Sparc is a practice for architecture. We reside in a storefront in Brooklyn. We have a design approach we call New Romantic Cleverness. We puzzle as long as needed to come up with the best
BIO
SPARC was founded by Hans Maarten Wikkerink and Shiva Ghomi in 2017.
Hans Maarten started his career at community centers for at-risk youth in Amsterdam. He then proceeded to work on a number of projects involving the repurposing of public buildings into multi-purpose cultural venues (art/theater/film/dining/dancing), such as Tolhuistuin and Kriterion Rotterdam. He was co-founder and CEO of Studio K, now a staple venue in the neighborhood of Amsterdam Oost. With over ten years of project management experience, he embarked upon a career in architecture and worked for ar variety of high profile firms like Powerhouse Company and Mark Koehler Architects.
Shiva has worked with numerous design firms in her home country-Iran. Here she has participated in wide range of residential and mixed-use projects. She holds a Bachelor in Architecture and Master in Urban Design. After about 8 years of design, research and management experience in Iran, her interest in observing and gaining hands-on experience in the field of Design and Planning in the United States (2011), and specifically in Resilient Design brought her to New York City, where she obtained her second Master’s degree in Urban Design.
After moving to New York City in 2013, Hans Maarten’s architectural work has focused mostly on recovery and resilience building in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, both on the ground and in project management.
In 2016, the project MARCY HOUSES, which proposes a radical rethinking of social housing in New York City, was internationally recognized by a number of architecture competitions, including New York City Affordable Housing Challenge organized by the NYC Built Expo. The project was on display in a traveling exhibition in the Netherlands as part of the prestigious Archiprix competition.
Hans Maarten holds a M.Arch from Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam and a BA in Architectural History at the University of Amsterdam. He is licensed and registered Architect in Europe.
Founded: 2017