Can Aesthetics Improve Social Disorder

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Society has changed, the ideas behind tower blocks have become outdated and a different approach to mass residential living is needed.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

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

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

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

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

"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?

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

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

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

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.