‘Why Do We Make Models?’ Provocations 12 with Liz Hallam and Roz Barr

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Workshop

****** Update: The full presentations/discussion can be viewed online here – Look for Provocation 12 on the video feed: https://mmutube.mmu.ac.uk/playlist/dedicated/1_chgu2yyl/1_j1anpveo ******

Scott will be joining the discussion for MSA Provocations 12 on March 18th 2021. Full release below:

Provocation 12 :

Why Do We Make Models?

Scott Miller of the B.15 Modelmaking Workshop and Ray Lucas (Head of Humanities) will be co-discussants, framing a discussion between our two speakers:

Liz Hallam is Associate Professor in Visual, Material & Museum Anthropology and Fellow of St Peter’s College, Oxford. Hallam’s work focuses on the anthropology of the body and three-dimensional models, especially in medical education.

Hallam’s work examines three-dimensional models of human anatomy, c.1850 to the present, especially in terms of their design, making and use in medical education. This focuses on the social relations of models, their changing materials and forms, how they are created and disseminated, and the kinds of knowledge they generate. I have explored some these of issues as a guest curator of the exhibition Designing Bodies: Models of Human Anatomy from 1945 to Now, at the Royal College of Surgeons of England (2015-16, funded by the RCS and the Henry Moore Foundation), and in a co-edited book Medical Museums: Past, Present, Future (with Sam Alberti), which brings together work by curators, researchers, and photographers in Europe and the USA.

Roz Barr is Director and founder of Roz Barr Architects, a London based architectural studio with a commitment to the careful crafting of architectural solutions through a process of making. We are dedicated to producing high-quality and inventive designs – not as a means of producing architectural ‘statements’ as such, but through a belief that the ability to produce innovative and beautiful work emerges from the interplay between content, context, and a sensitivity towards client requirements.

An in-house workshop allows us to create hand crafted models and other three dimensional material throughout the design process to explore our design ambition and demonstrate our thinking. We are a design-led practice, and we enjoy this process – a fact that is conveyed in the rigorous level of detail and research invested in all of our projects.

Our two discussants are:

Scott Miller is a technician at the B.15 Modelmaking Workshop at MSA. He has worked as a freelance modelmaker on architectural, commercial and display models and in exhibition design & construction. Miller’s interests lie in the preservation, theory and promotion of modelmaking in design education.

Ray Lucas is Head of Humanities at MSA and is interested in the means by which architectural knowledge is produced; whilst most of this research is into architectural drawing, he is working on a chapter for Liz Hallam’s forthcoming book 3D Modelling with Scott Miller & Jim Backhouse as co-authors.

As always, we shall convene between 17.15 and 18.30 on Thursday evening.

ZOOM: https://zoom.us/j/6134625706

Recordings of past Provocations are available at:

https://mmutube.mmu.ac.uk/playlist/dedicated/1_chgu2yyl/

We look forward to seeing you there.

Kindest regards,

The Provocations team

****** Update: The full presentations/discussion can be viewed online here – Look for Provocation 12 on the video feed: https://mmutube.mmu.ac.uk/playlist/dedicated/1_chgu2yyl/1_j1anpveo ******

B.15:ARCHITYPES Opening by Dr Raymond Lucas

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Workshop

B.15:ARCHITYPES exhibition was opened with a private view opening on Friday September 16th. The exhibition was opened by Dr Raymond Lucas who spoke about the role models play at the Manchester School of Architecture.

The exhibition is now open 9.00 – 16.30 Monday to Friday for the foreseeable future.

Watch the opening address here:

Thank you to everyone who has supported in donating their work and who came along to the private view event. In particular to Saul ‘Dr Magic’ Parker-Backhouse who had a hand in everything involved in the making.

Scott & Jim

B.15: ARCHITYPES Exhibition

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Workshop

We are very pleased to announce a new modelmaking exhibition of student projects opening September 2016: ‘B.15: ARCHITYPES’

The exhibition charts the different applications of modelmaking used by students of Architecture at the Manchester School of Architecture acting as a point of reference and inspiration in the subject.

Featuring over 80 pieces of varied types and styles from across 5 years of education. The display is supported by a brand new guidebook describing the projects material make-up and context.

Private View Opening

The exhibition will be opened with a private view on Friday 16th September from 17.30 onward. Dr Raymond Lucas will be present to officially mark the opening with a short introduction. This event is free for all so please come and join us in celebration of the subject there will be refreshments provided.

The exhibition will then be open 9.00 – 16.30 Monday to Friday.

Please contact us if you require any further information: scott.miller@manchester.ac.uk

Hope to see you there!

Jim & Scott

Mecanoo B.15 Modelmaking Award 2016 Winners

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Workshop

Final judging for this years Mecanoo B.15 Modelamking awards took place on Friday afternoon ahead of the end of year show opening.

Representatives from Mecanoo were Laurens Kistemaker, Paul Daly, Oliver Boaler along with former MSA Student and previous award winner Sara Hammond. Representing MSA were Jim and myself and Dr Ray Lucas.

As with last years award judging looked at the overall quality of the finished models, The effectiveness of their response to the brief and the integration of modelmaking into each students designing process. This proved once again to be very tough and created a fantastic post-marking deliberation over the final results.

“I was pleasantly surprised by the efforts and quality of the students work, which therefore made it really hard for us to pick just 6 winners. We covered both sides (skill and representation of the brief) of modelmaking with a judging team of 3 modelmakers and 3 architects. I hope we as mecanoo together with Jim and Scott have contributed to push the continued importance of modelmaking in architectural learning and practice.”

– Laurens Kistemaker

Prizes were presented by Laurens Kistemaker and Professor Tom Jefferies to the winners who were as follows:

1st Prize MArch: Daniel Kempski & Peter Lee

2nd Prize MArch: Natalie Dosser & Diana Muresan

3rd Prize MArch: Sam Beddingfield

1st Prize BA (Hons) Architecture: Ciara Tobin

2nd Prize BA (Hons) Architecture: Akhil Mathew

3rd Prize BA (Hons) Architecture: Daniel Vella

We would like to thank all at Mecanoo for their continued support of this award which has already built on last years success with another quality display of projects.

Congratulations to all who made the hard earned short-list and eventual winners! We hope you will continue to employ the use of modelmaking in your learning and future careers whatever they may be.

Scott and Jim at B.15

Modelmaking in the Digital Age Symposium Videos: Dr. Milena Stavric, TU Graz, Austria

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Workshop

“If you’re really involved in the design process and in fabrication process you can link both of these things and then students can see that everything is part of architecture. Everything is really as one. There is no segregation and that’s something that for us is really important”

In our fourth presentation of the day Dr Stavric of TU Graz brought an insight from architectural education in Austria. Dr Stavric presents a range of teaching techniques that revolve around making and the idea of un-concious learning when making.

There is an interesting argument here for the compulsory use of a foundation year of making and software learning before students are deemed skilled enough to advance to more advanced architectural briefs.

Modelmaking in the Digital Age Symposium Videos: James Smith, Amalgam Modelmaking Ltd

Posted on August 7, 2015 by Workshop

“As commercial modelmakers we look at all the options available to us to make sure that we’re making the best model for the client’s money. I think this is what makes modelmaking companies like ourselves a bit different than the generic 3d printing bureau who will just be pushing this one method.

When you come to a commercial modelmakers that does a lot of things under one roof they can advise you on the best way to do something rather than just saying this is the way to do it”

The profession of modelmaking exists outside of the walls of architecture in almost every creative field you can think of. Amalgam Modelmaking Ltd in Bristol prides itself on being able to take on as many of these projects as it can handle. James Smith, Head of Architectural Modelmaking at Amalgam, explains how the wide array of skills under one roof has helped them to meet commercial demands no matter what the requirement. James’ insight from the middle of Â the architect/client relationship is provides a facinating and often overlooked viewpoint of the process.

Modelmaking in the Digital Age Symposium Videos: Ken Grix, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Workshop

I’m not a trained modelmaker. I was a qualified Architect when I started and at first I felt a little like a fish out of water until I realised you could make models do whatever you want. It’s more like an art sometimes, especially when you’re working with concept models than an actual process of representation Ken Grix

In the second of our presentations from Modelmaking in the Digital Age in-house modelmaker and architect Ken Grix talks through his approach to modelmaking at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios in Bath. The relationship between the studio and workshop environment is considered integral to the design process at FCB and Ken’s projects clearly convey this.

Modelmaking in the Digital Age Symposium Videos: Professor Nick Dunn

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Workshop

“We often, in a good way – don’t know what we’re doing. We don’t know what the possibilities may be which is why making a model can be very productive. […] They explore a journey. They tell us things that we didn’t necessarily know and we can get surprised sometimes by what’s produced. These are part of a narrative behind the design that becomes very very important.” – Professor Nick Dunn

Our first speaker at Modelmaking in the Digital Age was Professor Nick Dunn who currently works at ImaginationLancaster and was a former lecturer here at MSA. Professor Dunn opened the talks by explaining as he puts it ‘the archaeology of application’ of architectural models.

For those unsure about the origins and development of architectural models as tools Professor Dunn provides a fascinating insight here.

Modelmaking in the Digital Age Symposium Videos: Introduction from Dr Raymond Lucas

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Workshop

“Modelmaking is one of these core activities within architecture and it’s something that we often take for granted. It’s a key way of us actually exploring what it means for us to produce architecture” – Dr Raymond Lucas

On March 9th we hosted a day long symposium on the theme of Modelmaking within architecture and how its role has changed from the different perspectives in which it takes place. The presentations and debates from the day were recorded in full and we are pleased to able to present them here to all who were unable to attend or have an interest in the field.

The event was chaired by Head of Architecture at the University of Manchester Dr. Raymond Lucas who, in our first video explains the key areas in question.

Mecanoo B.15 Modelmaking Awards

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Workshop

After many months of hard work from everyone at MSA the end of year show was officially opened at a private view event on Friday. We were pleased to include a new award recognising the use of modelmaking in students coursework.

Judging took place during Friday afternoon where we were joined by representatives from Mecanoo, Professor Tom Jefferies, Dr Ray Lucas to mark the short-listed work in person. From the outset it was clear this was going to be a difficult competition to win due to the high quality of the featured work.

Spending time to look at each piece in detail, the judges marked out of 50 based on our criteria.

The total scores caused a heated debate about the winners resulting in the decision to restructure our prizes from one to three winners for BA (Hons) as final scoring was so close.

Ernst ter Horst and Patrick Arends from Mecanoo noted that they were “inspired by the exceptional level of quality throughout and it’s important to stress these winners were all on a knife edge with scoring”

The winner of the MArch prize was of “outstanding quality and creativity delivering a fascinating model of beguiling interest!”

Winners were:

Overall BA (Hons) Winner – Paul Thornber

Highly Commended BA (Hons) 2nd Place – Sara Hammond

Highly Commended BA (Hons) 3rd Place – Thomas Smith

Winner of the MArch Prize -Â Hajir Alttahir

Individual descriptions of the winning projects written by the students can be found in the complete short list document available to view here.

We are thrilled with the response this award has had and are confident we can continue to recognise the great modelmaking work of our students with this as an annual award. As stated by Mecanoo we would like to repeat how close the scoring for this was and that every project picked was done so because of great quality and individual attitude to making which was believed to be fantastic so well done to everyone this year!

Good luck in your future careers!