B.15 Modelmaking Workshop

We’re pleased to announce a new collaboration with Omar Gandhi Architects @og_architect for the 2026 B.15 Modelmaking Awards! Modelmaking is an essential part of learning and design development. As such these awards are not only about the completed models but on the journey as a whole. We encourage anyone who has used models in their project to get involved. Looking forward to seeing your work! Open to all year groups on all MSA courses. Full submission details can be found on the B.15 blog - link in bio. Submission deadline Monday June 1st at 12 noon with final judging and winners presentation on Friday June 5th. Good luck! #manchesterschoolofarchitecture #b15modelmakingawards #architecturalmodels #architecturestudents #omargandhiarchitect

Some of you will have already met but this is @the_msa_ member Sohaib @s.m.k.arch who will be helping us out over the next few weeks leading up to the degree show - Welcome Sohaib and thanks for the help!

MAKING MATTERS - Takedown crew @b15workshop @lolly_laraa @jasminetheobald @paulinavoang @zzanez @architectlaura @s.m.k.arch @canniffe40 @_benissad and the @materialsource crew Additional and crucial thanks to the guys at Radius Shipping. Essential to making this happen. Nailed it 🔥 Much love 🙏

To celebrate the @themsarch being ranked 5th in the QS World Rankings for Architecture we’re pleased to confirm that Lego will be releasing a Kantorowich Building play set! Home to Architecture in Manchester since 1970, the Architecture and Planning Building (known as Kantorowich after Hanson/Kantorowich who designed and taught at the school) will be immortalised as a limited edition set. “It’s fitting that the ever-popular Lego brand has recognised the significance of our beloved concrete home! Get yours while stocks last” - Scott @b15workshop The model was designed by @tonyb1059 back in 2020 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the building but due to the pandemic resulting in a shortage of normality production was delayed until now. Pre-order from lego.com #b15workshop #manchesterschoolofarchitecture #kantorowich #concrete #universityofmanchester

Starting next week we’ll host 3 model photography masterclasses with photographer David Penny. Open to all MSA students, the sessions will cover use of DSLR cameras, Lenses and Lighting to help you make the most of your models in your presentations and portfolios. Sessions are free to attend but space is limited so please sign up now to join. Sign up via Moodle (direct link on our blog) Each session is the same so no need to repeat. Taking place at B.15. Any questions please get in touch!

Opening Monday 2nd March: AiMxMSA: MAKING MATTERS EXHIBITION Communicating Architectural Ideas through Models 32 Practices, 50+ Models, never ending smiles: Presented by @aimodelmaking and @the_msa_ We’re pleased to announce our participants who have come together to celebrate modelmaking in the architectural profession in our home city of Manchester! Supported by a range of events across the 5 week period coordinated by @the_msa_ including a day long festival of making chaired by @ecc_italy Visit our homecoming exhibition from Monday 2nd March - Thursday April 2nd 2026 @materialsource Manchester. Featuring the work and views of: @alliesandmorrison @artformarchitects @b__machin @bennettsassocs @claudiomolinacamacho_arq @chrisdysonarchitects @commonpractice.studio @eprarchitects @fcbstudios @grimshawarch @hennarchitecture @jesticowhiles @make_architects @_materia @mistry_swire @morrisand.company @other_peoples_dreams @olliersmurthwaitearchitects @omiarchitects @patriarchearchitecture @purcell.architecture @park_associati @stanton_williams @sundaystudio_be @studionaama @_studiopower_ @simpsonhaugh_architects @skbarchitects @wwparchitects Partnering with @ecc_italy @b15workshop and @themsarch Sponsored by @materialsource Product partners @sixteen3_ltd #modelmaking #aimmakingmatters #architectsindexofmodelmaking #mysecretmanchester #citylifemanchester

It was exciting to work with @b15workshop and @matt_ault_archi at the Manchester School of Architecture last week. The fourth year students (first year masters) are working on an adaptive and sustainable reuse of the Ferranti Building on the UMIST campus in Manchester. The material prototyping task was included at the start of the project to help establish some spatial and material positioning. The workshop brief was to develop conceptual prototypes for potential interventions. Students worked with mycelium, mild steel, fabrics, LED lights, and many different scrap materials. The resulting prototypes explored varied approaches to the building’s transformation. Some students investigated the layering of a facade, whilst others developed parasitic structures that weave around the existing UMIST building. One prototype focused on how the effect of water ripples in an outside pool can be transferred to the inside of the building. Another prototype physically conceptualised heat in a greenhouse-like space, and another explored a fabric-like structure creating layered effects. One student worked on a dynamic prototype incorporating LEDs At the end of the workshop, students discussed their work in small groups of five, with one student acting as chair to guide the discussion. -————————————————————— #modelmaking #archmodel #b15 #nobalsa

Inspiration from Tianyu Zheng: ‘Touchstone for Younger Housing in Crewe’ “This conceptual model is a touchstone exercise by CTY Atelier, serves to test the structural narrative of my housing proposal. The model re-imagines new co-living housing in Crewe, exploring how new construction technologies can be combined with the town’s railway heritage during the post-railway urban regeneration. The model tests two different construction logics— suspend and stack, which correspond to two possible structural strategies for deck access. The red bricks from demolished existing buildings are domestically reused through concrete casting and tile production, embedding material memory into the new fabric. And for the details, these are treated not merely as structural depictions but as autonomous design elements. By integrating Crewe’s railway colour palette and architectural details, the design narrates the town’s railway story in a subtle and continuous tone. Thank you to the B.15 staff for their patience and guidance in supporting a wide range of model-making techniques, including laser cutting, sanding, and especially the Jesmonite casting and polishing” ____________________________________________ Model by @themsarch @msa_ateliercontinuity student Tianyu Zheng @osca2012 ____________________________________________ #architecturalmodels #modelmaking #b15workshop #manchesterschoolofarchitecture #architecturestudent

We are delighted to announce our forthcoming exhibition, AiM: MAKING MATTERS — Communicating Architectural Ideas Through Models Physical modelmaking continues to offer a unique source of insight and inspiration for understanding the built environment. In an era defined by speed and convenience, the value of slowing down and engaging with this tactile, exploratory process is often overlooked. In practice, the value of making becomes evident through the work itself. Opening on 2nd March, the exhibition brings together an international range of architectural models and voices from practice, each responding to a central question: Why does making matter? Running over five weeks, the exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of public events hosted by the Manchester Society of Architects @the_msa_ , exploring the role of making in contemporary practice. This series will culminate in a day of discussions chaired by our partners at the European Cultural Centre Italy @ecc_italy All events are open to all. Further details including sign-up links will be announced in the coming weeks here and at making-matters.the-aim.co.uk We look forward to welcoming you to the exhibition and continuing the conversation on the value of making in architecture. Presented by: AiM: The Architects Index of Modelmaking & The Manchester Society of Architects March 2nd - April 2nd / Mon - Fri 9 - 5 Exhibition Sponsor: Material Source Studio @materialsource Product Partner: Sixteen3 @sixteen3_ltd Partners: European Cultural Centre Italy @ecc_italy B.15 Workshop @b15workshop at Manchester School of Architecture @themsarch , The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University #aimmakingmatters #architecturalmodels #architectsindexofmodelmaking #modelmaking manchestersocietyofarchitects

Friday inspiration from Alya Binti Rafaie: ‘’This is an adaptive reuse project set in Cardross, Glasgow, where I transformed the abandoned St. Peter’s Seminary to “St. Peter’s Centre of Sympoietic Sounds”; a centre to experiment music that integrates sounds from nature.[...] Overall, I experimented with many modelmaking methods on this model to achieve an interesting and engaging final look. Working through failed testing provided a valuable reminder to me; there will always be hiccups and imperfect results, but sometimes these accidental outcomes can shift our perspective of the project which can lead to even better results. This 1:50 section model showcases my proposed adaptive reuse design of St. Peter’s Seminary. The grey elements indicate the existing building structure, whereas all the coloured elements are the proposed components. [...] Some process images showcasing the various model-making methods I have undertaken to produce this model. This includes clay modelling, pressure-forming, making jesmonite mixtures, jesmonite-drilling, foam-cutting, 3D printing, spray-painting and laser-cutting’’ ____________________________________________ Submitted for the 2025 B.15 Modelmaking Awards by @themsarch Some Kind of Nature @skn_msa student - @ayla.rchive @lyar.faie ____________________________________________ #architecturalmodels #modelmaking #b15workshop #manchesterschoolofarchitecture #architecturestudent

Inspiration from Christopher Whitehead: ‘’I have been exploring a complex site underneath a disused arch above the River Medlock, designing a queer nightclub, printing press and archive. [...[ As my site is a functioning railway bridge, work to the structure would have been costly, and difficult to justify, so therefore I wanted to create a model to demonstrate parts that are not changeable. By building a massing model of the interior space inside the arch. Over the course of the project, I have used this model to iteratively test different spatial configurations as well as facade options and structural elements. Other models across the year have influenced this modelling journey, starting with sketch models and then constructing a rough site model using papier mache from recycled newspaper cuttings and my own prints from the project. I have really enjoyed using found materials throughout my modelling, such as the orange fabric that was obtained in Berlin during a FLUX: Lab on Tempelhofer Feld. An interior view of the plaster cast model, demonstrating a facade system I designed and how that affected internal lighting’’ _________________________________________ Submitted for the 2025 B.15 Modelmaking Awards by @themsarch , Flux @flux_atelier_msa , BA Year 3, Student - Christopher Whitehead @chriswhiteheadd _________________________________________