B.15 Modelmaking Workshop, MSA, UoM

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B.15 Modelmaking Workshop, MSA, UoM

We offer facilities and advice for the production of architectural models.

The B.15 Workshop caters for students from the Manchester School of Architecture (MSA) – a shared school across the University of Manchester & Manchester Metropolitan University.

26/05/2026

Less than one week to submit your work for this years B.15 Modelmaking Awards - Sponsored by Omar Gandhi Architects !

Open to all students of all years groups - show your process and be inspired by past submissions available to view on our blog!

Submission deadline 12.00 noon June 1st - Good Luck!

24/04/2026

We’re pleased to announce a new collaboration with Omar Gandhi Architects for the 2026 B.15 Modelmaking Awards!

Modelmaking is an essential part of learning and design development. As such these awards are not just on the completed models but on the journey as a whole. We encourage anyone who has used models in their project to get involved.

Looking forward to seeing your work!

Open to all year groups on all MSA courses.
Full submission details can be found on the B.15 blog - link in bio.

Submission deadline Monday June 1st at 12 noon with final judging and winners presentation on Friday June 5th.

Good luck!

omargandhiarchitect

17/04/2026

Some of you will have already met but this is member Sohaib .m.k.arch who will be helping us out over the next few weeks leading up to the degree show - Welcome Sohaib and thanks for the help!

01/04/2026

To celebrate the being ranked 5th in the QS World Rankings for Architecture were please to confirm that Lego be releasing a Kantorowich Building play set!

Home to Architecture in Manchester since 1970, the Architecture and Planning Building (known as Kantorowich after Hanson/Kantorowich who designed and taught at the school) will be immortalised as a limited edition set.

“It’s fitting that the ever popular Lego brand has recognised the significance of our beloved concrete home! Get yours while stocks last”

- Scott

The model was designed by back in 2020 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the building but due to the pandemic production was delayed until now.

Pre-order from Lego.com

05/03/2026

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 now to join. Sign up via Moodle (direct link on our blog)

Each session is the same so no need to repeat. Taking place at B.15.

Any questions please get in touch!

04/02/2026

Inspiration from Tianyu Zheng:

‘Touchstone for Younger Housing in Crewe’

“This conceptual model is a touchstone exercise by CTY Atelier, serves to test the structural narrative of my housing proposal. The model re-imagines new co-living housing in Crewe, exploring how new construction technologies can be combined with the town’s railway heritage during the post-railway urban regeneration. The model tests two different construction logics— suspend and stack, which correspond to two possible structural strategies for deck access.

The red bricks from demolished existing buildings are domestically reused through concrete casting and tile production, embedding material memory into the new fabric. And for the details, these are treated not merely as structural depictions but as autonomous design elements.

By integrating Crewe’s railway colour palette and architectural details, the design narrates the town’s railway story in a subtle and continuous tone. Thank you to the B.15 staff for their patience and guidance in supporting a wide range of model-making techniques, including laser cutting, sanding, and especially the Jesmonite casting and polishing”

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Model by student Tianyu Zheng
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30/01/2026

Friday inspiration from Alya Binti Rafaie:

‘’This is an adaptive reuse project set in Cardross, Glasgow, where I transformed the abandoned St. Peter’s Seminary to “St. Peter’s Centre of Sympoietic Sounds”; a centre to experiment music that integrates sounds from nature.[...]

Overall, I experimented with many modelmaking methods on this model to achieve an interesting and engaging final look. Working through failed testing provided a valuable reminder to me; there will always be hiccups and imperfect results, but sometimes these accidental outcomes can shift our perspective of the project which can lead to even better results.

This 1:50 section model showcases my proposed adaptive reuse design of St. Peter’s Seminary. The grey elements indicate the existing building structure, whereas all the coloured elements are the proposed components. [...]
Some process images showcasing the various model-making methods I have undertaken to produce this model. This includes clay modelling, pressure-forming, making jesmonite mixtures, jesmonite-drilling, foam-cutting, 3D printing, spray-painting and laser-cutting’’
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Submitted for the 2025 B.15 Modelmaking Awards by Some Kind of Nature student - .rchive .faie
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28/01/2026

Inspiration from Christopher Whitehead:

‘’I have been exploring a complex site underneath a disused arch above the River Medlock, designing a q***r nightclub, printing press and archive. [...[ As my site is a functioning railway bridge, work to the structure would have been costly, and difficult to justify, so therefore I wanted to create a model to demonstrate parts that are not changeable. By building a massing model of the interior space inside the arch.

Over the course of the project, I have used this model to iteratively test different spatial configurations as well as facade options and structural elements.

Other models across the year have influenced this modelling journey, starting with sketch models and then constructing a rough site model using papier mache from recycled newspaper cuttings and my own prints from the project. I have really enjoyed using found materials throughout my modelling, such as the orange fabric that was obtained in Berlin during a FLUX: Lab on Tempelhofer Feld.
An interior view of the plaster cast model, demonstrating a facade system I designed and how that affected internal lighting’’
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Submitted for the 2025 B.15 Modelmaking Awards by , Flux , BA Year 3, Student - Christopher Whitehead
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26/01/2026

Inspiration from Zofia Malek and Zuzanna Staniecka

‘’This model of Dennis Severs’ House was created for the Research Methods Workshop 08 ‘Methodologies for Architectural History’ submission in a group of two. To answer our research question, ‘Does Dennis Severs’ House architecture recreate 18th-century Huguenot domestic life in Spitalfields?’ we chose three rooms to analyse. To study the spaces in depth, we settled on a sectional model.

To illustrate the extreme atmospheres, the Dining Room, Smoking Room, and Attic were selected. Furthermore, each of the rooms represented a different period.[...]The interior was analysed based on a site visit and Severs’ book.
Panelling representation in the rooms were recreated, laser cut, and then painted to match the room colours. The furniture pieces were crafted without using CAD blocks or templates. Additional decorations were made from twine, recycled materials, and clay. The tableware was hand-modelled in clay and painted. Overall, we learned a lot about the modelmaking process, which allowed us to feel more confident in the workshop environment.’’
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Submitted for the 2025 B.15 Modelmaking Awards by . Made for Research Methods by Zofia Malek and Zuzanna Staniecka
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20/01/2026

Inspiration from Maream Merza:

‘A moment in Mayfield Depot: the repair shop’

“A concept model exploring the development of a small enclave inside Mayfield Depot in its early stages whilst the place is being theoretically auctioned to the public to test the experimental functions that they would come up with, out of arising needs that are not provided in the public realm at the moment.

The purpose of this model is to understand in a miniature scale what it is individuals of the public require in order to occupy a space in a place of open possibilities or in plain terms, to set up shop. This is one example of an outcome.

Thank you to the B15 workshop for their patience, particularly Ken and Jasmine for their guidance and Scott for the last-minute rescue to achieve this amazing outcome!”

Project by MArch student

Address

Bridgeford Street
Manchester
M139PL

Website

http://www.manchester.ac.uk/b15workshop

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