MSA LIVE 26 is this year’s annual programme of collaborative student-led live projects. Each year the Manchester School of Architecture runs MSA LIVE to unite Foundation and BA1 with MLA1, MArch 1 and MA+AR postgraduates in mixed-year teams. Students engage in practice-based research to organise projects, working with collaborators from the North-West and beyond to create social impact beyond architectural education. Well Done to all involved this year!

This year approximately 400 students from 5 cohorts in MSA have worked on 34 projects with over 50 external collaborators and organisations. The projects are carried out from February to May and each group’s activities are documented on the MSA LIVE 26 blog live.msa.ac.uk/2026/. Topics tackled are current and active for communities and issues are always wide ranging. This year projects included retrofitting a church in Rossendale, making installations celebrating Sale’s culture and history, designing a play area at Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, creating public studios in Stockport’s Merseyway shopping centre, transforming spaces at United Didsbury Methodist Church, developing a pop-up café in Pendle, revamping a youth centre in Trafford, creating a green retreat in Worthington, promoting the 200 mile Ringway walking trail, proposing meanwhile uses in Glossop’s Victoria Hall, improving access at the Silk Museum in Macclesfield, developing a residential scheme at grade II* listed Thornton Manor, bringing Salford Victoria Theatre back into use, engaging children about design and architecture in Chorlton, working on school streets initiative and travel hubs with Transport for Greater Manchester, and even designing a new school in Aweil, South Sudan in collaboration with Loreto College!

We are always interested in working with new collaborators so if you would like to work with MSA students in your community on a project please get in touch: e.crompton@mmu.ac.uk and we will be in touch!

MSA LIVE 26 EXTERNAL COLLABORATORS

Rossendale Digital CIC, Sale Festival, University of Manchester, Stockport World Buidling Society, Monton Unitarian Church, United Didsbury Methodist Church, In-Situ (THIS IS NELSON), Mossley Community Association, Wigan and Leigh Community Charity, Hyde Young People’s Enterprise (HYPE), The Counselling and Family Centre, Trafford Youth Engagement Service, Withington Baths, Brookfield Unitarian Church, Growing Togetherness CIC, Life Leisure, Friends of Worthington Park, CPRE Greater Manchester Ringway, CORE Projects, The Common Land Collective, Friends of Victoria Hall Glossop, Silk Museum Macclesfield, Thornton Manor Country Estate Ltd, Salford Victoria Theatre Trust (SVTT), Oswald Road Primary School, Loreto College, Blossom - health through activity, Manchester City of Literature (MCoL), Moor Allerton Preparatory School, Canal & River Trust, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), Manchester City Council – Schools Streets Initiative , Manchester City Council – Mobility Hubs, CyanLines.