I’ve always loved Manchester (largely for the football and watching City), but also for its architecture, with great practitioners and of course brands like Urban Splash here. It’s a source of immense pride to know that I’m part of the team that’s learning from this great city’s past – its rich history in social movements, like the cooperative and suffragettes, as we shape the city’s great architects of the future.

In today’s world, that’s of course an increasingly complex task and we’ve responded by evolving and growing MSA to address new challenges such as adaptive reuse and retrofit, the need for professional qualification, and also to diversify the profession. As part of this, the team has grown with more diversity including younger staff members who have a keener eye on the future. This also ensures that we are adequately resourced to educate and empower tomorrow’s designers.

The world is changing, and our future homes and neighbourhoods will need to serve us differently than they did in the past. Our approach to teaching practical and socially relevant architecture sees us incorporate a broad spectrum of topics – from climate change awareness, carbon literacy training, AI, biodiversity, and ageing living into our curriculum.

We need better equipped architects and creative, ambitious people to help design our future places and that’s why we've developed new programmes such as our foundation in architecture with a lower tariff to ensure wider participation and inclusivity.

There’s also a great case for retrofit and reuse, something Urban Splash has done all too well throughout its 30 years in business. One of our recently added courses is a Masters in Architecture and Adaptive Reuse, acknowledging the importance of working with existing structures rather than demolishing them.

We have teaching ateliers with different philosophies, from spatial justice to non-human-centric approaches, allowing students to choose their path. Our employability strategy encourages students to 'curate their career,' giving them control and empowering them to pursue diverse forms of practice which suit their personal values, beliefs, and interests

The novel, “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand portrays a heroic, male, hierarchical view of architecture, which contrasts sharply with today’s collaborative and inclusive practice. We adapt the professional curriculum to reflect modern realities, benefiting from the expertise of practising professionals who teach with us.

Local experts such as Stephen Hodder and Tim Groom, and Visiting Professors like Hacienda designer Ben Kelly and of course Urban Splash founder Tom Bloxham MBE – people with a great understanding of the context of creating new communities and spaces. Our slogan, "from the city, of the city, for the city and beyond," reflects our commitment to community engagement and practical learning.

Our connection with Urban Splash extended further this year with the launch of the Bloxham Prize for Architecture and Urbanism – an award in recognition of the outstanding work of our students.

We find ourselves on the same precipice as Urban Splash, with a shared appetite for change while finding design solutions for the global and macro challenges ahead. It’s great to hear from Tom and his colleagues as they share their experiences from the past – often long-term, well-thought-out regeneration projects like Port Loop and New Islington – while giving insights into their ambitions for the future.

Companies like Urban Splash inspire our students to think long-term, to consider community and how a space will be used. MSA and our Visiting Professors and peers in the city can work together to share best practice; it’s helping us to devise new programmes such as a Master in Digital Design, helping students stay ahead of industry changes.

Our role at the MSA is to avoid the temptation of producing 'oven-ready' professionals, instead nurturing dexterous, entrepreneurial students able to navigate a world in flux. We prepare our students to be adaptable and resilient, ready to tackle diverse career paths.

We are equipping students not just for graduation, but for a lifetime of professional success, innovation, and impactful architectural design. We teach them to roll with the punches and shape the future of our built environment.