Visiting Manchester

Our next module requires us to analyse and compare two buildings. We need to assess each building's potential uses and select our preferred location to follow through to our Negioated Major Project (NMP). Our tutors gave us a list of buildings to explore. Before the module launching, I decided to spend the day visiting some of the buildings on the list to take pictures and understand their surroundings. I also took some detours, visiting other interesting architecture and grabbing some takeaway cake and hot chocolate to keep me going on this rainy day.

The first stop we made was Chimney Pot Park at Salford. Urban Splash and Shedkm have developed this estate and saved it from potential demolition. The architects (Shedkm) kept a lot of the original facade. Shedkm made significant changes to the interior, such as flipping the home, so the bedrooms were downstairs, and the living space was upstairs (Fairs, 2007). As we could not view the houses' interior, my favourite visible aspect was the semi-private terrace. The terrace is more sophisticated than the previous yard and alleyways, which were once home to crime. I like the community feel around this estate and its proximity to Chimney Pot Park. On our way into Manchester city centre, we also visited Timekeepers Square, a development of 36 townhouses by Buttress Architects. The architects had to be sympathetic when designing these homes as this is a conservation area. I love these homes, and I admire how the yellow door and black framework contrast the grey stone. As we are Autumn, the leaves on the trees were yellow and orange, which complimented the area and gave it a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

After some time walking around admiring Manchester's architecture, we finally visited some buildings on the list. Sadly, due to coronavirus restrictions, we could not enter any of these buildings to review the interior. Still, thankfully our tutors linked some photographs to make understanding each building a little easier. The first location we visited was Deansgate Locks. Immediately, I noticed the excellent transport links surrounding this area as the Locks sat below a tram station and facing a train station. I liked how the canal was connected to the buildings via a footbridge and waterside terrace seating. The arch structure is unique and would be interesting to design. The next building we visited was Leaf, or where Leaf used to exist as it looked like the premises was up for sale. It's located on Portland Street and, like its neighbours, the building is very tall. The last building I visited was Manchester Buddhist Centre, which was a little more difficult to find than the other two. However, I liked its Northern Quarter location, and although the centre was out of sight, it was still near the city's hustle.

After considering the location, facade and reviewing photographs of the building, I decided that Deansgate Locks and Manchester Buddhist Centre were the buildings that I would review as part of my feasibility study. I already favour Deansgate gate locks; however, I may change my mind with some further research. I enjoyed exploring Manchester today. Even with the rainy weather, it was nice to have a change of scenery and see the buildings in person. I am also glad that I visited the sites before the module began to get a head start on researching each building.