We’re pleased to finally share the full recording of MAKING SCALE symposium which took place on June 29th at the Venice Biennale.
Filmed and edited by Sarah Carroll & Lara Gerrard.
Thank you to all who supported, presented at and attended the event. We appreciate everyones participation and continued interest in this subject that drives us year on year here at B.15 and MSA.
B.15 and Collaborators
On June 29th we arrived at the Venice Biennale along with a group of MSA students, graduates and practicing professionals to present MAKING SCALE Symposium.
The event began with an introduction from Dr Matthew Wells about the longstanding presence of model making in the architectural field. Following on, Myself and Matt Ault presented our new research project aimed at creating a clearer path for architecture graduates wanting to make use of their model making skills in professional practice.
To help illustrate our points about the wide array of practice and making types our two guest speakers were brought together for an up to date insight into their work.
We began with Peter Lee, Associate at HENN, Berlin who gave a wide ranging explanation of the practice and the various ways model making in integrated and relates directly to his work. This was followed by a pre-recorded presentation by Takeshi Hayatsu, Director of Hayatsu Architects, London. Takeshi gave us an insight into how, as a child, making models influenced his interest in construction and design eventually leading to his work as an architect and the continued use of models as a means of thinking in his work.
Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances Takeshi was unable to join us on the day and conducted his presentation remotely. This didn’t detract for the fantastic content presented by both parties which gave two distinctively varied views on the application of modelmaking in architectural practice today.
The presentations were closed with a Q & A discussion where we were joined remotely by Takeshi. The full recoded event will be made available in the coming weeks here on our blog so please look out for that. In the meantime please see the short summary video below outlining the day in brief.
Thank you to all who supported and attended the event. We appreciate everyones participation and continued interest in this subject that drives us year on year here at B.15 and MSA.
B.15 and Collaborators
Hi All,
We can now confirm MAKING SCALE symposium will take place at 11.30 on Thursday June 29th at the Central Pavilion of the Giardini della Biennale site. The event is free to anyone with a Biennale pass so feel free to join us if you are in the area.
For those of you who secured tickets through us you will be able to collect them from us at 10.15 near the Giardini Vaparetto stop A/B.
We look forward to seeing you there, Safe travels
B.15 & Collaborators
We’re very pleased to announce we are returning to the Venice Architecture Biennale to fly the flag for architectural modelmaking this June.
MAKING SCALE, a B.15 symposium, will explore the value of physical models in the design process at urban and building scales. The interpretative use of materials as experimental representations can play a multitude of roles within the field of architectural design. To model junctions between building and site, built form and space, structure and enclosure, ensures that the act of making in the model workshop is an effective laboratory of future architecture. Speakers will present and discuss the conceptual potential of different scales to curate how the built environment is made and viewed in relation to innovative global practice.
Where?
The sessions event will take place at the 18th International Venice Architecture Biennale. The exhibition is held across multiple sites in Venice which host some 89 international participants.
When?
Thursday June 29th confirmed! Time and exact Biennale location TBC
Who?
Speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. Keep checking here or on our social media channels for updates!
Can I join?
Yes we’d love to see you there! Tickets for to the MAKING SCALE symposium will include a 3-day pass to the Biennale across all sites for MSA students. Tickets will be issued in person in Venice the event date. We’re working to confirm this ASAP!
If you’re not an MSA student but wish to join you can, just get in touch and we’ll explain how.
Sign up NOW!
If you are interested in joining us to experience the biggest architectural showcase of 2023 please get in touch via email and we’ll forward you further details to secure your ticket – lara.gerrard@manchester.ac.uk
Huge thanks to The University of Manchester School of Environment Education and Development Social Responsibility Fund and The University of Manchester Student Experience Funding for supporting the project. 
On Friday, 29 June the Venice Biennale saw the premiere screening of WHAT WE DO HERE; a documentary film about the role our modelmaking workshop plays in student and staff learning and development. In the basement of Humanities Bridgeford Street you’ll find the B.15 Modelmaking workshop which has served our architecture department since 1970.
The long-established workshop introduces students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level to modelmaking as an important design tool.
Documentary film makers Kieran Hanson and Howard Walmsley set about recording the plethora of daily happenings in the workshop environment back in September last year. The aim was to explore modelmaking pedagogy for the many students and staff at Manchester School of Architecture which frequent the workshop space. MSA is a joint school across our university and Manchester Metropolitan University giving students the benefits of both campuses.
Screening at the prestigious Venice Biennale gave the film the perfect setting. Architecture practice Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios Simon Doody and award-winning furniture maker Hugh Miller presented before the screening which led to a constructive debate on the subject of making in design.
The film is now resident at the Time Space Existence exhibition space at the Palazzo Bembo on the famous Grand Canal. Entry is free, and it’s expected to attract many thousands of visitors across the summer up until the end of November 2018.
The completion and promotion of this film and its associated events would not have been possible without the University’s Investing in Success scheme which backed the project. The workshop team is currently planning a number of local screenings and UK events that will feature the film in the coming year.
A huge thank you to all who have contributed to this project in time, funding and above all morale support over the past academic year that has made it all possible. We’ll be announcing additional screening events in the coming months so keep a look our for those.
If you get a chance to visit Time Space Existence in Venice, tag @b15workshop #whatwedoheremsa on social media and enjoy!
Scott & Jim
UPDATE: With the conclusion of our associated events WHAT WE DO HERE is now available to watch online here. Thank you to everyone who has supported and engaged with the project!
Following the Premiere screening of WHAT WE DO HERE taking place in Venice on June 29th we are please to announce 2 guest speakers. The premiere will take place at 15.00 followed by presentations from Simon Doody and Hugh Miller and a discussion on the subject of modelmaking making in design. The discussion will be chaired by Professor Tom Jefferies, Head of Manchester School of Architecture.
Simon Doody – Partner, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Simon is a partner at the award winning architectural and urban design practice Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. Simon works across a number of sectors, however his focus has been on the Higher Education sector, which he heads up for the practice.
Simon led the design of the award-winning Business School and Student Union buildings for Manchester Metropolitan University and is currently working on their high profile new Screen School. He is currently in the final stages of an engineering research hub at the University of Toronto and the early stages of a Sustainability Institute for Trinity College Dublin. His design for an exhibition building in Changsha, China was awarded the country’s first ever BREEAM Outstanding certification.
Modelmaking has always played an important role in design development at FCBStudios, and the relationship between the studio and workshop environment is considered integral to the design process. The practice has recently invested in new workshops across its UK studios, providing state of the art facilities accessible to all.
Find out more about Feilden Clegg Bradley and their use of modelmaking here: https://fcbstudios.com/
Hugh Miller – Hugh Miller Furniture
Hugh Miller is a designer and maker specialising in studio furniture in wood. Hugh trained as an architect prior to founding his studio, and sees his work as small pieces of architecture, where the concept is embedded in the articulation of the details.
Hugh is heavily influenced by his time researching craftsmanship in Japan as a Winston Churchill Memorial Fellow. This transformative experience led him to develop a set of design principles, inspired by Japanese making philosophy, that now underpin his studio. As well as creating his furniture collection, Hugh also designs for established brands including collaborations with Benchmark Furniture, Savoir Beds, and The IceHotel Sweden.
‘WHAT WE DO HERE’ is a documentary film project that follows the people, practice and process of learning through making at Manchester School of Architecture.
What place is there for physical hand-crafted models in the increasingly digital realm of modern architecture? How does challenging students to look beyond the screen and ‘get their hands dirty’ inform their understanding of and relationship with the structures they are conceiving?
This film aims to explore how these young architects tackle the various stages of model-making as they grapple with materials, moulds and machines and ultimately reveal the ways in which the models, in turn, inform their individual growth and understanding.
The theme of the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale; ‘Free Space’ is presented clearly through ‘WHAT WE DO HERE’ giving a unique insight into a space where the next generation of architects are free to experiment, test, fail, learn and grow in their craft and knowledge.
Project Sponsorship
We are currently seeking sponsors to support the project and participate at the Venice Biennale 2018 and welcome any interested parties who might wish to be associated with this truly global architecture exhibition.
Please contact scott.miller@manchester.ac.uk for further information about partnering with us.
