NOT EMBEDDED TA24-S-O-Pages-copy - Flipbook - Page 60
Sparks Oasis Community
Center
Stiphany Sowell Architecture + Urbanism
“There’s an economy of means deployed
in this project which thoughtfully
recognizes some of the vernacular
building types. It’s a robust but simple
shelter that begins with the process of
making a roof over this existing public
place in the town and then, through very
simple means, situates those social
activities in a place that has a sense of
being civic.”
— Keith Krumwiede
58 Texas Architect
9/10 2024
In the Sparks colonia on the margins of El Paso, a
community center built by residents using manufactured homes has deteriorated over time due to
heavy use and the harsh climate. The Oasis aims
to regenerate the assets residents have created to
mitigate the increasing burdens of climate and
urbanization they face. Conceptualized from the
inside out, the project creates a fully accessible
commons without disrupting the existing center9s programming. Pivotal to this transformation
is a regenerative canopy that collects rainwater
for evaporative cooling and irrigation of a Palo
Verde tree terrace. This shaded marquis guides
visitors with diverse abilities along a strong axis to
a courtyard of impact-intensive spaces, transforming a previously segregated building into a cohesive
neighborhood destination.
