Category Archives: Main News Feed

Main news updates

MSA Model Archive – Exhibition at MTC

Posted on by
From the benches of the B.15 Modelmaking Workshop to a global digital platform – the MSA Model Archive celebrates the craft, creativity, and legacy of modelmaking at Manchester School of Architecture.
This new archive, hosted on Figshare in partnership with the University of Manchester Library and the Research Lifecycle Programme, brings together decades of student and research models – preserving and sharing the craft for generations to come.
The exhibition presents a curated selection of models from this growing digital collection, offering a first look at the work that will form part of the wider MSA Model Archive on Figshare.
Exhibition open to students at Manchester Technology Centre Gallery 11–21 November 2025
See the digital archive so far here: https://figshare.manchester.ac.uk/b15archive 

Modern Architecture in Models: from the B.15 Archive

Posted on by

From the modernist:

Curated by Eamonn Canniffe and Scott Miller

These architectural models of individual examples from the modernist canon of the twentieth century were created by groups of students from the University of Manchester School of Architecture between 1991 and 1998 and are preserved in the archive of the B.15 Modelmaking Workshop.

They were created as coursework submissions for a third year undergraduate architectural history course to demonstrate the students’ understanding of the buildings which were used as case studies during Eamonn Canniffe’s lectures.

Their survival for over three decades is a testament to the modelmaking skills of the students and to the training and help they received in the B.15 Worksop.

at the modernist
58 Port Street, Manchester M1 2EQ
open 11am to 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday October 31st – December 24th 2025

Find out more here: https://the-modernist.org/blogs/news/modern-architecture-in-models-from-the-b-15-workshop-archive 

Welcome to B.15 25/26 !

Posted on by

Hello and welcome to 25/26 at B.15!

Over the next few weeks we’ll be inducting new starters which will mean some irregular opening times. If you have any projects to discuss please get in touch and we’ll advise when is best to drop in.

Inductions

Tuesday 23rd September – Full Day
BA Architecture Year 1
Friday 26th September – Full Day
MA Architecture + Urbanism
MA Architecture + Adaptive Reuse
Monday 29th September – Full Day
MArch Year 5
Wednesday 1st October – Afternoon
MA Landscape
Thursday 2nd October – Afternoon
Foundation Architecture
Additional Catch-Up Sessions TBC
There will be some catch-up sessions scheduled which will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
B.15 General User Guide 25/26
An important reference guide for all new an returning B.15 users, please familiarise yourself with the various rules and regulations for safe workshop use.

The updated user guide can be found here for reference.

New Staff

Please welcome our newest team members, Jasmine Theobald and Zane Zeivate! Jasmine started with us in the last week before the summer degree show opening so some of you will have already met her. Zane has just started and will be working with us this year to cover Paulina who will be going on maternity leave. You can read more about their work here. 

Inspiring things to look at!

The AiM project

Earlier this year we launched the Architects Index of Modelmaking. The AiM is an online source of practice inspiration for modelmaking and provides a growing list of practices who use models in the design work. Find out more at www.the-aim.co.uk and follow the AiM on Instagram @aimodelmaking

In support of the project we have an ongoing exhibition at the European Cultural Centre as part of this years Venice Biennale which runs until November 23rd. Back in June a panel of speakers discussed some of the themes around the project which provided insight and inspiration. You can watch the full event here. 

NWSPF Scale Exhibition

The North West Small Practice Forum is a new initiative to bring together and celebrate the work of small architecture practices from the North west. The first event, SCALE, is an exhibition of works which include a great range of models and is well worth a visit. You can see the exhibition at SEESAW, 86 Princess Street, Manchester M1 6NG until October 15th.

New Aprons and Tote Bags

Finally, no new year would be complete without a fresh tote bag for our new starters. This time taking inspiration from the Nolli map style covering the oxford road corridor between B.15 and MTC. Free while stocks last!

And in a change to our extremely fashionable workshop aprons we have gone full red this year.

See you all soon!

B.15 Team

AiM Biennale Sessions: YOU ASK,THEY ANSWER! Panel event now online

Posted on by

On the 28th June 2025 we hosted the panel event AiM: YOU ASK, THEY ANSWER! at the Venice Biennale, Arsenale site. We’re pleased to share the full recording of the session here.

Thanks again to our panel, students, collegues and other guests who attended on the day!

– B.15 Team

August B.15 opening times

Posted on by
For those MA students still wanting workshop access this month, we’re open as normal 9.30 -16.30 Monday to Friday (Lunch break 13-14.00) apart from the following days in August:
Thursday 7th August – Closed AM only, open from 14.00
21st August – Closed
22nd August – Closed
25th August – Closed for Bank Holiday
See you soon!

AiM Biennale Sessions: You Ask, They Answer! Event Videos

Posted on by

On June 28th we were joined by a group of MSA students from a mix of courses and year groups to put questions to a panel of guest speakers at La Biennale Di Venezia as part of Biennale Sessions 2025. The event took place alongside the Architects Index of Modelmaking Launch exhibition taking place at the European Cultural Centre’s Palazzo Bembo.

Our panel consisted of four speakers who represent practices who have contributed to the AiM project.

Peter Lee – HENN

Ecaterina Stefanescu – Other Peoples Dreams

Joe Morris – Morris + Company

Simnia Ionescu – OMI Architects

Huge thanks to everyone who supported the project up to now and those who made the trip out to Venice to join the discussions.

Here’s a summary of the event along with the full event recording below:

Full AiM Biennale Sessions recording:

B.15 Modelmaking Awards 2025 sponsored by Henning Larsen – Winners!

Posted on by

Following judging of all shortlisted projects from Henning Larsen representative Patrick Handgrigan and Sofia Lundeholm 3 winners and 1 ‘wild-card’ winner was chosen. The judges were very impressed by the variety of work submitted and across the degree show making the process challenging as usual.

In response to the number of projects covered a last minute addition of the ‘wild -card’ was added going off judges response to seeing the work in person only. These was a clear winner for this as both judges were drawn to the work independently and without prompting.

Huge congratulations to everyone who took part and who joined us this year – your work is great and we look forward to seeing your future successes.

You can find the full long list of submissions here.

This years award winners were:

Austin Wright – BA3 Non Standard Habitats

Finley Hartless – MArch1 &Architecture

Saul Bunyan – MArch2 Continuity

Wild-card: Niamh Murphy – MLA2/SKN

Thank you to all of our students, Matt Ault for submissions collection and to Henning Larsen for their expertise and support with this years scheme.

B.15 Team

AiM Biennale Sessions Event: You Ask, They Answer! – June 28th

Posted on by

We’re pleased to announce this upcoming panel event in association with the AiM launch exhibition at this years Venice Biennale. Panel members who have contributed to the AiM project will respond to your questions on the subject of physical modelmaking in architecture.

At a time when we’re bombarded with news of artificial intelligence as the future in all walks of life, what does the production of physical models have to offer students and architectural professionals?

To get insight into your thoughts on this and anything relating to modelmaking in practice we are putting your questions to our panel in a recorded event that will take place on Saturday June 25th at 15.00-17.00 at the Venice Biennale Arsenale.

The event is open to all so if you happen to be in Venice do drop by and get in touch for more information. If you can’t make it the event will be recorded and we’ll answer as many of the submitted questions as possible.

WE NEED YOUR QUESTIONS!

We’re inviting questions from anyone, students, academics, professionals or anyone else with an interest. Ask the panel their views and we’ll discuss your topics live whilst being recorded for release here on our blog at a later date. 

>>>>>>>>>Click here to submit your questions for the panel now!<<<<<<<<<<<

Meet the panel: 

Simina Ionescu, Architect at OMI Architects, Manchester

Simina Ionescu is a qualified architect with over 11 years’ experience in the industry. After graduating from Manchester School of Architecture, she worked at several award-winning practices across Manchester before joining OMI Architects. Her experience ranges from heritage and conservation projects to new-build developments across the community, residential and commercial sectors. She is a strong advocate for model making as part of the design process and has helped implement the introduction of in-house rapid prototyping at the past three practices she has worked at.

OMI is one of the leading design-led architecture practices in the Northwest of England. The team of architects are all based in a RIBA Award-winning conversion of a Victorian baths, where they have created a number of studios for the creative industries. They are a multi-award-winning RIBA Chartered Practice and a certified B Corp. The practice is known for a broad range of work across all sectors, many of which are within sensitive historic settings.

Outside of OMI, Simina is a guest lecturer on the MA Adaptive Reuse course at the Manchester School of Architecture and plays an active role in the architectural community as the Treasurer of the Manchester Society of Architects.

Joe Morris, Founding Director of Morris+Company, London & Copenhagen

Joe is the Founding Director of Morris+Company and spearheads the practice across its two studios in London (63 people) and Copenhagen (7 people). In a career spanning over 25 years of professional practice, which has achieved widespread international recognition, Joe has increasingly advocated a sense of urgency for fair and transparent practice, inclusivity and equality, through open dialogue and critical debate. He is increasingly vocal on environmental and social and governance issues and is the driving force behind MoCo’s ongoing journey to BCORP accreditation.

Models at MoCo are more than mere representations; they are an immersive, tactile medium for reflection, innovation, and abstraction. As Joe describes, they are simultaneously “reflection, experiment, innovation, representation, abstraction, communication, question, answer, success, and failure.” This multifaceted role imbues them with immense physical and conceptual value, a body of thought that embodies the cultural essence of MoCo’s practice.

Joe has rich experience of different types of clients, across both the public and private sectors and is accustomed to working at a range of scales. He has lectured on the work of the practice in many leading UK universities, as well as in Barcelona, Bilbao, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Liege and Romania.

 

Ecaterina Stefanescu, Other Peoples Dreams, Preston

Ecaterina Stefanescu is a Romanian artist, designer, researcher, and academic. She holds a Master’s in Architecture from TU Delft and is currently based in Preston, UK, where she teaches architecture at the Grenfell-Baines Institute of Architecture, University of Central Lancashire. Her artistic and research practice centres on modelmaking, live-build, and drawing as tools for exploration, investigation, and co-design.

Through what she calls ethnographic modelmaking, Ecaterina uses models to reveal what is often ‘unseen’ in the fields of design and architecture: everyday life as experienced by everyday people. Her approach is participatory, situated, and co-produced. Whether created with machines such as laser cutter or crafted by hand on site with participants from recycled materials, the model becomes a tool for representation, analysis, cultural expression, and community engagement. Ecaterina is also co-founder of Estudio ESSE, a design practice with work across Europe.

Other People’s Dreams is a live-action research studio based at the University of Lancashire. OPD utilises active participation and co-production with marginal communities in the north-west to conceive and create architectural and spatial interventions. These projects allow local people to test new possibilities, activities and infrastructures within the places that they live, work and play, leading to greater agency, autonomy and empowerment.

Peter Lee, Associate at HENN, Berlin

 Peter Lee is an associate in the design studio at HENN, where he has worked for the past eight years across the Berlin, Beijing, and Munich offices. Starting his career as a model-making intern, he now leads teams on early phase work such as competitions and feasibility studies, with a focus on science and research projects, as well as experience in commercial, educational and cultural work.

HENN is a third-generation architecture studio with over 70 years of experience, with offices in Berlin, Munich, Beijing and Shanghai. HENN has completed more than 150 projects and counts 400 team members from more than 40 nations. As a general planner, HENN works on projects involving architecture, urbanism and master planning across all project stages.

A passionate advocate for model making, Peter is especially interested in the role of the physical model as a design tool, and how it can complement digital or computational methods of practice. His expertise ranges from creating rough sketch models to high-quality presentation pieces for competition submissions, clients, and press events.

Alongside his work at HENN, Peter is an external lecturer at Berlin International University of Applied Sciences, where he runs design modules as part of the undergraduate architecture programme.

>>>>>>>>>Click here to submit your questions for the panel now!<<<<<<<<<<<

B.15 Modelmaking Awards 2025 Sponsored by Henning Larsen – Submissions and Shortlist

Posted on by

Following 60 submissions for this years awards we can confirm 19(!) shortlisted projects.

View the full longlist document here.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to submit – a great range of inspirational projects from all year groups – Congratulations to everyone for your hard work this year, great to see it all come together through this scheme and in person at the degree show.

The shortlisted projects in consideration for in-person judging tomorrow chosen by Henning Larsen are:

Catalina Cheptene – BA2

Luke Fiorini – MArch2 Infrastructure Space

Mustafa Cem Tole – MArch2 Infrastructure Space

Rory Mclaren – BA3 Infrastructure Space

Da Lan – BA3 Infrastructure Space

Pradeep Fernando – BA3 SKN

James Pound – BA3 SKN

Howie Farrall – BA3 SKN

Alya Binti Rafaie – MArch1 SKN

Esraa Rehan – MArch2 &rchitecture

Finley Hartless – MArch1 &rchitecture

Yung Yu Wu – MArch2 &rchitecture

Austin Wright – BA3 NSH

Hannah Forrester – BA3 NSH

Saul Bunyan – MArch2 CTY

Isobel Smith – BA3 CTY

Alina Iskrytska – MArch2 CTY

Lucy Haggis – MArch FLUX

Grace Baker BA3 FLUX

Judging will take place tomorrow afternoon ahead of the winners announcement at 19.00 in the foyer of Lowry Building – Come along to celebrate!

B.15 Modelmaking Awards 2025 Sponsored by Henning Larsen

Posted on by

We’re pleased to announce this years B.15 Modelmaking Awards will be sponsored by Henning Larsen Architects.

“At Henning Larsen, model-making is a fundamental part of how we design. It allows us to translate ideas into physical form, test concepts, and refine spatial relationships. Our process begins with context—understanding a place, its character, and its challenges. From there, models help us explore ideas, experiment with materials, and ask new questions. Whether it’s 3D-printed components, compressed straw prototypes, or systems designed for disassembly, model-making is where innovation takes shape.

 We work with both physical and digital models throughout the design journey—from early sketches to full-scale prototypes. Each model sparks dialogue, invites feedback, and drives iteration. They’re never static, always evolving. Even after a project ends, our models often find new life in exhibitions, continuing to inform and inspire.”

The criteria for this, our eleventh annual scheme, will remain unchanged and we encourage any MSA students who have used modelmaking in their work to submit their work for inclusion.

Projects are judged for their strengths as creative tools and creativity just as much as in their finish and materials choices.

We can’t stress enough that all physical models are valuable and can be considered for the awards scheme. If you have made models in your project work, take a look at the submission criteria and please submit your work to have it published and gain extra exposure to your fellow students, practicing architects and prospective employers.

Have a look at the fantastic past submissions here to see the wide range of models featured from all courses and year groups.

Who can submit?

If you’re a student at MSA that has made physical models then you are eligible to submit. Any study programme, Any year group, Any projects.

What is the criteria?

We’ll explain this in more detail in a follow up post but put simply, If you’re an MSA student on any programme who has made any physical model(s) of any kind then you can and should submit. Keep a look out for the full criteria and submissions opening after the Easter break. In the meantime keep making – any models count as we’re looking at overall use of modelmaking not necessarily just one model!

When do you need to submit?

Submission instructions will be posted here and on moodle in the next few days so look out for an update of how to submit your work. From the point of announcement you will have until the end of Monday 2nd June at 12.00 midnight to submit your projects.

How are the awards judged? 

The submissions will be sent as a combined document to the sponsors who will select a shortlist to be viewed in person at the end of year show. The chosen projects will be marked against the submission criteria by representatives of B.15 and Henning Larsen.

When will we know the outcome?

The outcome of the judging process will be announced at the End of Year show awards presentation on the evening of Friday June 6th.

>>>>>>> SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN <<<<<<<

Please download the 2425_B15_Awards_Guidance+Templates

After preparing your submission as per the guidelines you can submit via this form link. 

In the meantime if you have any questions about the scheme please get in touch via scott.miller@manchester.ac.uk

On behalf of the B.15 team and our sponsors at Henning Larsen, good luck, get making and we look forward to seeing your modelmaking work in the next few weeks!