B.15 Modelmaking Awards 2026 – Sponosred by Omar Gandhi Architects

Posted on by

We’re pleased to once again be running the B.15 Modelmaking Awards scheme for 2026. This year in collaboration with Canadian based practice Omar Gandhi Architects.

The criteria for this, our twelfth 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.

Announcement fromn Omar Gandhi:

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?

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. Details of how what and how to submit can be found in the submissions pack. 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 are available to downloan in the submissions pack. From the point of announcement you will have until the Monday 1st June at 12.00PM  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 Omar Gandhi Architects.

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 5th.

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

Please download the submissions pack here.

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 Omar Gandhi Architects, good luck, get making and we look forward to seeing your modelmaking work in the next few weeks!

B.15 Late Opening Sessions April/May 2026

Posted on by

We will be running a period of late workshop opening sessions for students starting next week to help facilitate additional modelmaking activity.

B.15 will remain open until 19.30 on the following days:

April
Tuesday 21st
Wednesday 22nd
Thursday 23rd
Tuesday 28th
Wednesday 29th
Thursday 30th
May
Tuesday 5th
Wednesday 6th
Thursday 7th

Capacity is limited to 20 students at workshop staff discretion.

Students wishing to attend must sign up via the link posted by Scott on Moodle announcments page.

We look forward to seeing some great projects coming tyo life over the next few weeks

– B.15 Team

MAKING MATTERS Review in the Architects Journal

Posted on by

‘Lots and lots of glue’: Manchester’s Making Matters exhibition
Making Matters, an exhibition at Material Source Studios in Manchester, reminds visitors of the power of tactile objects to teach, seduce and clarify

16 March 2026 ·By Luke Neve.

Photography by Oliver Webley

Our latest exhibition as part of the AiM project; MAKING MATTERS at Material Source Studio has been reviewed for the Architects Journal by Luke Neve and can be found here:

https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/practice/culture/lots-and-lots-of-glue-manchesters-making-matters-exhibition

 

B.15 Easter opening hours 2026

Posted on by

Hi All,

Just a quick update that B.15 will be open as normal until the end of Thursday April 2nd before closing until Monday 13th April for the break.

Also a reminder that our practice models exhibition, MAKING MATTERS is also open Monday to Friday 9-5 at Material Source Studio until the end of the 2nd. Please try to visit and take inspiration from the 32 practices and over 70 models we have on display there.

See you soon, B.15 Team

Model-Photography Master classes – Free Workshops for MSA students

Posted on by

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 via moodle here now to join.

Taking place at B.15 (B.12 Studio)

Each session is the same so no need to repeat.

Workshop 1 – Wednesday 11th March,14.00-17.00 

Workshop 2 – Tuesday 24th March,14.00-17.00 

Workshop 3 – Tuesday 21st April,14.00-17.00 

Any questions please get in touch!

AiM: MAKING MATTERS EXHIBITION – Communicating Ideas Through Architectural Models

Posted on by

We are delighted to announce our forthcoming exhibition and events programme presented by AiM x Manchester Society of Architects:
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?
Events Programme
Running over five weeks, the exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of public events hosted by the Manchester Society of Architects, 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
All events are open to all. Further details including sign-up links will be announced in the coming weeks here and at www.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
Exhibition Sponsor: Material Source Studio
Product Partner: Sixteen3
Partners: European Cultural Centre Italy, B.15 modelmaking Workshop at Manchester School of Architecture, The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University

 

Announcing ‘AiM: ‘MAKING MATTERS’ Exhibition

Posted on by

Following our successful launch exhibition at this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale, we’re excited to announce a follow-up exhibition in our home city of Manchester:
 
AiM : Making Matters
 
Communicating Architectural Ideas Through Models
In partnership with:
The exhibition will run for five weeks, from Monday 2 March to Thursday 2 April 2026, at Material Source Studio in central Manchester.
Private View Launch Event: Thursday 5 March, from 17:00
Public Programme: Practitioner lectures (details TBC)
Practitioners, WE NEED YOU!
Your work is the exhibition. We are seeking contributions of up to three models per practice, ideally at different scales and/or showing the development of a single project. Alongside chosen models, we will request short supporting text.
We also welcome any video material showing the making or use of models in your practice.
We will curate the final selection based on proposals and spatial considerations.
As AiM index members, you are receiving this invitation before the public call for contributions. If you’d like to take part, please complete the expression of interest form below:
We will review submissions and confirm selected participants shortly after 9 January 2026.
Participation is free; we only ask that you arrange delivery and collection of your models to either the venue or our workshop.
If needed, we can recommend couriers depending on your location.
Key Dates
Confirm participation & proposed models: by 9 January 2026
Model delivery deadline: Friday 20 February 2026
Exhibition opens: Monday 2 March 2026
Private View: Thursday 5 March 2026, from 17:00
Exhibition closes: Thursday 2 April 2026
A Reminder: What is AiM?
The Architects Index of Modelmaking (AiM) is an online directory for architecture students and professionals. Our aim is to build a network of local, national and international practitioners who champion the value of physical modelmaking in architectural design.
We continue to grow the network through social media, exhibitions and future publications. As some of you will know, the project launched earlier this year with an exhibition at the European Cultural Centre during the Venice Architecture Biennale, attracting more than 88,000 visitors across six months.
Thank you for your support, and we hope you’ll be able to join us for this next stage of the project at Material Source Studio, Manchester.
Scott Miller — on behalf of AiM, B.15 Modelmaking Workshop
Simina Ionescu — on behalf of Manchester Society of Architects
Lucia Pedrana — on behalf of the European Cultural Centre Italy

B.15 Winter break opening times

Posted on by

Hi All,

Hope you’re doing well.

Just a quick note to remind you that B.15 will be closed for the break following the Friday 12th December. We’ll be re-opening on Tuesday 6th January as normal.

Have a great break and we’ll see you on the other side!

– B.15 team

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