We are delighted to have work featured in the Winter Exhibition at the Royal Academy. Our model considers architecture through the expression of ‘climate and geography’ in the context of Manchester.

In the near future, Manchester is likely to experience more and frequent extreme weather due to climate change, and is therefore at risk of increased flooding. It will be vital to design new infrastructure that can accommodate rising water levels while also bringing other benefits to help create a happier and healthier city.

By studying Manchester’s potential to become car-less, we were also aware that the city needs to shift to accommodate different modes of sustainable transport. Through understanding the climate and geography of Manchester, we designed and cast four plaster proposals to sit on top of a map that is an ink and glue transfer onto plywood. On the casts, balsa wood is used to represent new public street furniture and infrastructure that encourages four elements linked to interactions with the city, as a cyclist and pedestrian. They are: movement, maintenance, play and the retention/use of water.

Visiting the exhibition for the varnishing day opening, with crisp autumn sunlight warming the galleries, a message of hope presents itself in the work of artists and architects, offering a breath of fresh air in uncertain times. Entering the exhibition is like leaving one world and entering another, quietly full of hope and possibility beyond the present.

The exhibition opens next week, on 6 October, and runs until 3 January. Tickets can be purchased here.