Architecture Portfolio 2020-2021

Josh Sparks

BArch & Professional Projects 2020-2021

Portfolio

Selected Works University

1.0 - 1.6 University

2.0 - 2.6 Private, Professional

3.0 - 3.1 Professional

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

The Migrant Civic Centre

Repatriation Landscape

Wiltshire Cottage

Work in Practice

Delhi, India

Carterton, Oxfordshire

Binfield, Berkshire

London & Home Counties

4.0 - 4.5

You do not need to read everything.

The images and diagrams give you the picture, the text tells you the whole story.

| 1.0

The Migrant Civic Centre Delhi, India

The Brief Over 16 weeks, my cohort and I turned our attention to the concept of Ephemeral Cities - the notion that the urban landscape is in constant flux giving rise to ever-changing conditions. The brief challenged us to analyse and disseminate the fabric of Delhi (the fastest growing city in the world) and uncover issues caused by its ephemerality. Using the typology of a civic centre our architecture was to satisfy the current urban problem as well as withstand the evolution of that problem in a rapidly changing environment.

My Research By firstly investigating the slum typology of Delhi, my research led me to investigating seasonal migration - a cultural and cyclical ritual wherein rural workers move to the city whilst their crops grow in search of further employment. This push and pull puts a massive stretch on the resources of Delhi, namely on the supply of clean water. Whilst the state benefits greatly from this cheap workforce, very little is given back to their well-being.

Final Outcome The Migrant Civic Centre is a sanctuary for the unsupported and underappreciated migrant workers of Delhi. The architecture focusses primarily around the provision of clean water for bathing and drinking. Secondly, a space for learning, teaching new skills to uneducated migrants to enhance their employability. Thirdly, a future-proof typology where educated migrants are brought closer to the future of employability - teaching the use of artificial intelligence which would otherwise threaten their potential future jobs. Finally, the centre provides temporary accommodation and an introduction to the city for new-comer migrants.

Planometric Digital Collage | Sketchup & Photoshop

Seasonal Migration | 1.1

Typical Migration Cycle | Illustrator

Migration to Cities Migration Home & Crops Sown Monsoon Season - 82% of annual rainfall Harvest

Digital Collage Diagram | Photoshop

Each year it is thought that 120 million Indians migrate from their rural homes and head for the large cities in the search of work. They do this not always as a means of survival but in some cases to merely boost their income in the months outside of harvest. The interesting condition this creates is the expansion and contraction cities like Delhi experience. This cyclical pattern, which is on average every 6 months, puts the city in a state of constant flux.

The city benefits greatly from seasonal migration as it brings cheap labour for the middle and upper classes to benefit from. The sad reality is that the migrants working to build Delhi up experience no return from its social and economic growth.

The Delhi Pyramid | Digital Collage

Since the location of slums in Delhi is so sporadic, my various sites of choice were born at the intersection between employment and transportation in order to entice as many migrant workers as possible.

The town hall is the boundary between two juxtaposing contexts. To the south of the building is the incredibly dense, unplanned settlement off Chandni Chowk. To its north is an open public park. The building therefore provides a unique opportunity to play off both these contexts and forge a harmonious connection between the two.

Chandni Chowk is more than just a street of commerce. It is the argued to be the oldest street in Delhi, connecting three main hubs of the city. On the East is the famous Red Fort which once served as the main residence of the Mughal Emperors. To the West is the 17th century mosque, Fatehpuri Masjid. Interconnection these two monuments is the town hall.

Site Map | Photoshop & Illustrator

The Site | 1.2

Abstracted Site Section | Photoshop & Illustrator

Exploration | 1.3 Sketch Exploration | Finer Liner and Marker

Like the rest of the world, during the pandemic, I could not visit Delhi to understand my architecture’s context at a human level. An added difficulty of remotely exploring the city is that Google has not yet mapped a streetview of the city. My answer and methodology of understanding the city became solely reliant on watching ‘point of view’ Youtube videos of tourists exploring the city for me.

I enjoyed rolling out some trace and sketching what I saw as the video was playing which resulted in tapestries of messy data which when put together resulted in a fairly conclusive understanding of the city.

Typology | 1.4 Public vs Private

Entrances

Entrances | Hand-drawn

21st Century

Floor Plans | Photoshop & Illustrator

City Hall

Keynsham Civic Centre

Marin Civic Centre

Säynätsalo Town Hall

Dallas City Hall

Liverpool Town Hall

New York City Hall

Manchester Town Hall

<19th Century

20th Century

Civic Centre Cristalleries Planel

My mapping of the public and private spaces of these civic centres over time highlights the progressive move towards a more open or public typology. This is perhaps a conscious change to symbolise a more transparent residence of power.

To further investigate this transparency I analysed the entrances of each typology. My method of analysis was sketching - picking up on scale, materiality and positioning.

This exercised furthered my findings from my Public Private study, highlighting a progression towards more permeable civic structures over time.

As such, the civic centre I designed was rooted in three concepts: Fragmentation, Asymmetry and Permeability (as seen left).

Plans & Model | 1.5 Floor Plans | Autocad & Illustrator

2 2

1

1

1

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3

4

8 F/F

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11 25

14

26 10

24 F/F

F/F

4 4

15

23

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6 5

21 22 18 20

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16

10m

Key

First Floor Plan

10m

Key 7. Lecture Hall (dark) 8. Library 9. Staff Room 10. Saraswati Shrine 11. Cleansing Pool 12. Private Washing

13. Vanity / Towel Room 14. Individual Prayer 15. Collaborative Studio I 16. Workshop 17. Robotic Storage System 18. Public Cafe

19. South Entrance 20. Market Space 21. Collaborative Studio II 22. Outdoor Food Court 23. Cafeteria 24. Kitchen

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9

17

Ground Floor Plan

1. Accommodation Entrance 2. Registration Desk 3. Classroom 4. Individual Study 5. Recreation Room 6. Lecture Hall (light)

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10

25. Enterprise Stores 26. Amphitheatre

1. Accommodation 2. Showers and WC 3. Recreation Room 4. Balcony 5. Atrium 6. Meeting Rooms

7. Bookable Workspace 8. CAD Room 9. LAB 10. Digital Fabrication 11. Private Courtyards

Visualisations | 1.6

Visualisations | Sketchup, Photoshop, Illustrator & Clay

| 2.0

Repatriation Gardens Carterton, Oxfordshire

The Brief This first semester brief centred itself around the nomad. Our challenge was to analyse UK-based rituals and uncover a space where an architecture could exist to support it.

As an introduction to remote exploration, due to the pandemic, the brief also asked students to create a short film exploring themes, concepts, problem spaces and an overall narrative to establish an architecture.

My Research My initial research looked into funeral procession practice in the UK which eventually led me to investigating the repatriations that took place during the Afghanistan war through Royal Wootton Bassett.

My research uncovered the media frenzy these organic ceremonies attracted which ultimately soured the ritual for many families and friends of the deceased soldiers.

Final Outcome My final architecture provided a private haven for family, friends and locals to practice the ritual in a space designed to guide grievance without the heavy presence of the media.

By analysing the current ritual I built up an image of the ceremonial landscape which then became the foundation for designing a more purpose-built landscape.

Prayer Elevation | Sketchup & Photoshop

Royal Wootton Bassett | 2.1 During the conflict in Afghanistan, a small town in Wiltshire became subject to welcoming home fallen British soldiers. The town sat between RAF Lyneham, where soldiers where flown in to, and John Radcliffe’s Hospital in Oxford. The town soon took it upon itself to take this opportunity to show their respect for the ultimate sacrifice others made for their future. What began as an impromptu turnout by the locals in their tens eventually evolved into a structured ceremonial procession through the high street which welcomed thousands from across the country.

Once the conflict finally came to a close, Queen Elizabeth II saw fit that the town should be recognised for their extraordinary efforts, thereby officially renaming it Royal Wootton Bassett.

Digital Collage | Photoshop

Ceremonial Landscape | 2.2

Somewhere to pray

The landscape over which the ceremony takes place is a simple one. The ceremony is made up of two interdependent elements, the fallen soldier (and the team moving them) and those paying their respects (family, friends, locals, etc). The diagram (right) illustrates the formality of the journey undertaken by the fallen soldier compared to the informality and variety of journeys taken by those onlooking. The way in which this variety is created is through the three landmarks in the town: the church, cafe and memorial.

Something to remember

Something to conduct

Somewhere to eat and drink

Somewhere to think

These individually shape the paths taken by those visiting the procession. Each landmark presents a differing gravitational pull for each individual thereby shaping their movement before the arrival of the hearse. From the point at which the hearse arrives at the bottom of the high street these informalities cease and those onlooking take up their positions in respect of the procession.

Icons and Landscape Diagram | Photoshop & Illustrator

Short Films | 2.3

1.

2.

Studio Set-Up

3.

(1) Storyboarding; (2) First Scene Still; (3) Filming Process; (4) Clocktower Scene Still

Film 1 Film 2 https://youtu.be/W9H0mH_GRsQ https://youtu.be/PvJBfAb4Mwg

4.

My research uncovered a serious issue with the media’s presence at the ceremonies so when it came to making my film it felt wrong using their footage to stitch together my understanding. Instead, I decided to create my own footage by filming a stop-motion animation. This painstaking process was incredibly rewarding and gave me an excuse to re-watch some incredible films, from the likes of Wes Anderson, in search of inspiration.

Public Outdoor Space

Carterton | 2.4

Business

Farmland

Development sites

Residential

RAF Base

The Site (highlighted) and the Surrounding Scales | Photoshop & Illustrator

Town Composition | Photoshop & Illustrator

RAF Lyneham has since closed down and the new route for repatriations is from RAF Brize Norton, conveniently situated next to a town in which the ceremony can be continued. The town of Carterton has housed the RAF base Brize Norton since 1937. The diagram (left) illustrates how the camp accommodates about half of the town with very little separation between itself and the civilian realm.

Visualisations | 2.5

(Above) Prayer Internal Perspective, (Below) Section Through Landscape | Sketchup, Photoshop & Illustrator

(Above) Pedestrian Entrance | Sketchup, Photoshop & Illustrator

Visualisations | 2.6

(Above) Garden Past, (Below) Pergola Garden Bridge | Sketchup & Photoshop

(Above) Main Entrance, (Below) Conduct Elevation | Sketchup, Photoshop & Illustrator

| 3.0

Wiltshire Cottage Binfield, Berkshire

The Brief Wiltshire Cottage was my first solo project I was hired for just a couple of months after finishing my degree. The property is a Grade II listed, 16th Century cottage which was recently bought by Mr and Mrs Hedderly. The clients really wanted to create a new extension housing a kitchen living space and took me on as Lead Designer to guide them through planning.

My Research In my first meeting with the clients I visited the site. It was very obvious to me that the property was already over-developed and the likelihood of planning and conservation officers granting yet another extension was very slim.

Instead, I suggested we took the existing 1980s garage and convert that into their dream kitchen living area.

Final Outcome The final design is a clever re-use of existing space which pleases both the clients and the officers involved in granting permission. I drew and collaged this elevation to the left as a final piece to the planning submission to help the officers visualise the image I had put together with the clients.

Overall, I had a fantastic time designing this space and was incredibly lucky to have been trusted with this so early on in my career.

Collaged Elevation | Autocad & Photoshop

Proposed Drawings | 3.1 Here are three selected drawings from the full planning set I put together for the clients.

The main design concept was to provide a modern standard of living for this couple and their young family. They have the most beautiful rose garden which was not appreciated internally from the house, by introducing large sliding doors we could create a seamless indoor-outdoor lifestyle allowing the rose garden into the heart of the home.

BOILER

As a contradiction to this the couple wanted the space to feel like a snug. I suggested we put a stove in the corner of the space and form a window seat in the existing garage door opening.

Plan and Sections | Autocad

ORIEL WINDOW SEAT TO LIVING SPACE

WINDOW OPENING MADE LARGER TO ACCOMMODATE NEW EXTERNAL DOOR

| 4.0

Work in Practice London & Home Counties

The Practice DRY Architects is a small practice based in Fitzrovia, London specialising in listed buildings. Run by two managing directors, the practice has an incredible track record of achieving some of the most challenging planning and listed building consents in London and the Home Counties.

They have a beautiful sensitivity towards historic features whilst also balancing clean contemporary design.

My Experience I first joined the practice in my placement year sandwiched between my second and final year at university. I have now rejoined the practice since leaving university.

I have been exposed to the most amazing variety of experiences, including drafting, 3D modelling, designing plans and details, client meetings, site meetings, sourcing, D&A statements, Heritage Reports and lodging planning applications.

What Next?

Whilst I have loved my time at DRY, I want to gain as much experience as I can in as many sectors as possible. High-end residential will always be close to my heart but I see myself designing more than just homes.

Proposed Section | Autocad & Photoshop

Drawing | 4.1 102 Pavilion Road Proposed Elevation and Section | Autocad Existing Neighboring Roof Garden

70 Cadogan Gardens Existing Elevation | Autocad

All dimensions to be checked on site prior to construction or manufacture.

Do not scale from this drawing.

Refer also to written specification of works where applicable.

Any discrepancies to be verified with Architects prior to commencement of works.

Planted Roof Garden

New Glass Balustrade Matching 104

All dimensions to be checked on site prior to construction or manufacture.

Do not scale from this drawing.

Refer also to written specification of works where applicable.

Any discrepancies to be verified with Architects prior to commencement of works.

This drawing is the property of DRY Architects Limited. They reserve copyright, and the drawing issued on the condition that it is not retained by any unauthorised person.

It may not be reproduced or disclosed, either wholly or in part without written consent from DRY Architects Limited.

REVISION:

DESCRIPTION:

DATE:

Rev.

Description

d.m.yy

Handrail continued after break in roof This drawing is the property of DRY Architects Limited. They reserve hatch copyright,

and the drawing issued on the condition that it is not retained by any unauthorised person.

It may not be reproduced or disclosed, either wholly or in part without written consent from DRY Architects Limited.

All dimensions to be checked on site prior to construction or manufacture.

2

Do not scale from this drawing.

Refer also to written specification of works where applicable.

Any discrepancies to be verified with Architects prior to commencement of works.

3

REVISION:

This drawing is the property of DRY Architects Limited. They reserve copyright, and the drawing issued on the condition that it is not retained by any P1 unauthorised person.

It may not be reproduced or disclosed, either wholly or in part without written consent from DRY Architects Limited.

P2

REVISION:

DESCRIPTION:

DATE:

Rev.

Description

d.m.yy

DESCRIPTION:

DATE:

PREPARED FOR PLANNING

11.11.21

PREPARED FOR ROOF PLANNING

12.11.21

Key: 1. Rooflights flush to roof 2. Flat conservation rooflight above stairwell 3. New double door to terrace

New storage reusing existing in Bedroom

New tread added and landing raised by 200mm

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0.5

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0.5m

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1.5

2.5

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Scale 1:50

FEASIBILITY

DRYARCHITECTS PROJECT:

1

Rear Elevation

Proposed Section C

1

38 Lennox Gardens Proposed Elevation and Axonometric | Autocad & Sketchup

2

Kim Oxenham Proposed Section C

DATE:

Scale: 1:50

Proposed Front Elevation

DWG. NO:

Scale: 1:100

1 New Glass Balustrade Matching 104

Facing building - line approximate

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0.5m

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FEASIBILITY

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2.5

Scale 1:50

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Scale 1:100

PLANNING

DRYARCHITECTS PROJECT:

DRYARCHITECTS

October 2021

5313-012

SCALE: 1:50 @ A3 REVISION:

-

CHARTERED ARCHITECTS ADDRESS: 48 Charlotte Street, London, W1T2NS TEL: 0207 221 6161 FAX: 0207 243 6134 EMAIL: info@dryarchitects.co.uk WEB: www.dryarchitects.co.uk

Scale: 1:50

0

102 Pavilion Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0AX

CLIENT: DRAWING:

102 Pavilion Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0AX

PROJECT:

Top Flat, 38 Lennox Gardens, SW1X 0DH

CLIENT:

Kim Oxenham

CLIENT:

Monica Pignal

DRAWING:

Proposed Elevations

DRAWING:

Existing & Proposed Front & Rear Elevations

Design | 4.2 Poolhouse Concept | Sketchup

OBSERVATION TOWER

ROOF TERRACE

Working in such a small practice has allowed me to have an input on the design stages of some of our projects. This has grown more so since rejoining the practice. I am often given free reign to design new floor plans, elevations and even things as large as poolhouses in one instance!

COURTYARD BELOW

ROOF GARDEN

OUTDOOR RESTAURANT

BEDROOM 5

EN SUITE

BEDROOM 4

BEDROOM 3

EN SUITE

BEDROOM 2

EN SUITE

DRESS

EN SUITE

KITCHEN

CANOPY

EN SUITE

NEW ESCAPE STAIR

BALCONY

GLAZED LANTERN BEDROOM 1

BAR

DINING

PRIVATE ROOF TERRACE UNIT 5.1

LIVING CL

UTILITY

Proposed Roof Garden & Penthouse | Autocad

BALCONY

KITCHEN

283

3159

Detailing | 4.3

440

771

Tile adhesive with tiles on top

RWP

STEEL MESH WELDED TO PERIMETER TO ALLOW LIGHT BELOW

6mm Ditra heat matt + electric underfloor heating

air outlets (high level)

1973

18mm WBP ply RW40 insulation between battens

18mm WBP ply

50x50 tantalised timber battens with acoustic strips on top

2No layers of 12.5mm plasterboard with plaster skim coat and finishes

Self leveling latex on existing concrete floor

METER AND MESH PLAN 'Isover' insulation

Scale: 1:20

104

12mm WBP ply with 6mm wedi board between studs

TIMBER MILLBOARD DECKING RUNNING AT SAME ANGLE AS INTERIOR FLOORBOARDS

Concealed cistern zone 10mm tiles + adhesive

2

TERRACE PLAN WITH PLANTERS, DECKING AND FURNITURE

Lightwell Terrace | Autocad

Scale: 1:20

Base metal stud 12.5mm plasterboard on dabs with plaster skim finish Existing concrete floor Line of slab to form opening for new stair

Sauna floor and wall build-up | Autocad Steel Staircase | Autocad STEEL CUT AROUND DOWNPIPES

Brick wall of existing extension of adjacent property

Fake living wall fixed

Existing footing as exposed on site

150x75mm steel channel

Concrete wall

AIL Scale: 1:2

4

SECTION THROUGH DECK Scale: 1:20

3229

25mm thick Millboard to sit on steel grid flush with internal floor level

Photography | 4.4

Public to Private | Double Exposure Photography

Documents | 4.5 Design and Access Statement Mockup | Indesign and Photoshop

I really love writing and formatting documents used during the planning stage of projects. These are usually either heritage or design and access reports and require a detailed understanding of the project and existing building.

I am a strong believer in all aspects of our output reflecting our contemporary beliefs at DRY and therefore designed this template (right) for all of our subsequent documents to follow.

Outside of Work Sketch | Graphite

A1 Stippled Architectural Concept | Fine Liner

Stippling Experiments | Photoshop & Illustrator

A Window Home | Oil Painting Stippling Experiments | Photoshop & Illustrator

joshua.sparks@hotmail.co.uk +44 777 593 8662 @studio__sparks