Manchester Student Society of Architecture (MSSA) – Manchester School of Architecture

About Us

The MSSA is a completely student led society at Manchester School of Architecture, we work closely with students, tutors, lecturers and collaborators inside and outside the school to deliver an improved student life for our 800+ members. We aim to celebrate students of architecture by enabling experiences that put us into the city. We present students with a wide range of experiences and ideas through academic and social events. The society encourages and promotes new ideas within the school, providing students the opportunity to put on events that they believe in. We are immensely proud of our team this year with some of the biggest and best events we have done so far - club nights, guest lectures by some incredible speakers, debates, campaigns, competitions and more. The MSSA has a genuine interest in bettering the university experience, providing skills workshops and even tea and coffee (in real and virtual settings) to improve the studio environment. Year on year the society has grown and outdone itself and we are excited to show you what we have planned for the next academic year.

Membership

Membership of the MSSA is automatic and free for all students of Manchester School of Architecture. Unlike many student societies of architecture, we do not charge fee of entry for the society, and believe in representation across the entire school regardless of age or background.

We are the UK’s largest student society of architecture, representing over 800 students across two universities and an art school. We are committed to providing varied opportunities to reflect the diverse aspirations of our members.

MSSA Committee

Our committee is represented by students across the years at MSA, we encourage involvement from all our members and are always looking to increase member representation. We want to hear your ideas and get your input for making the students’ experience better. Please reach us @architecturemssa on Instagram or email us at architecturemssa@gmail.com

Calin-Bogdan Maier MSSA Chair

Arshya Mittal General Secretary & WOAH Chair

Alexandra Muntean Treasurer

Audrey Ma Creative Director

Aaria Anand Partnership Director & EDI Fora Chair

Ashna Chakraborty Socials Director

Rana Budianta BY30 Co-Chair

Maria Figueiredo MSADU Chair

Lai Ying (Angela) Li MSSA Photography Co-Chair

Xii Don Lim MSSA Photography Co-Chair

Moe Narinee BY30 Co-Chair

Laura Simonsen MSSA CAG Chair

Hubert Sokolowski MSSA CAG Chair

Sara Tranescu MSSA Zine Chair

Chi Cheng (Zoe) Vong BLM Chair

Ivet Yaneva MSA&U Leader

Subgroups

BY30

BY30 (Before You’re 30) is a student-led sub-group of the Manchester School of Architecture. We organise monthly inspirational “open-lecture” events aimed at students, with different themes surrounding the disciplines of architecture.

BLM_Arch

BLM_Arch@MSA’s mission is to ensure that conversations about Racism in Architecture keep momentum in our school - striving to enhance the equality, diversity, and inclusivity aspects of the academic and professional environment. Our student-led collective has been working closely with a few academic members from Manchester School of Architecture and RIBA NW, so be assured that their support will be provided. Moreover, some of our collective founders will remain advisors to this group even after we graduate.

Equality, Diversity, Inclusivity Fora

MSA is an incredibly diverse space, with people of all cultures, identities, and abilities. Our group aims to celebrate this diversity, and create a safe and inclusive space for all. Through various events and podcasts that we organise, we constantly look for ways to provide students a platform to express themselves, and opportunities to educate on the differences. We are a small and new group, but we have big goals and ambitions.

MSA&U

MSA&U is a student-led initiative that focuses on the wellbeing of students, here at the Manchester School of Architecture. It was initiated in November 2019 and has worked hard in taking actions that attempt to replace the architecture student culture of competition and all-nighters with one of collaboration, understanding, and mutual support. Some of these include placing kettles and tea in each open studio to encourage students to take short breaks and have a chat; pairing students from different years to initiate a dialogue between year groups; spreading positivity on social media (@msaandu on Instagram), organising weekly yoga sessions for students and staff, and creating well-being booklets available on LinkedIn (MSA&U).

MSADU

We are a collective of enthusiastic students, interested in discussing about architecture through a provocative lens. We believe in driving the architectural profession forward via a constant dialogue among experts from all backgrounds imaginable on all sorts of topics ranging from gender and inclusivity to artificial intelligence. Each debate is incredibly enriching and enlightening and keeps the architecture discourse in a state of flux. By inviting people with different passions, we get a range of varying perspectives and voices which fuel our creativity as designers.

MSSA Climate Action Group (CAG)

We are what coffee is to architects: essential! Our group is raising awareness on the interconnection between the built environment and climate... in an interactive way ;) We aim to educate about the changes needed to direct the built environment education in Manchester towards a more sustainable and balanced future! Working closely with our diverse student buddy, stuff, and external student networks we give you a great opportunity to be a better, greener architect. Be part of the change!

MSSA Photography

MSSA Photography is a network of avid photographers and photography enthusiasts across the architecture school. With humble origins as a student group helping out documenting events, we have flourished to organise monthly photography outings and competitions as well, where shortlisted entries are featured across our social media and printed in collaboration with the MSSA Zine. Joining passion with pleasant get-togethers, we provide a space for hobbyists and professionals alike to share and bond outside of the studio. Find us at our Instagram page (@mssaphotography) for more information!

Zine

MSSA Zine is an independent student-led zine focussing on one spatial re-invention per issue. Themes are chosen based on challenging conventional concepts of space. It embraces abstraction, reinterpretation and unanswerable questions - inviting readers to decide. The content of the zine is produced with and for students, academics and professionals, while the team curates, adapts and restructures the zine to the theme’s changing definition. It is made using a collaborative, all-are-invited and a ‘what’s more?’ approach. The zine attempts to use a single microcosm to shed light on issues to broaden all minds.

WOAH

WithOutAHome (WOAH) is a student-led non-profit group that aims at combatting Manchester’s homelessness crisis, by way of reducing the stigma and challenging ourselves to make the city friendlier towards the homeless. We also hope to start conversations on the concept and importance of home. How do we fit into this world in relation to everyone around us? How can we bridge the gaps between all our communities?

Contact us

The MSSA is always looking for speakers, collaborators, new committee members and people to get involved with our subgroups. Please contact us by email or talk to a committee member to find out more.

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