BEGINNINGS ISSUE 01
CONTENTS EAMONN CANNIFFE F.O.B.S JOHN OWENS INSTRUCTED MALCOLM WALKER BEGINNINGS IN PRACTICE BECKY WHITEHEAD FIRST TO SECOND YEAR JOHN RILEY TO BEGIN AMY JONES HINDU SPACES IN THE NETHERLANDS PHOTO COMPETITION WINNER AND SHORTLIST MANCHESTER ARCHITECTURE NEWS DECEMBER 2017 MSSA ANNOUNCEMENTS ARCHITRAVE 2.0 2017 NEW COMMITTEE WHO DIS?
Friends of Bootle Street Article by Eamonn Canniffe Cover by Eamonn Canniffe
The ongoing process for the replanning of the Bootle Street / Jackson’s Row site adjacent to Albert Square in Manchester has raised many questions regarding the efficacy of the planning system in the city, the inequality that the city’s regeneration appears to be exaggerating and the reluctance to protect heritage assets from negative impacts redevelopment involving new tall buildings often entails. The vacant City Police Headquarters, the Sir Ralph Abercromby pub, and the Manchester Reform Synagogue were all intended to be demolished in 2015 when a dense mid rise redevelopment was unveiled. Response to this tabula rasa approach was muted. The individual buildings were not listed, despite their differing significance to phases of the city’s history. Planning permission would probably have been granted given the anodyne nature of what was then proposed. Yet in 2016 that scheme had been transformed into the now notorious two black towers, 21 and 31 storeys in height which were presented twice for public consultation in the city. Petitions, objections and derision resulted, even when the offensive black cladding was changed to bronze. 1400 objections to the planning application were received, with major national heritage groups leading the opposition. In early 2017 the proposal was abandoned. Walking away from the wreckage the developers then proposed to reprieve the Sir Ralph Abercromby pub and the frontage of the City Police Headquarters, and integrate them into the design of a new single tower 38 storeys in height. A further two public consultation events occurred. At the time of writing we await submission of a new planning application for this project but despite the changes at street level the height and design of this isolated tower continues to present a threat to the historic core of Manchester. On Bootle Street and Jackson’s Row the impact of nearly forty storeys will be considerable despite the shaping of the tower to present narrower ends to the streets. The dubious logic of this strategy is evident in the large size of the core relative to the floor plate of the building presented at the (fourth) consultation. This is height for height’s sake and will result in unpleasant consequences at ground level such as large service, plant and garage areas on those two side streets which is where most Mancunians will experience the building directly. The publicly accessible private space intended for roof level along Jackson’s Row and Southmill Street complicates the clear planning of the block. The top heavy appearance presented at the consultation must raise questions about the necessity of this element, especially as the proximity of the terraces to the tower will probably mean the terraces will be overshadowed on summer evenings, as well as suffering the effects of prevailing winds and down. In relation to the elevations and street frontages, there will be windows related to the retail units, although the junctions of the new elements with the two preserved elements of the Sir Ralph Abercromby and the City Police Headquarters frontage are as yet tentative, generic, banal and lightweight in construction. If pursued this decision will contrast quite poorly with the durability of the industrial era elevations they will face. If the streets were designed as a unity, rather than the ‘space left over after planning’ of an object building, the frontages could be consistent in rhythm, scale and proportion with those closely neighbouring buildings. A special effort has been expended to improve the situation of the new synagogue from the scheme proposed in the previous planning application. The new prayer hall will have external elevations, and therefore the possibility of natural might from the new public space. But this still suggests an arrangement that shows insufficient respect for its religious function, the significance of the community and their continued presence on the site. It is disappointing that images of this element of the project have not yet been made available, but also that the opportunity was not taken to treat the synagogue as an independent civic element of the project rather than a component of a larger commercial complex
The Sir Ralph Abercromby presents quite a small scale element on Bootle Street recalling the scale of Manchester from two centuries ago. It is therefore unfortunate, to say the least, that the published strategy appears to make the pub into a decorative appendage (worryingly compared to the fake pub ‘The Oast House’ in Spinningfields) rather than an independent building which could more accurately reflect the historic character of the city. This is an authentic survival of Manchester’s radical history emphasised by the recent unveiling of its commemorative ‘Peterloo’ mural Street design for the new public route between Bootle Street and Jackson’s Row needs to be carefully integrated with the design of those streets themselves to ensure the legibility of the space as a genuinely public realm. The integration of the surfaces in a unified manner with the existing and newly created elevations is a significant virtue in creating good urban space, which could help ameliorate the anti-urban and exclusionary character of the proposed tower which will loom menacingly over The current proposed tower will also continue to cast shadows across the buildings along the north side of Jackson’s Row, more distant buildings on adjacent neighbouring streets, and across the newly created space at its base. In Manchester’s damp and dark climate this will mean that light will be severely limited and the actuality will be at odds with the images shown so far of the external spaces. At the risk of stating the obvious, this significant negative impact of the tower could be avoided by reducing its height or removing it entirely. The opportunities to use materials which enhance the continuity of the environment, particularly through the use of brick, are mysteriously eschewed in favour of generic choices of commercially available panels which will age badly and require replacement in a couple of decades. The existing brick of the City Police Headquarters flanks is dark, but the brick and terracotta of the neighbouring buildings included the Manchester Reform Synagogue are richer in colour and tone especially when seen in sunlight, and therefore provide a better potential choice to integrate any new project into its context. Negative impact from a number of viewpoints will still be a feature of the current project as the images provided at the consultation showed. It will tower over Deansgate, will rudely interrupt the skyline of Albert Square and Peter Street, and be visible from St. Ann’s Square. Given its proposed height it seems that the tower will have some impact on views across St. Peter’s Square as well. An unwelcome intrusion from any of these viewpoints, its isolated presence would be an apt monument to the incoherent approach to the planning of the city which allows the speculative property market free rein. The height of the tower and its location so close to the civic core is deeply concerning. Its erection would undo four decades of careful maintenance of the largely Victorian scale of the district even as individual buildings have been replaced, and will inevitably be followed (if the market demands) by further overscaled towers in the vicinity. The speculative demand for ‘luxury’ apartments which the upper areas of the tower are intended to fulfill (whether occupied or otherwise) are a shoddy reason to ruin the internationally admired heritage at the centre of Manchester. When, in due course, the next planning application is submitted please join me in putting in an objection. Not only for the sake of the past - we owe it to Manchester’s future.
Instructed Article by Patrick Millar Cover by Patrick Millar
I was given the pleasure of interviewing John Owens, the Creative Director of Instruct Studio, Co-Founder and Director of DESIGN MCR. Instruct Studios were tasked with giving the Architecture School a new identity. A new voice for which to speak from. The impressions of the brief when they were approached with the opportunity, they jumped that at the chance to be part of the Manchester School of Architecture and the Manchester School of Art. Manchester is a creative city, a city built on the idea of doing things differently. Creating something and shouting about it. That was one of the key concepts of the new identity, giving students a platform to showcase. Placing the new logo in the top left, a slogan or brand message in the bottom right gives students, that centre stage. This was about making sure that the students, the students work was the main focus, and that the architecture school was simply a platform to grow these students into top architects that will define the world to come. John stated that ‘It’s not a rebrand, the students are the brand’. The original task was set by MSA was to create a new website. The identity was born from this, Instruct quickly worked out that the architecture school needed a new identity before the website could go ahead. John spoke about how the new identity was all about the people. The students are the identity, the alumni are the identity. John drew back on his experience with working within the architectural field, as a Senior Graphic Designer at Ian Simpson Architects. The idea behind the logo was to show off architectural ideas and styles. The font used is Tungsten. This has properties and relates with architectural style of Modernism. John referred to it’s timeless qualities. The cantivelier, another architectural reference. The overall identity, the logo, the posters, the website is based on a grid system. John spoke of the importance of a grid when designing anything, The use of the grid with the new identity, was to make it accessable. Every student woud be able to have the starting point, same platform. John and I dicussed the process, From being asked to do the wedsite, to coming up with the new identity, was around a month . The biggest task was to make sure all staff members were on board with the new identity, he said that it needed that everyone could get behind the identity. From the city for the city. John recalled how not very often when pitching an idea that everyone gets on board. All of the staff at Manchester School of Architecture were behind the new identity. A bold, modernist design, different from any other architecture school around. Making sure Manchester, like its history, did something differently, and better. The new identity tool kit is available to any student, if you don’t have access, just asked your tutor, and soon you can be part of the new identity of the manchester school of architecture. For the city, from the city.
Beginning In Practice
Article by Malcolm Walker. Senior Partner at Walker Associates Architects LLP Cover by Eleanor Strange Creating Architecture without passion is a hollow pursuit. Designing should be all embracing, breath-taking and heart rending in equal parts. There should be no room for half measures, easy options or second best solutions. Architects need to be their own strongest critics and their most loyal supporters. Looking searchingly back to my student days, now with the benefit of a career overview, only reinforces the importance of these principles and makes me grateful to have been able to recognise them as such at an early stage. For me, developing, sustaining and genuinely enjoying an Architectural Practice career has been strengthened and nourished by these fundamental principles from the very beginning. My 40 odd years of Practice, spanning three separate Practices, still fosters a deep love of buildings and the places they hold in society. Simply drawing from a blank page has also always been one of my most treasured joys and I often feel thankful that I have been able to do this and make a lifelong career from it. For those drawn into this wonderful whirlwind, some of the key principles forged from my own experiences may prove valuable. Foremost of these is an enquiring willingness to take advice from others at all levels within the Industry wherever possible and to realise that the overall scale of construction skill and expertise is very broad and diverse. Some of the best knowledge gained has come from site joiners, product suppliers and Clients with much stronger experiences than my own early student skills. Always being prepared to listen and assess alternative views can sometimes produce unexpected success and wonderful new solutions. The increasing pace of innovation within the modern world, the pace of new material development and systems design is ever quickening and brings both exciting new possibilities into the industry requiring a flexible design response and continuing assessment from those engaged in the design process and better ways of creating Architecture which respond to current expectations. Being open to ensure a flexibility of ideas and design approach is crucial and rewarding. Once in Practice, I quickly realised that effective communication was the cornerstone of the whole process of creating buildings. This one single skill lubricates the links between Clients, Contractors, fellow Consultants and Building Users. This also relies on designers understanding and forging communication systems at differing levels which are appropriate to the expectations of each party involved and specifically arranged to be directly relevant to the task in hand. It is always important to bear in mind that effective communication, requiring clarity and logic, also needs the skill of being able to listen too. No matter how daunting the prospect may be of launching into Practice life, with its myriad of issues, risks, obstacles and hurdles, new beginnings also require courage, determination, vision, ambition and commitment. It can bring a lifestyle which is completely rewarding, full of joy and inner satisfaction in a way which is not readily found in other walks of life. I always thought it was a gamble worth taking and so it has proved to be.
First to Second Year Article by Becky Whitehead Cover by Becky Whitehead
It’s second year. You’ve spent the last four months sipping mojitos on the beach and desperately trying to recover from the whirlwind of your first year studying architecture. In your first lecture (in case you weren’t aware how far you have yet to go) you are informed that by the end of this year you will be just two-sevenths of the way towards becoming a chartered architect. And then the work starts. Mountains and mountains of the stuff. Who could have thought the jump from first to second year would be so dramatic? If first years are thrown in at the deep end, then second years are chucked into the ocean. It is easy to become overwhelmed by all the assignments, projects and commitments coming from all angles, and sink into unhealthy habits which can make juggling work, social life and wellbeing feel like squeezing water out of a stone. It can seem that there are not enough hours in the day – hence the trend among architecture students of working until the early hours the night before a deadline, getting zero sleep and spending review day in a zombie-like state. Priorities are also difficult to get in order, as technology and humanities have become more prevalent in the course this year. On top of that most of us need to get to grips with all of the software we were going to learn over summer but ‘didn’t get around to it’. Despite this, it is possible to not only survive second year but enjoy it – though for this to happen students need to learn a balance between meeting the demands of the course and enjoying all the experiences that university has to offer. There is a worrying trend among architecture students to take pride in overworking and under sleeping, comparing notes on deadline day of who had the least sleep the night before. Now you’ve probably heard this before, but a good night’s rest is essential. Especially when you have to coherently discuss your design in front of twenty other people the next day. Such a task is a lot easier when you’re running on eight hours sleep rather than three. Nonetheless, this is easier said than done. The reason many of us put ourselves in this position is due to the arch nemesis of the student: procrastination. We’ve all been there; scrolling through your phone, arranging and rearranging the items on your desk, staring into space - when inspiration does not strike we’ll do anything not to put pen to paper. Sometimes the solution is to stick on some music, lock yourself away in your room or in studio and just power through. Other times, it is not that simple. Doing another activity can help get you out of your own head and go back to work with a fresh perspective. It can seem like there is no time for hobbies, but doing other things you enjoy not only keep you healthy and happy but also adds other sets of skills and experiences which will make you into a better designer – no one gains inspiration from staring at a blank page. Architecture is an intense course that can wear down even the most disciplined person, and second year is no different. But by knowing our limits and finding a balance, we can all survive it – and maybe even look forward to doing it all over again next year.
To Begin
Article by John Riley Cover by Buttress Architects Originality is often received as a cognitive and cultural challenge. Claude Debussy realised that when faced with something original peoples’ initial reactions are often that of hilarity. When people are faced with something which does not fit into an a priori frame of reference, something which is truly original, they usually find it challenging and as Philip Hughes noted experience ‘the shock of the new’. The 1913 Parisian premiere of Starvinsky’s masterpiece, ‘The Rite of Spring’, was received with jeering laughter initially and culminated in nothing much short of a riot in the Theatre. There is a history of derogatory adjectives used to describe revolutionary art. Over time as the work becomes accepted these terms subsequently lose their power of derision and become names of Historic Art movements as society develops to appreciate and accept the visions encompassed by the work – Gothic, Mannerist, Impressionist, Fauve to name but a few. A fundamental part of beginning anything is the sense of genesis – of giving birth to something original. The creative process if essentially different from that of copying.It engages the imagination – something which Einstein thought far more valuable than knowledge. Imagination can grasp and discover an idea which has not already been prescribed. This is why people can be very creative without being especially knowledgeable and why academics can be experts in a field without having any original ideas of their own. Sibelius realised this and advised in 1937 - ‘Don’t forget there has never been a statue set up in honour of a critic’. Possessing knowledge will not make anyone creative. It might inform that creativity but it will not in itself produce it. Louis Sullivan once said that he had spent most of his career trying to unlearn what he had been taught about architecture. In the world of architecture where the role of the client is fundamental to realising a building, in order for original Architecture to come into existence the Client must be able to appreciate in some degree and trust the vision of the designer. To begin something involves an element of risk – and there will usually be plenty of people around to criticise because originality is often perceived as a threat to an accepted way of seeing things. As Marie Cure noted, “There are sadistic scientists who hurry to hunt down errors instead of establishing the truth.” One way of considering beginning is to think of it as a fresh start. There is a given task to consider – a search to begin for an answer. A fundamental part of this activity from a personal point of view might be considered as a search for ‘Flow’ – the psychological state -characterised by flow, also known as the zone, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, enjoying full involvement in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting loss in one’s sense of space and time.; as TS Eliot said ‘In my end is my beginning’, the psychologist ,Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi terms flow as an optimal state in which you feel totally engaged in an activity-the key being to pursue an activity for its own sake, not for the rewards it brings.- in flow ‘ a person could work around the clock for days on end for no bet-ter reason than to keep on working. Precedent may be very interesting but can also be extremely prohibitive. Bruce Goff tried to begin each new design with the mind-set that he had not designed a building before. Goff tried to imagine that neither he nor anyone else had designed a building or painted a picture before . To start afresh with no pre-conceived ideas – can be challenging – more difficult than copying but fundamentally more rewarding just as a young child plays.. Stravinsky defined genius as ‘Childhood recaptured’ Find your passion and work for those who appreciate the importance of beginning.
Hindu Spaces in the Netherlands Article by Amy Jones Cover by Lola Tartakover
How does the history of hidden religious spaces in the Netherlands effect the Hindu communties who attempt to construct a visible Hindu identity? Abstract from an essay by Amy Jones, BA Comparative Religion with Social Anthropology, University of Manchester. The Netherlands is known for its history of hidden spaces, which extends back to the reformation period, in the sixteenth century. During this period the Protestant, Calvinist church dominated the landscape, whilst Catholic churches had to be hidden. These hidden churches became known as schuilkerken, and they were tolerated by the state. This period of history dominated the landscape for around two hundred years; until it was challenged by the French revolution, and by 1795 religious freedom was given to Catholics again in the Netherlands. Therefore, in response to this change new churches were built, changing the landscape once again. However, now the Netherlands faces a new issue of hidden religious spaces that is a product of socio-economic problems that face religious minority groups. The three temples discussed are the Stichting Shree Raam Mandir temple, in Wijchen, the Lord Shiva temple in Amterdam Zuidoost, and the Shree Radha Krishna Mandir in Osdorp.. In 2005 the temple in Wijchen became the largest Hindu temple in the Netherlands, taking into consideration the image provided, this temple is not as big as some churches that exist in the Netherlands, also the grandeur of the building is minimal and does not look like a temple from the outside. However, the temple was purpose-built which signifies a great success for the Hindu community, as it is a space built specifically for the purpose of Hindu devotion. The Lord Shiva temple, on the other hand, is not a purpose-built temple and is located in an industrial area, in a storage unit, where the only thing that marks it as a temple is a yellow banner which signifies its purpose. The Lord Shiva temple was one of the temples to respond to the closing down of the DD temple in Amsterdam Zuidoost, this attracted a lot of debate, and some media coverage. The Lord Shiva temple may look like a storage unit from the outside, but the dĂŠcor on the inside creates a real Hindu setting, which implements a sense of belonging into such an unideal temporary space. The Shree Radha Kirishna temple almost looks like a church or even resembles a school like structure, it is also the only purpose-built temple in Amsterdam. Clearly these temples do not fulfil a Hindu stereotypical structure, which you would expect when you think of a Hindu temple; however, this is not just a Hindu issue, it is also an Islamic issue, and can be understood in the context of the landscape of the Netherlands.
Karolina Juskevic Shortlisted
Irina Munteanu Shortlisted
Kassandra Koutsoftas Shortlisted
Justyna Lesny Shortlisted
Eleanor Strange Shortlisted
Liya Su Shortlisted
Saskia Tideman Shortlisted
Elliot Bourne Shortlisted
ReiÄ?ela ZapevÄ lova Shortlisted
Maddie Ross Shortlisted
Jordan Wong Winner
Manchester Architecture News Article by Benjamin Carter Cover by Benjamin Carter
_GO AHEAD FOR LONDON ROAD FIRE STATION Levitt Bernstein, who have recently resubmitted plans for the notorious Old Granada Studios, have gained approval for their redevelopment of London Road Fire Station. The Fire Station, which in fact contained a police station, an ambulance garage and residences, has lain neglected for decades and following abandoned plans for revival looks finally to reopen its doors. Completion is estimated for 2019, and the building is set to contain bars, restaurants, a hotel and museum. _HIGH LINE PROPOSED FOR GREAT NORTHERN WAREHOUSE In a move to undo the damage done to the robust Great Northern Warehouse by the AMC cinema, Manchester-based SimpsonHaugh architects propose the removal of a car park structure in the lobotomised warehouse to open up the warehouse to Deansgate. As part of the plans a raised garden, advertised as a high line, is to be planted on the former railtracks which entered the warehouse at its first floor. New landscaping at ground level includes a redesign of Great Northern Square, filling in the underused amphitheatre and installing a new water feature, clearly the bad track record of Manchester water features is not enough to dissuade planners from another. _FINAL PLANS RELEASED FOR ST MICHAEL’S After a tumultuous design process seeing three distinct proposals and two successive architects, Gary Neville seems optimistic to finally receive approval for his gargantuan vanity project opposing Waterhouse’s town hall. In its latest iteration, the tower adopts a hexagonal plan with and a facade treatment to match. Both literally and figuratively responding to the idiom that all that glitters is not gold, this over-scaled imposition is neither gold (it is in fact anodised bronze) nor set to shimmer, blotting out the sun over Manchester’s most prodigious square . See this issue’s article on FOBS for more. _MECD AND HENRY ROYCE MOVE AHEAD The University of Manchester has begun to realise its move to consolidate the departments of the former UMIST campus on its main site. Mecanoo Architecten’s black steel groundscraper, the MECD hall, is soon to rise behind Manchester Aquatic Centre. Stretching the city block between Booth St East and Grosvenor St, the MECD is to be as long as Beetham Tower is tall. Further developments take place in the form of the Henry Royce Institute on Upper Brook St, named after the founder of the motor company that was, for a time, situated in Hulme, Manchester. _CIRCLE SQUARE NO. 2 ON SITE Savour the view! Soon the iconic Oxford Road landmark, the Principal, will be obscured by the incursion of two new office blocks at Circle Square, the city’s self proclaimed ‘most intriguing neighbourhood’. Designed by FCBS, the two blood red blocks can be read as a primitive extrusion of their site footprint. _SIMPSONHAUGH BAGS APPROVAL FOR STUDENT TOWER On the other side of Oxford Road, Manchester’s (literal) ivory tower architects, SimpsonHaugh are poised to begin work on the city’s latest student tower, following Vita at Circle Square. The tower, which is set to rise 30 storeys tall, is read as a series of stacked cubes on the site of Sound Control, a notable Manchester music venue due to face the wrecking ball as part of Simpson’s plans.
MSSA ANNOUNCEMENTS As a society we aim to put on regular exciting events, both social and academic. Regularly, we have Before You’re 30, where 3 speakers are invited to inspire over 30 minutes, we have had speakers from all professions, ranging from furniture design, humanitarian design and freelance installation design. We are also hoping to start a coffee morning, which will give an opportunity for a friday morning coffee and casual network with others throughout the architecture school. Fridays are also the days the MSSA desk on the 6th floor will be manned from 10-4, you can collect tote bags ordered online, or buy totes and tee shirts (cash only) We organised the hugely successful architRAVE this term, with guest sets from Tom Jeffries, Richard Brook and Dominic Sagar, this will hopefully be a yearly event. 2 years in a row qualifies as tradition! The MSA was pleased to host newly inaugurated RIBA president Ben Derbyshire, on his Change is Necessary tour and Sadie Morgan, of dRMM architects (latest winners of the Stirling Prize) both of whom wowed a packed auditorium We are currently in the complicated process of organising our January social! So if you have any good ideas to share please do send a message over! We are excited to keep putting on great events that everyone through the school can get involved with!
ARCHITRAVE 2.0
NEW COMMITTEE WHO DIS?
MSSA COMMITTEE 2017/18
Benjamin Carter Hani Salih Jack Bowden Saskia Tideman Holly Veitch Eleanor Strange Julie Teigen Patrick Millar Nancy Sharp Eleanor Moselle Rosie Park Adam De Vere Aaron Johal
Chair Vice Chair Treasurer Secretary Social Secretary Social Secretary Communications Publicity Merchandise First Year Rep First Year Rep Second Year Rep Masters Rep
Meetings every thursday, 9am on the 8th floor. Come along and get involved
Beginnings by Jay Ottewell. BA Fine Art. Cotton Bud Drawing.
ISSUE 02
JAN 2018