The Craft Spine
The Craft Spine reimagines Medlock Junction and the Mancunian Way as an extendable civic infrastructure for making, repairing and learning. Responding to Manchester’s overlooked transport landscape, the project transforms a fragmented road junction into a productive public realm where craft, education and circular material systems are brought into everyday civic life.
Focusing on Manchester's endangered craft skills such as textiles, millinery and footwear, the proposal supports workshops, studios, retail, tool libraries, material storage and public gathering spaces. Rather than treating architecture as a fixed object, it establishes a flexible framework that can adapt over time through phased futures of 10, 25 and 50 years.
Using reclaimed and renewable materials, including brick, steel, timber and cork, The Craft Spine challenges disposable culture by promoting repair, reuse and local production. It becomes a long-term civic spine for skill-sharing, climate adaptation and sustainable urban regeneration.
