The MA Architecture + Urbanism course is the Manchester School of Architecture's taught postgraduate course which conducts research into how global cultural and economic forces influence contemporary cities. The design, functioning and future of urban situations is explored in written, drawn and modelled work which builds on the legacy of twentieth century urban theory and is directed towards the development of sustainable cities.

Tuesday 28 June 2011

Home from home



During the interregnum following the manchester school of architecture's departure from its former home (an event forever to be known to history as 'The Defenestration of Chatham'), and before our temporary relocation to the John Dalton Shed MA A+U will be meeting in the new RIBA Hub on Portland Street Manchester. Come along and see what we are up to on 30 June, and the following Thursdays in July.

Wednesday 15 June 2011

All Publicity is Good Publicity

MA A+U made it into The Architects' Journal last week (9 June 2011 page 45)



The Symposium documentary footage will appear on the GET OVER IT! blog shortly but meanwhile here is the trailer and the organisers' report




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

The second of these annual symposia was held on 12 May at sandbar in Manchester, a well known gathering place for academics and ‘creatives’, the use of which was kindly donated by MA A+U student Stephen Gingell.

Author and journalist Owen Hatherley chaired the event and began the day with an outline of the social and economic context of the last few years, including the well-documented regeneration efforts in Manchester.

The first speaker was Dr. Mark Jayne, an urban geographer at the University of Manchester. Appropriately enough given the venue, Mark's presentation explored the relationship between drink and British urban life, representing what is often portrayed by the media to be a problematic activity instead as one through which life is enjoyed as a communal activity in the public sphere.

The second presentation of the day was by Mark Lemanski of muf architects who discussed a number of the practice’s public realm projects in London including their award-winning Barking Town Square. He gave particular attention to the opportunities available to architects through engagement with local communities but also stressed that with these opportunities came particular responsibilities. With a certain amount of gallows humour, comic interventions from George Osborne were introduced into the presentation to highlight the difficulties creative groups face in providing anything for the communities that they seek to serve.

A brief debate with interventions from the floor preceded lunch. Hatherley and Lemanski fielded questions from the audience, covering the place of branding in design, nostalgia, localism, self-censorship by architects and how they can challenge stereotypes and perceptions of public space.

After lunch Rose Marley spoke about The Sharp Project in Manchester, a large scale digital facility intended both to help regenerate New East Manchester and provide for the creative digital industry in the wider city. Rose claimed the creatives view that “there are always opportunities in difficult situations” and The Sharp Project’s “geekonomics” approach provided the right environment. This presentation raised the issue of new educational and employment patterns, which would create profound change in the life prospects of some of Manchester's most marginalised citizens.

Mid afternoon was anchored by Geoff Denton of Stockholm-based White Architects who talked about their competition-winning project for Salford House 4 Life. Against the trend of anonymous apartment blocks the project proposes low-rise, robust family housing around communal spaces which offer a utopian prospect for future urban wellbeing. The project is an explicit rejection of greedy economic housing models visible on adjacent sites where new forms of anti social behaviour have already been fostered. He stressed the importance of context in the use of materials, the longevity of the typology and the sustainability of the lifestyle in a non-precious framework.

The day was concluded by Elizabeth Varley from techhub an enterprise at the heart of 'Silicon Roundabout' who emphasised the global potential of the digital economy in turning the urban situation around. She discussed the importance of collaborative spaces and the need for openness in future, flexible, work environments. Social networking, viewed as a facilitator and enabler by Varley, will be very important if companies are to embrace “openness and collaboration”.

The day brought together an eclectic and apparently random mix of people but out of that shared experience and brainstorming new connections were forged. It provided a potential point of departure for new research ideas about the city. As Mark Lemanski pointed out, while ‘pop-ups’ do provide encouragement, the temporary uses that have filled the debate in recent years offer only limited potential to overturn the situation long term. At this point in the economic cycle when London is already picking up where it left off in 2007 Manchester continues to be open for a variety of innovative possibilities. Despite the economic power of the south east this event proved that regional centres have a great deal of expertise to offer in the field of creative regeneration … so … GET OVER IT!



Luke Butcher, Jack O’Reilly, Matthew Pilling, Preeya Vadgama, Supriya Pundlik,Ketki Tendolkar, Angad Kasliwal, Natalie MacBride, Christina Gregoriou, Meliz Kusadali, Charlotte Gildart-Butler, Rongxiao Han, Laleh M.Fadaipour, Chen Xu, Carrie Bayley, Kathryn Timmins, Stephen Gingell, Jonas Komka, Anastassia Kolpakova, Angela Heaney, Rob Aspray
MA A+U 2011

Tuesday 14 June 2011

Exposure



As a contribution to the msa degree show for b.a. and b.arch degrees ma a+u will be showing some footage from the current academic year in 712 Chatham on the open evening 17 June. Everyone is welcome to join us getting over it.

Tuesday 7 June 2011

RIBA Building Futures Debate 'The Future for Architects?'



MA A+U student Luke Butcher is participating in this forthcoming event

RIBA Building Futures Debate
22nd June, 6.30pm, RIBA Hub Manchester

Building Futures presents a panel debate to discuss its latest publication ‘The Future for Architects?’ - a report that explores the future role of architects. The debate will explore the ideas, vision and services of practitioners in the context of a rapidly changing profession, asking - who will design our buildings in 2025; what roles will those trained in architecture be doing then and how will architectural practice have changed as a result?

This event is FREE but booking is essential. To reserve your place, email: BuildingFutures@inst.riba.org

Featuring:
Dickon Robinson – Chair, Building Futures
Gavin Elliott – BDP
Cristina Cerulli – Studio Polpo
Ben Davies – The Neighbourhood
Luke Butcher – Student, Manchester School of Architecture
And others, tbc.

Thursday 2 June 2011

Architecture + Urbanism recommends: Stirling and the North


At the time of his death in 1992, James Stirling was widely regarded as the leading architect of his generation, not just in Britain but worldwide. Born in Glasgow, he spent much of his childhood in Liverpool and trained at the Liverpool School of Architecture. The rich urban fabric of Liverpool and the North, combining industrial and vernacular buildings with some of Europe's grandest neoclassical monuments, exerted a powerful fascination for Stirling and had a profound influence on the rich architectural language that he was to develop.
Held in Stirling's only Liverpool building - Tate Liverpool, located in the Albert Dock - this panel discussion and debate will re-consider the role of the North in Stirling's development and oeuvre, from his thesis design for Newton Aycliffe to late projects like the Lowry at Salford.
Organised by RIBA NW in association with the University of Liverpool and Tate Liverpool, the event will be chaired by Mark Swenarton, James Stirling professor at Liverpool University.
Speakers:
Robert Maxwell (Emeritus Professor, Princeton University) - 'Stirling the Northerner'
Elain Harwood (English Heritage) - 'The Housing at Preston and Runcorn'
Brian Hatton (Liverpool John Moores University/Architectural Association) - 'Stirling as photographer of Liverpool'.

The event forms part of Architecture Festival 2011 and takes place on Saturday 25 June 2pm-4pm . Tickets cost £5/£3

A brief review of the current exhibition James Stirling: Notes form the Archive at Tate Britain appears here
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