Junior Architect
Design a Sports Hub with padel courts on an empty site next to a school for Bexora Design Studio.
Section A: The Brief
Careers can start with one email, here's yours.
Welcome to the Bexora Design Studio experience!
I’m Alan from Astranda, and I’ll be your mentor for this experience. You are stepping into the role of Junior Architect, helping design a new community hub on an empty piece of land next to a school. One of Bexora Design Studio’s clients is thinking about building padel courts and a community centre on this site.
Your job is to study the site, turn the client’s brief into a clear idea, and create a simple design plan. You will map how people arrive and move around the area, plan the layout of the padel courts and center, check how shade falls at a key time of day, and present your work with one scaled drawing and a visual that shows the space in use.
Before you begin, make sure to listen to the onboarding and welcoming message from James, co-founder of Bexora Design Studio, included below.
Remember to aim high, stay on track, and present your ideas professionally. We can’t wait to see what you bring to the table.
Regards,
Alan
alan@astranda.com | Head of Partnerships
Section B: The Job
Step into the role.
Junior Architect
Level: Entry-Level
Duration: ~12 Hours
Result: Performance Report
Role Description: Helps senior architects by working on design ideas, creating drawings, doing research, and organise documents.
Key Performance Indicators: Measure by how accurate and complete your design drawings and documents are.
Key Deliverables
By the end of this experience, you will have created:
Here are some key details to keep in mind as you work:
Why is this important: Architects use logic and creativity to shape how people move, play, and gather in a space.
Expert tip: Spend extra time making sure your drawings, notes, and models are easy for others to understand at a glance
Section C: The Workflow
Phase 1: Discovery
Step 1.1 - Site and Precedent Study
Site Visit and Study
The proposed site is next to a school and sports ground. Your first step is to study the site and plan where facilities could go.
Mark the recommended boundary – The client is open to building on any available land in this area so outline your suggested plot and note a suitable connection to the road.
Entry points – Show at least one one vehicle entry for parking.
Parking – Allow space for 15–20 cars.
Courts – Plan for 4 padel courts (20m × 10m each). Together with spacing, they need about 50m × 40m.
Support centre – Place a compact building (~15m × 10m) for changing rooms, storage, and a small shaded waiting area.
Constraints and movement – Note nearby housing, traffic, or sun and wind issues. Use arrows to show how visitors will move between entries, courts, and the centre.
Source: Google Maps
Precent Study
Next, research padel courts. Look up images and diagrams of real courts to understand their size, enclosures, and how players and spectators use the space. Collect 3–4 references that inspire you and begin to consider your concept.
Source: MoreSports
Bring these together on a single board:
Site map with annotations
3-4 padel references
Short notes (1–2 lines per image) on what you’ve learned
Finally, write down three lessons you’ll apply in your design — for example: “Courts need evening lighting,” or “Safe circulation between spaces is key.” These lessons will guide your concept.
By studying the site and precedents, you’ll begin to think like an architect: connecting context, program needs, and inspiration into a foundation for design.
Phase 2: Design
Step 2.1 - Concept Sketch and Schematic
Concept Sketch
Start by sketching a zoning plan for the site:
Arrange 4 padel courts (20m × 10m each) in pairs or a block, leaving safe space around them.
Place a small centre (15m × 10m) with changing rooms and storage near the courts, ideally close to the entry for visibility.
Mark parking and pedestrian/vehicle entries.
Add arrows to show circulation: how students walk in, how cars approach, where players/spectators gather.
Next, create a quick perspective or massing sketch by hand (or SketchUp Free if you prefer). Show the courts as rectangles with fences, the centre as a small box, and people for scale.
Finally, add shade notes. Use SunCalc.org to check shadows at 14:00 in September. Mark shaded vs. sunny areas, and suggest trees or canopies where needed.
Source: Visbeen Architects
Schematic
Turn your concept into one scaled schematic drawing:
Choose Plan (1:200) or Section (1:100).
Show the 4 padel courts, the small centre footprint, and circulation.
Add a north arrow, scale bar, and at least 3 key dimensions (court size, spacing, building size).
Keep lines neat and add simple labels (e.g., “Padel Court 1,” “Centre,” “Spectator Area”).
This drawing doesn’t need to be perfect — just clean and clear enough that anyone could understand the design without you explaining it.
Deliverable Due
Step 2.2 - Proposal
Architectural Render
Create one poster-style image of your project. This could be a perspective export from SketchUp with simple materials, a hand-drawn perspective scanned and coloured in Canva, or even a collage using reference images. Add people — students playing padel, or spectators watching. You can even upload your sketch to Sora or another AI tool and ask it to create an architectural render of your reference image.
Format the image at 1080×1350. Add a title and a small watermark (@BexoraDesign).
This is your “wow” piece, the one that looks like it could be shown in a client presentation. It should capture the excitement of the venue.
Source: MajorSet
You can upload your sketches or design drawings to ReRender and generate a quick render instantly. The platform gives you 3 free credits per day, so it’s a great way to test out and visualize your concepts using your existing work.
Source: https://rerenderai.com/
Script
Now that you’ve completed your drawings and visuals, your final task is to prepare a 1–2 minute script as if you were presenting this concept to a client.
Start by setting the scene:
Who the hub is for (students, families, the community).
Why it matters (a safe, exciting destination that supports sports).
Then walk them through the design:
How the site is organized (2 padel courts, spectator areas, etc.).
How you addressed climate (shade and lighting) and safety (clear flows).
Why your design stands out (energy, community impact, shareable identity).
Aim for clarity and confidence, not too technical, but professional and engaging.
By doing this, you’ll learn how architects don’t just design, they sell ideas, connecting drawings and visuals to a story that wins support.
Deliverable Due
Congratulations on completing the Bexora Design Studio experience. More importantly, you’ve demonstrated the foundational skills that open the door to real roles in architecture.
Here’s what you’ve shown you can do:
Site literacy: Read an empty school-adjacent site, map access and flows, and identify constraints/opportunities.
Concept development: Translate program needs into a clear, logical zoning idea.
Climate and safety awareness: Check shade at a key hour and plan for safe circulation and evening use.
Schematic documentation: Produce a clean, scaled drawing with north, scale bar, and key dimensions.
Visual storytelling: Create a hero visual that communicates the experience to non-architects.
Client communication: Craft a concise pitch script that sells the concept with clarity and confidence.
These are the exact capabilities behind junior roles in architecture studios. Employers don’t just want potential, they want proof. And you now have it.
Once you submit the work and receive feedback, you can add it to your CV or LinkedIn under Projects as “Astranda × Bexora Design Studio”.
Quick reminder, please follow the Submission Guidelines below to finalize your completion.
This is a meaningful step toward a career in architecture. We’re proud of your progress, and you should feel confident knowing you have what it takes to keep moving forward. Keep stacking achievements and experiences that set you apart.
Regards,
Alan
alan@astranda.com | Head of Partnerships
How to Submit
Submit your work, get feedback, certificates and more.
Submission Guidelines
Put everything in one folder
Name it:
Astranda_[ExperienceName]_[YourFullName]_[School]Include your docs, slides, videos, images, and any source files.
Upload to Google Drive
Open Drive → New → Folder (use the name above) → upload your files.
If your work is in Google Docs/Slides/Sheets, make sure each file has a clear title.
Set sharing permissions
Right-click the folder → Share → General access: Anyone with the link → Viewer.
Important: Do not require sign-in and do not give edit access.
Double-check by opening the link in an incognito window—if you can view it without logging in, you’re good.
Enter your details below:
How to Submit Your Work (via Google Drive link)
Put everything in one folder
Name it:
Astranda_[ExperienceName]_[YourFullName]_[School]Include your docs, slides, videos, images, and any source files.
Upload to Google Drive
Open Drive → New → Folder (use the name above) → upload your files.
If your work is in Google Docs/Slides/Sheets, make sure each file has a clear title.
Set sharing permissions
Right-click the folder → Share → General access: Anyone with the link → Viewer.
Important: Do not require sign-in and do not give edit access.
Double-check by opening the link in an incognito window—if you can view it without logging in, you’re good.
Copy your sharable link
Right-click the folder → Copy link.
Email your submission
Subject:
Submission: [ExperienceName] – [Your Full Name] – [School]Body: Paste the link and write a professional email including these details - Name: [Your Full Name], School: [Full School Name], Experience: [ExperienceName], Drive Link: [paste your view-only folder link]
Final checks before sending
The link opens without “Request access.”
All files load and play (videos, slides, etc.).
File names are clear and professional.
No personal data you don’t want shared.
Receive feedback
We will examine all your submitted materials
We will reply with your Performance Report and Certificate of Completion via email within 7 days
We will also share your next experience to continue your progress towards your dream career
If you want to try a different career path, please email alan@astranda.com.
Tips
Large videos? Upload to the same folder (don’t attach to the email).
Multiple versions? Keep only the final in the root folder; move drafts into a “Drafts” subfolder.
Keep a backup copy for your records.
