An Honest Craft: Headquarters for the Canal and River Trust, Newark-on-Trent Part 1 Project 2020 Joshua Burge University of Sheffield | UK “We photographed water towers and furnaces because they are honest. They are functional, and they reflect what they do - that is what we liked.” (Hila & Bernd Becher)Maintaining over 2,000 miles of waterways within the UK, the Canal and River Trust are a charity deeply rooted in the heritage of the nations water courses. However, the Trust’s current model of working is disconnected from the public and the waterways which they serve.Situated in the sleepy market town of Newark-on-Trent, a new headquarters is placed at the heart of its waterway. Located on the fringe between the urban and rural, the proposal provides a civic hub for which it aims to provide a centre for knowledge and education on the water.Citing works from Hila and Bernd Becher’s lifelong obsession with “lost” industrial landscapes, a celebration of simple functional form roots the proposal to place. In addition to understanding Newark’s industrial heritage, the program is focused around the honest and humble craft of lock gates and maintaining watercraft.Focusing on challenging the current disconnect between the “dirty” and “clean” workforces that the Trust operates; crafting a national centre for the Trust, closely linked to their fundamental beliefs. Joshua Burge Tutor(s) Emily Pieters