Sarah Elizabeth Jones

A row of kitchen appliances modeled in printed card.

Sarah is an architectural and multidisciplinary designer, interested in the theatre of social, cultural and political interactions surrounding spatial design.

She completed her BSc (Hons) Architecture Degree at The Bartlett School Of Architecture in 2019 and worked as a Part One Architectural Assistant at Tigg + Coll Architects. She has also taken part in an international student workshop and exhibition at Venice Biennale in 2016 and had an Architectural Assistant placement at Rodney Melville + Partners.

At the RCA, Sarah’s work reflects her interests in socio-economic issues and sustainable design. Utilising the metaphor of ‘Shed Land’, she has developed a series of urban fixtures, to propose sustainable solutions to socio-economic issues caused by the financial crisis. She is interested in how these fixtures operate in the urban landscape as a form of ‘Culinary Diplomacy’, to promote specified daily interactions while catering to specific target groups. Engaging with a range of media including, film, collage, and model making, her practice explores the question of ‘who has a seat at the table?’

Plan View of a dining table with blue and white polka dot table cloth. Table is laid with three Delft plates and appliances.

'Shed Land'

Proposing new infrastructures of social interaction to combat recession.

How can a series of interactive ‘fixtures’ be developed to promote specified interactions and propose solutions for combining processes of production, consumption and preparation to combat the effects of recession?

To meet the urgent need for new forms of social infrastructure, the project proposes a series of emergency infrastructures based on the daily needs of families including dining, bathing, laundry, exercise, leisure and work. Inspired by ‘existence minimum’, appliances will be re-used and combined into new communal areas. These emergency infrastructures will be additional to existing home appliances, to allow residents an emergency option to combat rising living costs. These infrastructures will be merged with the existing site of development, in the form of ‘sheds’ to be incorporated into the existing garden system of the chosen building block. In addition, the proposal will provide points of communal interaction, in the face of an increasingly isolated society.

The infrastructures will address issues of recession at three scales of the urban realm. The first will be at the domestic scale for a family of four in a ‘Two up -Two Down’ house. The second will be a Terraced Street of homes. The third will be public spaces such as the park. The final proposal combines these three scales within the site of a residential building block.

'A Table As A Stage' Overview – Daily rituals and their repetition provide moment of necessary comfort through times of recession. These rituals of comfort were explored through the architecture of a table. The table narrates these spatial interactions. The investigation led to key themes of production, preparation and consumption which culminated in a series of ‘tables’. The research sort to explore the questions, ‘What is recession?’, ‘Who does recession effect?’ and ‘Who has a seat at the table?’

Medium:

Printed Card Models and Collage

Size:

Range Between 210mm x 290mm x 215 mm

Table One: Appliance Table – Themes of Consumption verses Production: Addressing the issue of rising energy prices for cooking appliances.

Table Two: Cloth Table – The table speculates on issues of ‘Luxury verses Poverty’.

Table Three: Work Table – Exploring themes of ‘Unity verses Isolation’. Addressing the impact of working culture in the face of financial crisis.

Table Four: Heat Table – Speculating on issues of 'Luxury verses Poverty'.

Table Five: Slaughter Table – Speculating on issues of ‘Production verses Consumption’.

Table 6: Screen Table – Questioning themes of 'Unity verses Isolation' and financial disinformation.

Medium:

Printed Card Models and Collage

Size:

Range Between 210 mm x 290 mm x 215mm

architecture

Site Analysis: Site Plan of Morton Street, Royal Leamington Spa – Scale 1:25000 @ A2 Intrinsically the proposal provides a strategy to be incorporated into any site as need. With the key appliances and their uses remaining the same. For the purposes of proposal development, I applied the strategy to a residential housing block located in the ‘family town’ of Royal Leamington Spa.

Site Analysis: Exploring Morton Street – Site Photo of West Entrance of Morton Street.

Site Analysis: Existing Site Plan Of Morton Street Housing Block – Scale 1:500@ A2 Due to the placement of gardens and brick garden walls along the inside of the block, the proposal applies itself to the existing exterior corridors on the site, in order to create ‘a spine’ of infrastructure, easily accessible to all residents. Strategic areas of the existing brick walls will be removed and reused where applicable to house the infrastructure.

Site Analysis: Programmatic Spaces Within Morton Street Housing Typologies – Scale 1:500@ A2 Analysis of programmatic spaces withing the two key housing typologies on the site. The housing typologies include terrace houses and town houses. The programs from top left: office, living room, bathroom, kitchen, utility and WC.

Site Concept: Street 'Fixtures' – Concept Collage of the Morton Street site with interventions including laundry and cooking appliances. Exploring use of existing appliances to create emergency infrastructure.

Medium:

Photography and line drawings.

Size:

297 x 420 mm

architecture site-analysis

Design Iteration: Emergency Communal Kitchen Space – Investigating the minimum appliances necessary for an emergency kitchen space.

Design Iteration: Emergency Communal Laundrette – Utilising the concept of the Lavoir for use in an emergency laundrette.

Design Iteration: Home Office – Utilising peddle power to support working from home.

Design Iteration: Emergency Power Generator – Communal gym infrastructure that uses 'peddle power' to charge the other emergency appliances on site.

Design Iteration: Polyvalent Leisure Space – Testing how existing materials can be utilised to create a flexible space for community activities.

Design Iteration: Emergency Bath House – The design re-uses existing water tanks as the primary infrastructure for baths and showers on the site.

Medium:

Collage

Size:

297 x 420 mm

Shed One: Communal Kitchen Model – The proposed emergency kitchen includes (from left) a parabolic solar heater, three microwaves with solar panels, a sink with water boiler and a 'radiator table', linked to a solar water heating system. A key element of the design process was ascertaining the correct ratio of solar panels to appliances. The appliances were chosen due to their economic and environmental attributes.

Shed One: Communal Kitchen Collage – A collaged view of the final emergency kitchen re-using pre-existing appliances.

Shed One: Communal Kitchen Collage Plan and Section – Scale 1:100 @A3 Plan and section of the emergency kitchen placed into the development site. The 'shed' built to contain the appliances, emerges from the existing brick garden walls. The materials for the envelope include existing brick, timber, aluminium and 100% recyclable polycarbonate cladding.

Medium:

Mixed Media Of Card Models, Collage and Line Drawing.

Size:

Model: 250 x 530 x 260 mm , Collage and Lines : 297 x 420 mm

architecture kitchen model

Shed Two: Laundrette Model – The proposal for the Laundrette includes water tanks, a mangle, a steel water tank, a sink with water boiler, a garden hose and a clothes horse. The image depicts one 'module' of the laundrette that can be multiplied as needed to suit the needs of the community.

Shed Two: Laundrette Collage – A perspective view of the laundrette module multiplied and contained within a timber frame emerging from the existing brick wall. A key design choice for the laundrette was the re-use of existing plastic water tanks.

Shed Two: Laundrette Plan and Section – Plan and section of the Laundrette placed into the development site. The 'shed' built to contain the appliances, emerges from the existing brick garden walls. The materials for the envelope include existing brick, timber, aluminium and 100% recyclable polycarbonate cladding.

Medium:

Mixed Media Of Card Models, Collage and Line Drawing.

Size:

Model : 390 x 420 x 350 mm, Collage and Lines : 297 x 420 mm

architecture collage community model

Shed Three: Work Pod Model – The work pod emerges from the existing brick garden walls on the site. Bricks removed from other parts of the site are re-used to construct the pod and it’s arched roof. Inside the work pod there is a solar powered light and an existing desk and chair.

Shed Three: Work Pod Collage – Brick removed from other parts of the site is re-used to construct the work pod and it's arched roof.

Shed Three: Work Pod Plan And Section – The two work pods are placed on opposite sides of the existing garden walls to allow for privacy while working.

Medium:

Mixed Media Of Card Models, Collage and Line Drawing.

Size:

Model : 290 x 190 x 280 mm, Collage and Lines : 297 x 420 mm

architecture community

Shed Four: ‘Pedal Power Gym’ Model – The gym provides a space for exercise whilst creating sustainable energy to charge batteries for other appliances on site.

Shed Four : ‘Pedal Power Gym’ Collage – The design incorporates further exercise bikes for individual gym use.

Shed Four: ‘Pedal Power Gym’ Plan And Section – Scale 1:100 @A3 Plan and section of the gym infrastructure contained in timber, aluminium, re-used brick and 100% recyclable polycarbonate cladding.

Medium:

Mixed Media Of Card Models, Collage and Line Drawing.

Size:

Model : 290 x 190 x 280 mm, Collage and Lines : 297 x 420 mm

architectures community sustainable

Shed Five: Communal Bath House Model – The model depicts a single module of the bath house that can be multiplied as needed. Existing plastic water tanks are re-used for the shower and bath structures. Plywood and existing brick are used for the changing room.

Shed Five: Communal Bath House Collage – The bath house module has been multiplied to meet the needs of the Morton Street site and integrated with the existing brick garden boundaries.

Shed Five: Communal Bath House Plan and Section – The bath house has been multiplied for the site to include three baths and three changing rooms, along with two showers. The infrastructure is contained in a 'shed', that emerges from the existing garden walls. The structure utilises materials including timber, aluminium, re-used brick and 100% recyclable polycarbonate cladding.

Medium:

Mixed Media Of Card Models, Collage and Line Drawing.

Size:

Model: 235 x 195 x 190 mm, Collage and Lines : 297 x 420 mm

architecture community sustainability

Shed Six: Polyvalent Space Model – The polyvalent space allows for a variety of communal activities to take place. The infrastructure includes, garden chairs, a garden table, a wood burning fireplace, re-used brick flower beds and a tiled 'stage'.

Shed Six: Polyvalent Space Collage – The polyvalent space allows for a variety of communal activities. The space emerges from the existing brick garden boundary of the site.

Shed Six: Polyvalent Space Plan And Section – The polyvalent space is contained in a 'shed', that emerges from the existing garden walls. The structure utilises materials including timber, aluminium, re-used brick and 100% recyclable polycarbonate cladding. The structure includes two facades of sliding doors that can create the potential for a fully permeable space.

Medium:

Mixed Media Of Card Models, Collage and Line Drawing.

Size:

Model: 235 x 195 x 190 mm, Collage and Lines : 297 x 420 mm

Sarah Elizabeth Jones

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Royal College of Art