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

Foster + Partners Join B.15:45 ‘Modelmaking in the Digital Age’ Symposium

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Workshop

We are pleased to announce that Foster + Partners will be joining our ‘Modelmaking in the Digital Age’ Symposium taking place on March 9th.

As one of the biggest architectural practices in the world, this presentation from Foster + Partners will add an insight into the ever present use of architectural modelmaking in projects taking place worldwide.

Additional speakers from Foster + Partners will be:

Gregor Anderson, Associate Partner at Foster + Partners and manager of the in-house Rapid Prototyping Facility. Gregor studied at the Royal College Of Art where he focused his research on all forms of digital manufacturing. On graduating, he was a key member in the development of Rapidform, the RCAâ€™s in house additive manufacturing unit. In 2008 he moved to UCL to set up and run The Digital Manufacturing Centre in the Bartlett School of Architecture, before joining Foster + Partners in 2011.

Ed Bartlett, Associate and Modelshop CAD Support Manager at Foster + Partners. Ed joined the practice in 2008 after graduating from the Arts University Bournemouth, where he studied Modelmaking for Design and Media, specialising in computer-aided design. He now heads up a team of CAD specialists within the practice, working on a wide variety of projects around the world.

We look forward to seeing you there!

‘Modelmaking in the Digital Age’ Symposium, 9th March 2015

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Workshop

B.15:45 Presents….

As part of our continued look at the role of Modelmaking in Architecture we are very pleased to announce our upcoming symposium event: Modelmaking in the Digital Age

The day will comprise of a series of talks and discussions around the subject of modelmaking in architecture, in particular the impact the introduction of digital tools has had on the approach to making and learning with models.

Registration for the symposium has now closed.

Confirmed Speakers for the event are:

Ken Grix,Â Architect and Modelmaker at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Bath. Since 1999 Ken has been both the inspiration behind and creator of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studiosâ€™ concept models, design process models and presentation models. He became a Partner of the company in 2012, and the following year he achieved the great honour of winning the Lend Lease/AJ Grand Award for Architecture at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2013 for his concrete concept models of the Festival Wing, Southbank.

Dr.Â Milena Stavric, studied Architecture at the University of Belgrade where she also received her PhD. Since 2004 she has worked at the Graz University of Technology, Austria. Author of Architectural Scale Models in the Digital Age: Design, Representation and Manufacture.

James Smith, Director and Head of Architectural Modelmaking at Amalgam Models, Bristol. JamesÂ joined Amalgam in 2000 having gathered model making experience across the UK for several years, followed by 3 years based inÂ Barcelona where he managed many high profile architectural projects. James became a Director at Amalgam in 2008.

Professor Nick Dunn, Professor of Urban Design at Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts.Previously studied and taught at the Manchester School of Architecture, Author of the international best selling book,Â Architectural Modelmaking.

The event will be chaired by our own Dr Raymond Lucas. Dr Lucas has recently been appointed as Head of Architecture in Humanities at the University of Manchester and as such will have a close relationship with our workshop activities in future. His involvement teaching at MSA and research with the Manchester Architectural Research Centre (MARC) however has been ongoing for the last 4 years so Ray is well versed in the active role our cause plays for our students.

The event will be held on March 9th in the Cordingley Lecture Theatre here at the University of Manchester’s Humanities Bridgeford Street Building. Presentations will begin at 09.30am and will continue throughout the day with Q & A sessions and general discussions around the subject concluding no later thanÂ 16.00.

Further updates to the event will be posted here leading up to the event.

Tickets are no longer Available

Registration for the symposium is now closed.

For those who have registered We’ll see you on Monday!

B.15:45 PRESENTS: ‘MAKER’ & ‘DESIGN & THINKING’ DOCUMENTARIES SCREENING, THURSDAY 4TH DECEMBER

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Workshop

As part of our ongoing look at the role of Modelmaking in design, B.15:45 presents a screening of two highly acclaimed documentaries on the design and making field.

The two documentaries will be shown back to back from 17.30 on Thursday 4th December in the Cordingley Lecture Theatre in Humanities Bridgeford Street Building (Kantorowich Building where the B.15 Workshop and Exhibition are located)

Each film lasts approximately 70 minutes.

FREE ADMISSION

Here is an overview and trailer for each film:

Maker

‘Maker’ is a feature-length documentary that looks into the current maker movement in America â€“ a new wave of Do-It-Yourself and Do-It-Together fueled by passion and powered by the advent of new technologies.Â

The ‘Maker Movement’, sometimes called the ‘Third Industrial Revolution,’ subverts traditional manufacturing by building on innovative concepts such as open source, local manufacturing, crowd funding, and digital fabrication.Â Breaking the hobbyist movement stereotype, ‘Maker’ delves deep into this ecosystemÂ of design and manufacturing in the Internet era. The film explores the ideas, tools, and personalities that are driving the Maker Movement â€“ and returns with a timely snapshot of one of the transforming influences of the current age.Â

Design & Thinking

Inspired by design thinking, this documentary grabs businessmen, designers, social
change-makers and unlikely individuals to portray what they have in common when
facing this ambiguous 21st century.
Synopsis:
How do we fully engage organizations to think about the changing landscape
of business, culture and society? Inspired by design thinking, this documentary grabs
businessman, designers, social change-makers and unlikely individuals to portrait
what they have in common when facing this ambiguous 21st century. What is design
thinking? How is it applied in business models? How are people changing the world
with their own creative minds? It is a call to the conventional minds to change and
collaborate.

B.15:45 Exhibition Review By Mirko Avalos Henriquez

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Workshop

Mirko Avalos Henriquez, A professional Modelmaker working in Berlin visited our exhibition recently and wrote this review in response.

The B.15:45 Architectural Modelmaking Exhibition at the Manchester school of Architecture offers a glimpse of the types of models used in the design and development of architectural ideas and concepts. The layout of the exhibition takes you on a journey through the various uses a model affords, from initial exploration of shapes, forms, materials and textures to refined and detailed representations of final design solutions.

The exhibition lets one clearly see how the process of using a model as an exploratory tool is in itself a vital component of the overall design process. Much like a sketch book of scribbles on a visual communication course or a book of fabric and colour samples on a fashion design course, the model can be used as a vehicle allowing one to visualise ideas in progress. The curators of the exhibition have organized the models in such a way that it is easy to make out the purpose of the model, through varying scales, materials, level of detail and colour. Technological advances in the production of a model or its component parts is also on show here with clear advantages and disadvantages in using new technologies and media evident in the quality of finish of a model.

We get to see structural details rendered large as well as whole city districts in a scale of 1:1000, suggestions for fantastical underwater prisons and futuristic 3D printing factories where whole buildings can be quickly produced. There are projects that are explained through a highly detailed series of models alongside more abstract explorations in shape and colour. From wood to copper, 3D printed parts to moulded plaster, the models on show cover a range of fascinating materials, production techniques and level of detail.

The art of model making and its use as a vital tool in the design process is presented in detail through lovingly preserved and at times repaired examples of models. Scott and Jim have done a fantastic job of making it easy to navigate this fundamental but often overlooked component to the study of architecture.Â The B.15:45 Architectural Modelmaking Exhibition is a must-see not only for those interested in architecture but also for those curious to know what goes into the exploration and development of a design idea and how this creative principle is approached.

Mirko Avalos Henriquez, October 2014

You can find out more about Mirko’s experience in our profile post here.

B.15:45 Professor Nick Dunn Opening Speech 12th September 2014

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Workshop

As part of our opening night for B.15:45 Professor Nick Dunn kindly gave a short speech about the origins of modelmaking through to present day. For those who don’t know, Professor Dunn is a former student here at Manchester who then went on to teach at MSA and is the author of one of, if not the most successful architectural Modelmaking book to date, ‘Architectural Modelmaking’ which is now in it’s second edition.

His speech was filmed in it’s entirety and you can watch it below:

B.15:45 Years of Architectural Modelmaking Documentary Video

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Workshop

As part of our B.15:45 exhibition we have produced this documentary film exploring the constant but changing use of modelmaking within architectural education here at The Manchester School of Architecture within The University of Manchester.

The film interviews past and present academic, teaching and technical staff about their thoughts on modelmaking in architecture and how the tool continues to be used in design teaching today.

We hope this provides a good insight into Architectural modelmaking and helps to define its place in student studies here.

We would like to say many thanks again to all involved in the production of this film.

Scott and Jim

B.15:45 Private View Opening

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Workshop

After just over a year in the making B.15:45 finally opened on with a private view event on Friday evening. The event was a fantastic success with many unexpected guests and familiar faces gathering to discuss the subject of Modelmaking in Architecture.

An opening introduction speech was made by Professor Nick Dunn who gave a concise description of the history of modelmaking and overview of our goals with this exhibition which was well received by all.

Myself and Jim would like to thank everybody involved and all who made it to the opening to make it such a great success.

The exhibition is now open to all 9.00-17.00 during term time for the next year. We will be hosting several events on alongside the exhibition and engaging with school and college groups which has already begun. Keep checking for updates regarding any public events as we want to keep all interested parties engaged in our continued work.

Many thanks again, Scott and Jim

B.15:45 ARCHITECTURAL MODELMAKING EXHIBITION – Job Done

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Workshop

At long last we have completed our snapshot look at the past 45 years of the B.15 Modelmaking workshop at the University of Manchester.

It’s been challenging and fascinating taking this from an idea to reality over the last year. We’ve had a lot of fun putting this all together and hope you learn and enjoy it as much as we have.

It goes without saying that there’s a lot of thanks to others for helping us along the way. In particular we’d like to acknowledge Louise & Saul Parker-Backhouse and Paul Thornber who went above an beyond the call of duty to give their time and help us get this fantastic collection on display.

If you’re not joining us this evening for the private view we’ll see you soon to start making exhibits for the next one…