 and are available for purchase.

Dr Ralf Brand, also of MARC and MSA, was also short listed for the same award for the project “The Urban Environment – Mirror and mediator of Radicalisation?”

For full details of the RIBA awards read the full press release here.

Award

2010-10-13T16:41:00.003+01:00

Look Up Manchester has been nominated. The kind folks over at Manchester Blog Awards have released the short list to this year’s awards, and we have been put up in the “Best City and Neighborhood Blog” category.

We are up against 4 other brilliant blogs; Manchester Daily Photo, Love Levenshulme, In a Town So Small and Parklover. All are fantastic blogs that post mesmerising articles to do with the great city of Manchester.

You can vote for your favorite, and all other categories, at http://www.manchesterblogawards.com/ . Winners will be announced on the 20^th of October at Manchester’s Deaf Institute. So please vote for us.

Manchester This Week

2010-09-28T18:50:00.005+01:00

Week commencing the 27^th of September.

Look Up Manchester seeks to relay architectural news to the masses, but things are to change. We will set ourselves free from the containment of architecture and look to bring you the news of design and architecture in and around architecture. As with the likes of Zaha Hadid and her fashion orientated designs, or even Mies Van Der Rohe’s Barcelona chair, architects have always sat themselves right in the middle of the world of design, it only felt natural for us to do the same.

This week see’s 2 events in Manchester capitalising on the ever growing art and design culture scene. First is the opening of a new exhibition in the EASA HQ named 36 EXP. The second is a retrospective look at Puma’s design history, cleverly housed in a single van that transformers into an outdoor showroom.

36 EXP describes itself as a photographic exhibition involving 36 artists and 36 contact sheets. Taking the original properties of an original film that takes 36 exposures, artists were invited to submit their personal response to an entire film of photographs. The step back to older techniques offered the entrants to mix an amalgamation of modern ideas with old process.

The work on show expresses a missed art, the softness of old film is heavily underestimated in todays digitally centered world. Film’s use is decaying more as each day passes, cinemas are beginning to retract 35mm projectors in favour of modern digital projectors, and the art of the projectionist is almost extinct. 36 EXP will hopefully show the contrast of film to the sharp unnatural digital alternative through the artists’s carefully created exhibits.

The exhibition opens on the 30^th of September at 6:30pm till 9:00pm and looks to be an interesting display of photographs. Find out more at http://36exp.visualsociety.com/.

PUMA are currently in Manchester with their REWIND FORWARD van. The scheme looks to showcase an archive of designs in a contemporary way. Once in location the van disassembles then reassembles as a multifunctional “Pop-Out” shop. Included within the space once erected are seating, storage and TV screens. Music is to be played to passers by and there will also be a chance to win archive products of Puma.

The van will be present at the NCP on Bloom Street between the 28^th and 29^th of September. Find out more at facebook.com/puma.

Sheppard Robson's Design For Manchester Eye Hospital

2010-09-23T17:31:00.003+01:00

Image courtesy of Sheppard Robson

Images have just emerged for the design of an extension and refurbishment to Manchester's Eye Hospital, situated on Oxford Road. The design looks to link the current grade 2 listed building with a new contemporary structure directly behind, the two will then be joined by a large glass atrium.

The £21million project generates are beautifully crafted facade which takes elements of the old victorian hospital brickwork, and works it in to a matching stencil detailing. The new build looks to revolve around a centre for bio-medical research, which includes laboratory space, offices, cliniacal testing wards, teaching facilities and other specialist space. 100,00 sq ft in total will be added to eye hospital.

Image Courtesy of Sheppard Robson

The design follows a recent flurry of new builds within the oxford road health campus. Recently St Mary's hospital was demolished to reveal the recently built children's hospital, and current ground works are taking place.

Overall Sheppard Robson's design works well as a modern approach to a traditional style, helping to keep to the Mancunian masonry style, but with a modernist twist.

The Next Step

2010-09-22T19:55:00.005+01:00

Only a crisis can bring change, and we are not in a crisis, yet.

The green way of life has been present for decades. An imminent and possibly devastating problem sits on our horizon. We are all aware of it, we discuss it daily, money is poured into it, and endless hypothetical solutions are devised, except we are still the same. We have become comfortable and carefree. Of course our society is changing, and companies worldwide are parading their green credentials, and a fight against carbon emissions. We all recycle, some of us grow our own food, and the odd house is decorated in solar panels, a step in the direction, yes, but still no overall change. 40 years ago recycling wasn’t popular, and companies hadn’t heard of climate change, but 40 years ago not everyone regularly flew abroad, or owned electronics made 1,000s of miles away, nor did they buy fruit from the other side of the world. We have a problem in ourselves that needs to be addressed before we can progress, a problem of sustainability.

Our definition of the word has become tainted, we see it as a direct approach to climate change not as a way of life. At the root of being sustainable is following the rule that one must meet it’s needs without effecting the needs and resources of future generations. Climate change is one element in a much larger equation of being sustainable. A relationship needs to be generated that enforces the present with a respect for the future, only then can we achieve targets, and successfully stop climate change.

Carbon neutrality is the final goal, but not a means to achieve it, that is done by carbon negative. To only achieve neutrality is to only care about the present, disregarding the past and what effects we did create. Take for example government targets for all new houses to be carbon neutral from 2016, then overlay the fact that at current rates 0.8% of homes are new builds a year, thus equating to 125 years to replace just the homes we currently have with carbon neutral ones. How is it that carbon neutrality can be sold as a positive change? The change needs to happen to those new builds and existing ones. The adaptation of the old and the negative carbon of the new will help us achieve neutrality more efficiently, benefitting the present whilst repairing the past’s damage for a sustainable future.

We face a drastic change, but that change needs to occur in order for us to become sustainable, but how can we change a society comfortable with the way they are. Ideas and schemes need to accommodate for the majority’s reservation against change and help to develop achievable and practical solutions to our non-sustainable way of life.

Below is a scheme I generated with the help of Manchester City Council’s data on their green spaces spread across the city. It looks at taking the next step towards sustainable life, focusing on food production. In no way is it groundbreaking or revolutionary, rather a little more of something that has been around for over a thousand years. Food production in the UK only meets 2/3s of our demand. We therefore import from other countries at an economic and carbon cost. Why don’t we become a sustainable food producing country? If we were to generate all the food we needed, in a sustainable manner, the current costs would be eradicated and food would become cheaper.

Allotments: the next step. We have them already, they are in demand, they cost little to both maintain and use, and they generate ample food. My scheme simply expands the amount of allotments present in Manchester. By occupying 2/3s of the Green space in Manchester an annual saving of £1,809,392 is made, plus the rental cost of provides the council with a substantial financial reason to do so. As for the residents of Manchester they receive the benefit of cheap food for themselves, and an opportunity to trade with others to generate extra income. All round the scheme works, makes sense economically, and is an achievable next step towards a sustainable country.

If you have nay further questions about my work or this scheme in particular feel free to contact me at lookupmanchester@gmail.com.

Part 1 Year Out: Diary Entry 2

2010-08-26T12:41:00.001+01:00

WAITING.

Occasional articles refer to a practice I am yet to contact, I immediately write an email, attach my CV, send, and then wait. The quick rush and thought of an opportunity is almost simultaneously diminished as I return to waiting for any reply that may come my way.

Degree is finished, amazingly gained a first, something yet to reveal it’s true benefit, still to graduate, and undoubtedly waiting. I have countless lists of architects, ones for Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Scotland, London, and all others. The lists contain contact details for each one, and the current status. The lists probably amount to around 250 practices, each one has a flurried “sent” written next to their name, reminding me that I have contacted them. The lists fill my desktop and as I sit waiting emails begin to come through. Although the majority of them are straightforward “ Thank you for sending your CV, unfortunately…” they are still replies none the less, and may qualms about the existence of architects are resolved.

Something that people keep asking me is whether the perpetual rejection is demoralising, the answer; no. I’ve always known that finding a job would be hard and all I can do is carry on searching. So as replies trickle in to my email box I simply acknowledge them, happy for the polite reply, briefly seeing a secretary’s name, or sometimes a directors and updating their status on one of my many lists. All you can do is try,

The most frustrating part of job searching process isn’t the waiting, or in fact the rejection, it’s the not knowing. I resorted to moving back in with my parents, as it seemed the most financially sensible option, and pursued my life in Leeds. I do not mind the return to my old pre-university life, rather if someone could just tell me what my future beholds. It could be that in a weeks time I get offered an interview, then a job and suddenly find myself living in London. Where I live, or the practice, I don’t mind just someone please tell me.

Out of nowhere I received a phone call from a firm, inviting me down for an interview. At last an opportunity. However the date they wished to see me I couldn’t make and the lady on the phone politely said she would call me the next day with a new date. Looking back I should have taken the original set day then and there, but I asked to change it, and again I started to wait. She didn’t call back the next day, or in fact the day after that, nor the next. I tried calling her but she wasn’t in. I began to give up, but thankfully at 5:30pm on a Friday she rang. She apologised and set about arranging a new date.

The date set was my graduation, and the day before I went on a 2 week holiday. But I couldn’t say no again. I attended my graduation ceremony, threw my mortarboard and then jumped on a train to Birmingham. Arrived in a city I had only ever driven past, and entered the Bullring immediately outside the station. Thankfully the practice was situated near by and their rather prominent logo helped me to discover their office.

The interview went well, I think. They spoke, I spoke. We casually discussed each other’s approaches to architecture, what we were interested in, and was finally given a tour of their practice. They said they would let me know once I returned from my holiday. When asked how it went, as I returned back home, I replied; “Really well”. The truth is I don’t know, it was my first, I have no precedent to go against, and I received no feedback. I guess all I can do is, well wait.

Part 1 year Out Diary: Entry 1

2010-08-04T19:36:00.004+01:00

The exact date of when i finished my first degree has already escaped my head, or perhaps it wasn't there in the first place, the countless deadlined accumilating in a final exhibition has managed to remove my sense of time, and the unknown factor of each submission confuses me as to when my degree actually did terminate, all I know is that it now has.

The degree show 2 weeks away is something of a full stop to my 3 years at manchester School of Architecture, climaxing in what I hope to be employment. 2 weeks of no deadlines, 2 weeks of freedom, possibly. Or 2 weeks to make a head start on my future career. Although is it a head start? I endlessly asked myself and those around me when to start applying for Part 1 jobs. Christmas, Easter, just before portfolio submission, or once deadlines are finished. The answer I still don't know. In hindsight maybe at Easter, or just after, but then you don't have al your finished, and probably best, work, an essential section of one's CV. In reality there is no correct time to begin the search, just be aware of when it's best for you, as the added pressure of employment amidst final year deadlines can be a lot to handle.

I decided after the Synoptic. All work was finished and I could spend my time solely on my future. The CV was the first on the list. I already had one of sorts, although it included my year 6 SAT's results, and my previous employment looked to promote my 3 year stint as a paperboy, something practices aren't particularly looking for. A new CV was needed. The design was first. Architecture is design, if you can design a building to the most precise detail, but your CV was done on Microsoft Word and uses Comic Sans as a font, the bin will be where it will reside. M

y design is coherent with with my portfolio work and follows a simple hierarchy layout designed on InDesign. As for the content this is where you have to strict, concise and ruthless. My cousin, who is coincidentally an architect, has seen countless CVs come through her office. She quickly scans the pages before making a decision in a matter of seconds. The document is a foot in the door, keep it simple and to the point, don't be afraid to not include previous jobs if they bare no relation to architecture, but remember you can always bring it up in an interview, where they make a decision about you.

The CV was finished, and now the task of applying. Unsurprisingly there aren't many jobs at the moment. About 7 appear on both the RIBA Appointments site and BD Online Jobs section. In my searches I have come across several other advertised positions, but they appeared directly on their own site. So the next thing to do is send your CV with a covering letter to whoever you can find, and now is not the time to be picky. A job is better than no job and the type and location of firm should be irrelevant. As for how to contact the practices I used various ways.

Firstly firms that I knew of, and of whom I particularly liked their work, I sent hardcopies with individual covering letters. This is expensive however. Roughly costing £2 per copy (including postage). The rest I sent by email. Something I don't particularly like to have done but time and money is of the essence. As for who to contact you have to utilise the available information from journals/ articles/ magazines. Always use RIBA's "find an architect" here you can search all cities for chartered architects. Contact information is provided and is probably the best source. However when you begin to search London the list explodes and another source has to be found. Here I turned to the AJ. It's newstream gives a vast source of architects that have recently won competitions or schemes, meaning they have work and now maybe the time to send a CV. The site also has the AJ100, a list of 100 architects with the greatest turnover last year Back. Other sources are those featured in awards and nominations, and by all means ask people you know, a personal attachment is unbelievably useful.

To the End of Year Show. In previous years it is where local architects would come and traditionally leave their business card on the work of which they liked most, with the opportunity of a job at the end. Times however have changed and very few are present at my year's show. BDP being the exception, they lay a few cards out on people's work and are planning on hiring 6 people this year. The night ends and although a great send off, and joyful night, a job is no closer than before. Proving that the CV and personal correspondence is the most beneficial. All I can do now is wait.

The Future

2010-08-03T16:58:00.004+01:00

LOOKUP Manchester has just entered it's second year of existence, miraculously the blog has excelled beyond what I ever thought it could. With a little help from fellow students and a city full of architecture it has managed to position itself in the blogging culture, both nationally and internationally.

Most readers of the blog are occasional internet trawlers looking for specifics on architectural news. However there are a few loyal followers out there, and this year I hope for that group to expand. Our team looks to grow, already new members are appearing and anymore who wish to get involved need but contact me.

I have just finished my 3rd year, and successfully graduated with a BA Arch degree. Resulting in my future being uncertain. Currently on the prowl for any available architecture work, I have come to realise a missing tangent of an architecture degree. What is a Year Out? As much as the 7 year course is profoundly unified and the initial transition between architectural university life and architectural practicing life seems rather abrupt and significantly different, especially the initial months. Therefore I plan to document my 1st year out as a RIBA Part 1 Student right here on this blog. Hopefully it will be a useful tool for those in my position and for the future students whom find themselves initially unsure by their future.

As it currently stands I am yet to find work, something I never hoped for but an inevitability I was expecting. However all is not lost and I still believe employment is achievable. I plan to write an entry every 2 weeks portraying my experiences in the real world.

by Jack Penford Baker

3rd Year MSA Student's Exhibition

2010-06-17T18:32:00.006+01:00

Opening this friday, the 18th of June 2010, is Manchester School of Architecture's 3rd Year Degree Show. The work on show summarises a year long project that each student has completed. The exhibition opens at 6:00pm in the Chatham building on the MMU All Saints Campus.

Jack Stewart's Work

The Exhibition is spread over 2 floors and contains student work from each of the 5 units currently taught in third year. Each unit is devised by groups of tutors, and then picked by the students at the start of the year. SYNC offers a look to the future of sustainability, structures evolve from nature, resulting in new and innovative forms. Continuity in Architecture, run by Sally Stone, is the child of the BA Unit by the same name. Here history and context stand as the biggest influence in the student's designs. U + L expands the student's approach to possibility, realising schemes that look to drastically change the built environment with influences from today's society.

Jack Penford Baker's Work

Other units in the show include Emerging Topographies and Making Public Space, help to cement the MSA's position at the forefront of future architecture. The exhibition itself is a great opportunity for younger years to get a feel for the units taught, and a chance for the BA students to see what their future competition are producing.

Last Years Exhibition

Although a public exhibition, the main purpose is for architect firms to see the work on show and hopefully decide to employ the majority. Times are difficult at the moment thus making this exhibition a crucial event for prospectus employees and employers.

Ben Hale's Work

The show opens at 6:00pm this friday, and will be open till the following wednesday. I urge people to take a look at whats on show and spread the word about the future of architecture.

Feilden Clegg And Bradley's Observatory Gets The Green Light

2010-05-26T16:24:00.004+01:00

Feilden Clegg and Bradley presence in the north of england has exploded over the past few years. They seem to be first choice for universities, which is unsurprising as Broadcasting Place, which they designed for Leeds Metropolitan University, recently won a regional RIBA award. Other projects in and around Manchester include the new Business School and an extension to Chatham, neighbouring MMU buildings.

News appeared in the month of march about a new visitor centre designed by FCB at the University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire. The design looks to create a new tourist hotspot in the countryside. Already a world famous observatory, the visitor centre hopes to generate £26 million over the next decade in the area. Initial funding has now been granted by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and the Northwest European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), a further £600,000 has been added by the University Of Manchester. Now that funding is secured work plans to start immediately, and is pencilled in for a 2011 finish.

A relatively minimal design with regards to the complex mechanical radar dishes in the vicinity, but overall a complimenting idea. FCB presence in the UK is becoming a formidable force, a welcoming sight as their quality and fresh designs help to elevate architecture in the country.

all images copyright of Feilden Clegg and Bradley

Can Aesthetics Improve Social Disorder

2010-05-19T10:21:00.006+01:00

Approach From Chorlton Road - Image Copyright of 2e

News has just arrived that Manchester based 2E architects have landed the job of re-cladding 4 existing residential tower blocks on Chorlton Road, at the edge of Mancunian Way. The designs look to clad 3 in a dark chocolate terracotta on 3 facades and a rust proof metal facia on the last facade. The other tower, St Georges, smaller in size, will be cladding with a much lighter shade of terracotta on all four sides. The designs bring a refreshing look to the rather dated and typical looking tower blocks.

St Georges Tower Design, Image Copyright to 2e

As much as this news offers a face lift to a centralised area of Manchester, it brings the question of whether it is suitable. Tower blocks sprung up throughout the UK post World War 2 as an idealistic view on future living. Terrace housing was replaced with cities in the sky. People flocked to the new builds and a time of prosperity blossomed. 20 years later and deterioration began to appear. A lot of occupants left for a better life in houses where the concrete corridors were replaced for a traditional house with a garden of their own. The buildings slowly gained a bad reputation and their presence in modern society has begun to be questioned.

Society has changed, the ideas behind tower blocks have become outdated and a different approach to mass residential living is needed. Or perhaps there is no problem, maybe a a building's physical existence has direct correlation to the bad reputation. Maybe 2E's facelift will give the towers the change they have needed. A building's visual appearance overweighs that of it's function with regards to public opinion. Tower blocks used to flourish, so why can't they now?

Hopefully the design will work and become a precedent for all future council's to look at before they jump to demolition. It certainly offers a more sustainable approach to buildings. Why demolish and rebuild, when you can improve what is already there.

Reflective Room

2010-05-18T15:33:00.002+01:00

The Courtyard Project is a collaborative project involving The Manchester Museum and 5th Year Architecture students from the Re_Map and Prototype studio units at Manchester School of Architecture.

A competition invited the students to design an environment within the Courtyard space at The Manchester Museum to align with the summer programme and exhibitions. A shortlist of five proposals were selected and developed further, a summary of which will be exhibited at the Museum from March 2010.

The Museum have selected Reflective Room to be taken forward and the project will be constructed in the Courtyard in June 2010. The student design team from the Prototype unit is led by Matthew Mills and will be assisted by unit tutors Nick Tyson and Ming Chung, along with Neil Thomas of Atelier One.

The Reflective Room will be fabricated and assembled by all students involved in the project in collaboration with technical assistance from Manchester Metropolitan University, The University of Manchester and The Manchester Museum.

Follow the progress of the project here: http://reflectiveroom2010.wordpress.com/

£1 Billion Manchester City Expansion Proposed

2010-05-17T17:55:00.004+01:00

image copyright of Neil Sowerby

Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour plans for a £1 Billion expansion to the current stadium. The plans look to incorporate new leisure facilities whilst a new training facility will also be included. It is believed that New York based Rafael Vinoly has been appointed as the chief architect, however early reports suggested that Manchester based BDP are also involved, as to what level it is unknown.

image copyright to Emily Zoladz | The Grand Rapids Press

Perhaps the most intriguing part to this development is that the development will be connected to the current regeneration of Ancoats next door. Now known as New Islington the area has rapidly grown in the past decade, however there are still a vast amount of vacant properties, around 14%. This news may boost the desirability of the area, and draw in the much needed occupants.

No designs have been revealed and are unlikely to for sometime, but the once chosen site for a super casino may now get it's americanised leisure complex it once lost out on. However it's acceptance by the public is yet to be heard, and an interesting debate will surely unfold in the coming months, and indeed years.

MADF 2010

2010-03-31T21:39:00.007+01:00

Manchester Architecture & Design Festival returns for a second year this April and May, and promises to be even better than the previous. The numerous events planned hope to release the world of architecture to the city and help to make Manchester an icon of architecture.

Last year saw MADF emerge from a desire to elevate architecture and design within the urban fabric. Groups from all parts of the architectural spectrum collaborated to help achieve the final product, a month long festival. CUBE gallery offered up their space and time as a platform for several events, including the Travel Awards. Manchester School of Architecture ran month long workshops under the title “Event Month” that resulted in a final exhibition at the close of the festival. The Manchester Society of Architects provided an exhibition of their awards that focus on congratulating the fantastic architecture that is pouring out of the city. With countless workshops and lectures from architects all of the country, MADF 2009 was the start of something spectacular.

MADF 2010 sees it’s events list boom after the success of last year. 34 events have so far been finalised, ranging from lectures like BDP’s David Ritter‘s Sustainable Design Futures where he looks at their first year inhabiting a “green” office building, to Architruk – RIBA North West’s mobile exhibition pavilion that will park up all over the city centre. Workshops and tours have also been organised, such as John Sutcliffe’s tour of Stockport and Murat Tabanliogu's Complex City – Instanbul workshop. Whatever your interest in architecture there is something available for you.

Perhaps one of the most substantial events of the festival is that of the MSA Student Travel Awards, that are to be held on Tuesday the 27^th of April at 18.30 at CUBE. The event is free and looks to be an interesting night with the previous years winners presenting where their awards took them, and this years winners being announced, but to round the brilliant night off RIBA President Ruth Reed will be presenting the awards. Her presence cements the importance of student involvement in the world of architecture and emulate the benefit that traveling has on a students development in the field.

Manchester School of Architecture again this year will be running Event Month as part of MADF. Undergraduate Architecture Students from first and second year choose a workshop to take part in, which this year are created and run by BA Architecture Students at the MSA, and after a month will have their work exhibited at the closing event of MADF 2010. The workshops cover a vast spectrum of architectural styles and theory, ranging from Google Street-(Re_)-View push to map and fill in the gaps left by our virtual relationship with reality, to Biomimecry: Learning from the Eden Project, where students will not only attend a lecture by a current Grimshaw Architect, but also visit and see the Eden Project in real life, accumulating in a project influenced by the building to be displayed at the final exhibition, to be held from the 13^th to the 15^th of May.

Overall this year’s MADF looks to be a significant event on the architectural calendar in the UK. The collaboration between all sectors of Architecture have helped to produce an architectural festival by everyone, for everyone.

Information on all events can be found at MADF 2010’s website: http://www.madf.co.uk/index.php

All images property of MADF

Unbuilt

2010-03-29T22:44:00.005+01:00

An exciting opportunity has arisen from the presence of EASA this year in Manchester, in collaboration with Future Everything 2010 and Blank Media Collective - a fascinating group setup in 2006 to help promote and exhibit new emerging talent in all areas of the arts. Unbuilt is an exhibition to be held at EASA HQ, between the 7th and 15th of May, focusing on work by unemployed Architects.

If you are currently unemployed and work in the field of architecture Unbuilt is an opportunity for you to exhibit your work in an architectural hotspot. Blank Media Collective understand the struggles that newly qualified architects are going through and Unbuilt is a brilliant way to promote the work of new young architects.

The submission deadline is Sunday the 4th April, to enter simply email any amount of work that you feel represents your architectural portfolio. They aren't just looking for spectacular renders, they want to see sketches, paintings, diagrams, any medium as long it is from an unemployed architect. Successful entrants will be notified by April 11th.

If you have any questions with regards to Unbuilt then contact them at: exhibitions@blankmediacollective.org.

This truly is a great opportunity for new architects currently finding it difficult to find work in todays economic climate, and it's great to see a company, like Blank Media Collective, helping to promote the emerging talents of architecture.

urban motorways

2010-03-29T16:34:00.005+01:00

"A distributor... situated within an urban area could be called an 'urban motorway'. There is no objection to this term as long as it is realised that the function of the road is to distribute traffic, and that 'urban motorways' do not, as many people seem to think, possess some magical property."

Traffic in Towns, Colin Buchanan, HMSO 1963.

The Manchester Modernist Society may disagree, Mr Buchanan.

Flickr set of MMS walking tour here.

Fancy Being The Head Of The Manchester School of Architecture?

2010-03-11T10:36:00.005Z

Manchester Metropolitan University is currently advertising for a new Head of School position. The Manchester School of Architecture is a joint vision by both of Manchester's leading Universities (MMU and UofM). Colin Pugh has temporarily occupied David Dernie’s, the old head of school, position for the past year, but a permanent individual is now required. MMU are looking for a candidate who has vast experience in sustainable urbanism, and a diverse range of management skills, whilst also offering great communication skills to help follow on the tremendously friendly environment currently in the school of architecture.

The job offers a fantastic opportunity over the next few years. As Feilden Clegg Bradley's new School of Art (see previous article) building begins construction, the architecture department will inherit new space, giving it the chance to expand and create a remarkable studio atmosphere. The new Head of School will have a huge chance to bring new ideas for the studio spaces and help make the MSA an even more phenomenal school of architecture.

Interested applicants can contact Mrs Julie Butler, Secretary/PA to the Human Resources Director, The Manchester Metropolitan University, All Saints, Manchester M15 6BH. Tel: 0161 247 1562; j.butler@mmu.ac.uk quoting reference number JB19. Or apply online via http://www.mmu.ac.uk/jobs/ .

Image Copyright to Jack Penford Baker

Demolition - Part 2

2010-02-18T14:38:00.004Z

A series of photos depicting the current demolition of St Mary's Hospital.

Photos Copyright of Jack Penford Baker

Hodder + Partners New Wakefield Street Tower

2010-01-29T13:36:00.006Z

The recession is officially over, well 0.1% less worse, and with it architecture appears to be rising out of the vast chasm it has been stuck in for the past few years. A number of projects are being released and old projects are starting up again. The latest is a new 111m tall student apartment block by Hodder + Partners, erupting out of the relatively timid Oxford Road Station.

A total of 525 bedrooms will fill the tower, generating a new centralised student hub a stones throw away from the student corridor that Oxford Road is. The building sits close to Stephenson Bell's new Hotel that is currently under construction, which will lay in it's shadow.

The design is similar to Unite's Sky Plaza in Leeds, which shares a similar programme, however Hodder + Partners design is much less of a monstrosity as Carey Jones' tower that sticks out like a sore thumb in Leeds' skyline.

Construction on the building is due to start in June of this year if planning permission is granted by Manchester City Council.

Images Copyright to Hodders + Partners and Chris Brink

Manor Point

2010-01-05T21:29:00.006Z

The first piece of Manchester specific news to break in 2010 (at least from an architectural perspective) is that Carey Jones Architects have unveiled plans for a new eight-storey development of 672 student apartments - Manor Point. Subject to planning permission the project is expected to be complete in 2012.

Rossant Award 2009 Winner Announced

2009-12-13T01:15:00.000Z

Congratulations to Abhi Chauhan who was awarded top honours in the 2009 Rossant Award sponsored by BDP. Awarded to students for work completed during their second year of study at Manchester School of Architecture, the Rossant Award was originally established to commend draftsmanship but has since evolved to praise all forms of visual communication.

From an original longlist of 12 students a shortlist of 12 were invited to give a short presentation of their work at BDP’s offices on Friday 11th December. Abhi was the first of the shortlisted students to present and gave an insightful presentation into how he had crafted a series of images for both of his second year studio projects from a variety of media, emphasising the use of model-making and photomontage in particular. In addition to the prestigious Rossant Award trophy Abhi is to receive a £500 cash prize.

Manchester's Boom

2009-12-12T12:05:00.010Z

"Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry" Buttress Fuller Alsop William Copyright

This week has seen an extraordinary amount of new building details emerge throughout the city of Manchester. From the previously reported Gateway House Competition to Sheppard Robson's new MMU Hulme Campus design. Also is the news that Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams' design for Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry, which had previously been designed by Manchester School of Architecture's very own former head of school David Dernie, however the £58million project lost funding and as a result the design was scrapped.

"Tameside College" Aedas Copyright

Aedas this week submitted plans for a new Building for Tameside College in Ashton-under-Lyne, the design provides the college with 2,800sqm of space and is hoped to become a vibrant educational facility.

Bennett Architects Copyright

Two master plans were also revealed this week. Bennett's released images depicting their plans for a new Civil Servant district, next to Picadilly Station. It's purpose enforces the vastly growing presence of Manchester as a Capital of the North, and the beginning of it's London like expansion, which includes Salford's Media City and the growing city centre.

"MMU Community Campus" Sheppard Robson Copyright

The second master plan is Sheppard Robson's MMU Community Campus within the heart of Hulme. Student Accommodation and a major public space will be included, and the design hopes to create a new vibrant area out of the somewhat disheartened Hulme area.

Hodder + Partners Copyright

Stephen Reinke Copyright

The final piece of news regards the illustrious Gateway House that sits right outside Picadilly Station, earlier this year we reported of a competition for a redesign of the building. A shortlist has now appeared, and the two final Architects in the running are Stephen Reinke Architects and Hodder + Partners. Reinke have chosen to be fairly brutal with the existing unlisted building, their proposal would strip back a hefty amount of the original building for it's design, however Hodder's design is slightly more gracious to Gateway House, their design adds a new look facade, whilst keeping the building's flowing form.

All of this news helps to promote the expansion of Manchester as a truly modern city, and a leader in the growth of the United Kingdom.

Las Vegas Comes To Manchester

2009-12-03T09:41:00.005Z

Manchester in Las Vegas

According to some sources Manchester may soon be home to an enormous Leisure centre that would rival the extravagance of Las Vegas. It would be built in the immediate context of the Manchester City Football Stadium, by none other than Manchester City Football Clubs billionaire owner Sheikh Mansour. Included in the plan, said to be designed by BDP, will be luxurious Hotels, a Theme Park, and not forgetting a Casino.

The idea appears to be somewhat ridiculous for a British city, and seems more suited for the United Arab Emirates or USA, not in an area most famous for it's Victorian Industry. However one only has to look back 2 years to the proposed "Super Casino", that was eventually sacked by the government, to see that this rumour may indeed be true, and with the backing of a mutli-billionaire who has already spent well over £100million on new football players, that building up the area around the stadium is such a large leap of faith in the owner's eyes.

Ancoats Emptiness

The news is fairly disheartening, does Manchester want to become an Americanised city, is it right for one football club owner to spread his influence outside of the grounds and into the local community? Perhaps it will create a solution for the sparse state that Ancoats currently resides in, or will it sit on the landscape as an empty shed, unused and unloved.

All images Copyright of Jack Penford Baker

Goodbye Urbis?

2009-11-26T23:32:00.003Z

Urbis is one of Manchester's modern landmarks, the Ian Simpson designed building being seen as many as starting the new 'tradition' of wedge-shaped structures in the city. Recently Urbis has been in the headlines over controversial plans to relocate the National Football Museum from Preston to Manchester and on November 18th the decision was taken to move the museum.

Originally opened in 2002, Urbis has a unique programme of temporary exhibitions that focus on popular culture and the culture of the modern city, essentially it is a place to showcase city life through art, music, photography, fashion and other creative industries that Manchester has become famous for. The National Football Museum could not be more different, a permanent showcase of the 'national game'. The museum already has roots in Manchester as it was designed by local practice OMI architects (opening in 2001).

There have been mixed reactions to news that the museum is to move with Preston councillor Ken Hudson reported to have said that the museum's trustees had "stuck two fingers up" at Preston by agreeing to the move. Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said that the relocation could help make the museum an "internationally important destination" and attract up to 400,000 visitors a year. The move won't come cheap though with costs expected to reach £8million to relocate the exhibition contents and refurbish Urbis.

Speaking to Chanel M the Chief Executive of Urbis, Vaughn Allen, hinted that the National Football Museum would provide a "long term sustainable future" for Urbis, calling it an "interesting an challenging building" to run in its current guise. He explained that Urbis would close in February/early Spring 2010 and would hopefully open again as the National Football Museum in 201. But what happens to the exhibitions that currently call Urbis home?

As of yet there are no solid plans to find new homes for the 'creative industries' that could be found at Urbis, although preliminary discussions are said to be taking place - there are very few alternatives at present that engage the public with this type of attraction in Manchester. Yes Manchester has a proud ‘footballing’ tradition but it has a resonance with creative industries that could be lost or forced back under ground with out a public face.

The debate will more than likely rumble on right on up to the new museum's opening and beyond so for the final word for now we turn to Phil O’Dwyer, director of OMI Architects, a born and bred 'Manc' who had this to say to the Architect's Journal (before last week’s decision):

"The Urbis building is a great landmark and has contributed to Manchester’s evolving identity. I suspect it is flexible enough to absorb the Football Museum, like it could absorb many other exhibitions with varying degrees of success. But would it engage with this subject to the same extent? Would it have the ingredients that make the difference between a place that has spirit and one that feels soulless and detached from the people that use it? I have my doubts, but that would be the challenge."

Ian Simpson Chosen For Refurbishment of Town Hall Extension

2009-11-26T12:33:00.003Z

Manchester's trademark Architect, Ian Simpson, has been named as the chosen architect for a £165 million refurbishment of the Town Hall Extension, designed by E. Vincent Harris in the 1930's. Harris's neighbouring Central Library is also to be revamped, except not by Simpson, but Ryder Architects. The two schemes are also running along side a competition, to be launched in January, for a redesign of St Peters Square and the recently revealed design for 1 Peter Square. Due to be completed within 4 years, the massive redevelopment will see St Peter's Square become a much more attractive public space.

Perhaps one of the most interesting projects within Manchester is the refurbishing of the Town Hall Extension by Ian Simpson. Well known his modern glass facaded buildings, a refurbishment will see the practice take a completely different approach to not just designing but architecture as a whole. How they express themselves within an already monumental building will be intriguing, however they may take a encompassing approach and simply improve the existing building with no added flare.

Demolition

2009-11-23T13:19:00.003Z

A building’s life finishes with the final node, demolition. Sometimes it’s required out of necessity, other times it’s own design can be the defining factor. Except now our relationship towards construction and building has shifted, no longer can opinion determine a building's outcome, the worlds fascination with Carbon emissions has resulted in what perhaps may be a flawed system.

The attraction of constructing new “green” buildings in replace of old “inefficient” ones appears so fruitful as they are carbon neutral, a term that portrays a false vision. Carbon neutral buildings only offset the carbon they produce at the present time and during construction, however what about neighboring buildings that may not be as efficient, or what about the past 500 years of carbon emissions. Buildings don’t need to be “Carbon Neutral”, they need to be “Negative Carbon”.

As it stands by 2019 all new buildings have to be Carbon Neutral, except what about existing buildings? Surely our approach to the Carbon problem is somewhat selfish, only thinking about sole dwellings. Countries should perhaps devise new strategies that offset villages, or even cities, doing so would require less construction over the whole city. If one tower offsets a city, then the need for new builds can diminish, and in it’s place “Adaption”.

Adapting existing architecture forces a building to evolve to the current standards, vast amount of facades systems exist all over the world that can simply latch on to the external skins of buildings, reducing carbon emissions and providing new properties to the users that reside inside the structure. Algae is becoming ever so popular in modern architectural technology, and the systems currently devised can easily fuse with old buildings.

As it stands in Manchester 2 major demolitions are currently underway, the Refectory within the University of Manchester Campus, and St Mary’s Hospital. These two builds from the 2nd half of the 20th Century are the result of new builds replacing them. What is most interesting is the simplicity of their designs, especially the large tower attached to the Refectory. If one was to merely gut the building it could quite easily be developed into a much more Carbon Efficient building without the need for demolition and then reconstructing.

Schemes already exist of renovating buildings form the early 1900’s, but why can’t schemes appear to save much newer buildings, much like in Sheffield with Park Hill. Maybe then we can begin to see the importance and impact that existing buildings have on our countries carbon emissions.

Images Copyright of Jack Penford Baker

MSA Students Scoop International Award

2009-11-22T17:22:00.006Z

A team of students from the [Re_Map] BArch Studio Unit at the Manchester School of Architecture have been named jointed winners in a major international architectural - WPA 2.0 'Whoever Rules the Sewers Rules the City' run by cityLAB at UCLA. There were over 300 proposals - half from professional teams, half from student teams - was tasked with 'envisioning a new legacy of publicly-supported infrastructure hybrids.' Titled 'R_Ignite: socio-economic catalyst for ailing post-industrial port towns' the joint-winners team comprises Peter Millar, Jamie Potter, Stuart Wheeler and Andy Wilde. They proposed the recycling and reuse of industrial infrastructure intertwined with social programmes to act as a catalyst for public involvement; incorporating ecology, energy production, skills, education and leisure.

The team was initially selected for a shortlist of seven finalists and travelled to Washington D.C. to attend a high-profile symposium featuring the competition jury panel which included Stan Allen, Cecil Balmond, Elizabeth Diller and Thom Mayne, as well as having their proposals exhibited at the National Building Museum. The symposium was held in the Great Hall of the National Building Museum with a keynote address from Adolfo Carrion, White House Director of Urban Affairs.

Image Credit: Peter Millar, Jamie Potter, Stuart Wheeler and Andy Wilde (6th Year, MSA) and WPA 2.0 (Facebook Feed)

‘New’ Old Trafford Cricket Ground Goes For Planning

2009-11-19T23:12:00.003Z

BDP's Manchester office before a winner is announced. BDP's Manchester office have submitted a planning application to redevelop the Old Trafford Cricket Ground to the local council. The proposal is a £32million second phase scheme that will raise ground capacity to 25,000 and add new media facilities. It is hoped that this phase of development will be completed by Autumn 2012 so that Old Trafford can apply to hold on the Ashes matches the following year (it missed out on this years series with Cardiff preferred by officials from the England and Wales Cricket Board).

The first phase of the redevelopment has already started with the local MP Andy Burnham taking part in the official turf cutting on September 13th. With a construction cost of approximately £12million 'The Point' is principally a multi-purpose function space with a capacity for 1,000 people as any thing from a conference facility to a formal dinner. The name of the venue was partly inspired by BDP's designs as explained by Chief Executive Jim Cumbes “Many names were suggested, some conference led and some cricketing terminology and many hours were spent deliberating over a fitting name that ticks all the boxes. ‘The Point’ was chosen as it encompassed a number of relevant factors: a subtle cricket term; the design of the venue; and a destination." Once complete a glass facade will provide views over the cricket ground whilst moveable partitions will allow the space to be divided into smaller venues.

According to the Lancashire County Cricket Club the new designs will feature a number of 'green' initiatives including rainwater harvesting, low voltage lighting, ground source heat pumps and solar panels. The scheme is supported by the North West Regional Development Agency.

Image Credit: BDP

Rossant Award 2009

2009-11-19T22:21:00.005Z

The winner of the BDP Rossant Award will be presented on Friday 11th December at 6pm. This prestigious Award was initiated in 1977 to commemorate the late Lorrie Rossant who was an architect partner at BDP in Manchester; it is open to second year students from the School of Architecture in Manchester. The award celebrates the best visual communication techniques, including draughtsmanship and electronic representation. The judging panel comprises the President of the Manchester Society of Architects and the MSA Award Secretaries as well as selected individuals from BDP. Six shortlisted candidates will give a presentation at BDP's Manchester office before a winner is announced. Last year's prize was won by Simon Bellamy.

Manchester Society of Architect's Dinner 2009

2009-11-08T23:20:00.003Z

The great and the good of Manchester’s architectural scene were gathered at the Hilton Hotel on Friday night (November 6th) for the annual Manchester Society of Architect’s Dinner. Held at the Ian Simpson-designed Hilton, on Deansgate, for the third year in a row, the evening saw 300 architects put behind them the gloom of the recession to enjoy an evening of fine food and live music, not to mention the chance to catch up with old acquaintances.

The host for the evening, current President of the MSA, Simon Green gave a speech in which he highlighted the numerous successes of Manchester’s practices including the recipients of the MSA Design Awards in April 2009 (with the winning entries shown on a big screen during the meal) and touched upon other reasons for architects in Manchester to celebrate, including the inaugural Manchester Architecture and Design Festival. Arguably the main event of the evening was a speech from RIBA President Ruth Reed, the official ‘response on behalf of the guests’. The first woman President in the 175-year history of the RIBA, Ruth Reed gave a speech that was on the whole light-hearted, commending the resilience of northern architects and how Manchester was an example of how to ‘regenerate’ a city although she did briefly touch upon on the ‘banned topic of the night’, the recession.

After dinner and the speeches had concluded the evenings live entertainment, ‘The Coolers’, got underway with even Simon Green and his illustrious guests (including Ruth Reed and Colin Pugh, Acting Head of the Manchester School of Architecture) taking to the dance floor.

On the whole the evening appeared to be enjoyed by all, a perfect balance of a formal occasion, to match the long and proud history of the MSA, mixed with the informality desired by hard-working professionals wanting to celebrate and not stand on ceremony.

The MSA Dinner 2009 was kindly sponsored by Ceram Excel.

Whitworth Art Gallery Competition Winner Announced

2009-11-08T21:10:00.005Z

A winner has been announced for the competition to design an extension to the University of Manchester’s Whitworth Art Gallery - MUMA. Originally the competition had attracted over 130 entries from a number of internationally acclaimed practices. MUMA (McInnes, Usher, McKnight Architects) have been selected for the £12million extension with plans being worked up during the early part of 2010 to form part of Whitworth’s Heritage Lottery Fund bid.

Chancellor of the University of Manchester Tom Bloxham (or Urban Splash fame) chaired the judging panel and whilst calling all of the shortlisted designs “outstanding” said that “MUMA’s design shone in its thoughtful and sensitive response to a complex brief.” He went on to say that “Amongst many delightful touches the prospect of visiting a cafe in the tree canopy was particularly enjoyed, along with many further connections between gallery and surrounding park landscape. MUMA demonstrated care not only in the development of new designs but also in their consideration of improvements to the existing building.”

MUMA’s proposal includes an art garden, second entrance, a new informal café, a landscape gallery and a study area that will allow visitors and researchers to get closer to the collections when they are not on public display.

The practices most recent work includes working on a £30 million overhaul of the Renaissance and Medieval gallerys of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

Read More at BDOnline and the Architects Journal.

Image credit: Architects Journal + MUMA.

In Review | Isolative Urbanism: An Ecology of Control

2009-10-24T22:15:00.005+01:00

Isolative Urbanism is a collection of essays from tutors and students of the BArch [Re_Map] Unit at Manchester School of Architecture. The unit, as its name may suggest, concerns itself with the mapping of the contemporary city, through analysing existing data, networks and how space is demarcated. Each of the essays presented deals with the resulting relationship between existing “urban conditions and space, public and private.” Within this framework the editors, Richard Brook and Nick Dunn, have seen fit to divide the essays into three categories: Policy, Utopia and Globalisation.

The introductory text, written by Brook and Dunn, aims to set the scene for the proceeding essays with a series of short sections that take the reader from the “notion of fragmentation” between art and architecture in the 1920s and 1930s through to Venturi’s description of the “decorated shed” and on to Paul Virilio’s musings on modern warfare. From this starting point it is clear that the following essays will deal with a myriad of challenging and complex issues. Each text is further contextualised by the placing of these theoretical studies within a setting, Barrow-in-Furness, the second largest town in Cumbria and a place referred to as a ‘30-mile cul-de-sac.’

Each essay provides the backdrop to an architectural solution that in most cases seeks to re-imagine or renew Barrow-in-Furness but without using the expected or clichéd methods that have become the norm in UK (and global) architectural policy for urban environments. These fresh perspectives often challenge the convention of established systems that have been backed by traditional capitalist ideologies and range from Grant Erskine’s proposal to remove all automobile-based transport from the town (with a 25,000 space car-park on the town’s periphery) to Ben Paterson’s plans to transform Barrow-in-Furness into a leading world port town.

At first glance these proposals may appear whimsical and far fetched but on reading the essay’s the argument behind each becomes clear and lends to them a certain credibility, a credibility strengthened by the depth of research. The essays do not go on to describe in depth the proposals, that is left to a double-page spread of greyscale images that tease at the possibilities presented but perhaps ultimately leave you wanting more. Nevertheless the rationale behind each provides a springboard for further debate on how the UK can be re-imagined in the 21C after a decade which has seen the rapid technological growth of the late 20C continue. The architectural world has been slow to catch up with the rapid changes in the structure of 'modern' society. What makes this brand of innovation proposed by the [Re-map] students so original is that they are neither dreams of an apocalyptic future nor are they unbuildable utopias, instead they sit in the playful realm of 'that's buildable' - if only we are brave enough to do so.

Seven shortlisted in Gateway House Competition

2009-10-24T21:27:00.006+01:00

Seven practices have been shortlisted in an ideas competition to re-envisage the Richard Seifert designed Gateway House on Station Approach next to Piccadilly Station. Seifert, the British architect behind Centre Point and Tower 42, designed Gateway house in 1965 and it is estimated that up to 21million passenger pass the 6-storey 'lazy-S' builidng each year. The seven shortlisted practices are Hodder & Partners, former Woods Bagot boss Stephan Reinke, Stephenson Bell, Sheppard Robson, Aedas, Calederpeel and BDP.

Realty Estates, the land owners, have not specified that the proposals must keep the building, a move which has dismayed local campaigners who want to protect Manchester's 1960s heritage. The cost of the works could range from as little as £5million up to £100million. A winner is expected to be announced by the end of the month.

Image credit: JonWild on FlickR

The Corridor Vs The Maze

2009-10-13T18:14:00.003+01:00

The Leech:

Manchester has inflicted a great tragedy upon it’s self in the last 50 years. Like all universities their student community has metamorphosed into a seasonal leech that instantly embodies a vast area of the city for 9 months before dispersing into a much sparser area for hibernation. The “Leech” substantially fluctuates the city’s population, however they do not appear to be affiliated to the city, they are a separate entity that follows it’s own rules and style of life. Except the “Leech” is a necessity, without it Manchester wouldn’t be able to support itself, as much as it’s unusual behavior and profound lack of awareness of the neighboring communities disrupt the social make up, it is an investment, that will eventually be dissolved by the city and become apart of the machine.

The student community of Manchester that sprawls across the corridor of Oxford Road neglects the permanent communities that make up the rest of Manchester and as as a result live an isolated life that could benefit greatly by becoming a key component in the wider context. However I do not believe that it is the individual students persona that causes the fragmentation, in fact this vast social divide has nothing to do with the social landscape, instead it is down to the simple geographical location of the University.

The Corridor:

Campus based Universities isolate themselves within a specific boundary, these work in outskirts of cities, but when a city adopts a university campus within it’s heart the student community is forced to accommodate the nearest residential zones and stay as close to where they study ignoring it’s surroundings. In the case of Manchester’s Oxford Road everything needed to live can be found on this one “Corridor”, stretched from Fallowfield directly in to the City Centre, which immediately causes the social separation of the communities. If one has everything in one place, why would one purposefully travel further to get what is already so close? Manchester is not the only case, Leeds for examples harbors the same problem along it’s Otley Road, although it appears to be a few years behind Manchester in terms of it’s severity.

The Maze:

The “Corridor” problem isn’t destroying Manchester, on the contrary, it harmless resides in it’s place, but a city is a single entity and in order for it to develop and improve the issues of the student community have to be dealt with. The occupation of the “Corridor” needs to disperse and fan out in order to be absorbed by the surrounding communities except the promise of a better city isn’t enough incentive for such a vast group of people. My solution, although abstract in form, does address the issues raised if Oxford Road was eliminated from Manchester and in it’s place lay a vast maze of roads that forced you to explore other areas of Manchester, perhaps then Manchester could evolve as an individual city.

Isolative Urbanism: an Ecology of Control

2009-10-12T08:53:00.004+01:00

A new book has been published by two lecturers at the Manchester School of Architecture, Richard Brook and Nick Dunn. Entitled Isolative Urbanism: an Ecology of Control, the book is a collection of essays primarily dealing with issues surrounding the control of space, both public and private, with a myriad of other issues and topics explored within them. The essays have all been written by members of the Re_Map BArch Studio unit at MSA.

Forestry Commission Exhibits Student Work

2009-10-12T08:46:00.006+01:00

Seven designs from the Second Year of Manchester School of Architecture (2008-09) have been selected for an exhibition by the Forestry Commission in the North West. Held at The Yan in Cumbria the exhibition highlights work undertaken by students in designing schemes for Grizedale Forest. As part of their research for the project students undertook site visits to Grizedale where they attended workshops in traditional methods of construction, including dry-stone walling and timber work, as well as exploring the Commission's public art programme and forest management processes. The exhibition will run until 30th of October 2009, it is free of charge but viewing is by appointment only.

3DReid’s New Co-Operative Headquarters

2009-10-08T10:49:00.006+01:00

The Co-Operative Group seems to have ridden the recession without falls, last year it successfully acquired Somerfield and has now published and successfully received planning permission for a new head office in the heart of Manchester, right in the shadows of the prominent CIS Tower.

Co-Operative Group started in Manchester 150 years ago, and now stand as a leading company in the UK the design’s purpose is to house the additional administrative side acquired from the Somerfield deal, however 3DReid’s unusual form conveys a more subtle motive. The unusual plan shape, the inefficient curved edges, the vast loss of office space in return for a huge atrium. They are all there to promote the CO-Operative Groups ethos, so has the architectural equation changed in a modern environment, is it now function follows form follows advertisement, perhaps that is all we get from a capitalist society.

However 3DReid has created a somewhat refreshing office block that diverts from the typical glass cladded box. It looks at sustainability on a larger level and worker friendly environments, parking is limited as the local transport services are the advised use of travel, a vast atrium inside creates an open environment for it’s workers and leads the path for a new style of offices that are less enclosed, and more open.

As planning permission has been awarded, construction is due to take place at the start of 2010, with completion and opening set for sometime in 2012.

Images and video property of 3DReid

Manchester Modern: Planning Policy and the shape of the city.

2009-10-08T08:46:00.005+01:00

Last night (Tuesday 8th October 2009) Richard Brook, senior lecturer at the Manchester School of Architecture, kicked off the Manchester Student Society of Architecture Lecture Series for the 2009/10 season. In association with the 20th Century Society (highlighting architecture of the 20th century and seeking to preserve it) students, lecturers, architects and members of the public were entertained with a history of how planning policy has shaped the modern day city.

Designs Revealed for the Whitworth Art Gallery

2009-10-03T12:09:00.010+01:00

The five shortlisted designs for the RIBA competition of the extension to the Whitworth Art Gallery, a Grade -II listed building have been revealed.

The five shortlisted practices are:

Amanda Levete Architects
Edward Cullinan Architects
Haworth Tompkins
MUMA
Stanton Williams

Amanda Levete Architects' proposal

Edward Cullinan Architects' proposal

Haworth Tompkins' proposal

MUMA's proposal

Stanton and Williams' proposal