Published13 February 2025Updated5 October 2026
Welcome to JSA, Joao Bravo
Joao Bravo joins JSA as our dedicated 3D artist and visualiser, taking ownership of all our three-dimensional work. University of Derby graduate, qualified architectural technologist, originally from Lisbon.
Joao joins JSA as our dedicated 3D artist and visualiser. He'll be taking ownership of all our three-dimensional work, computer models, renders, and presentation material, from first sketch to planning-ready visuals.
João joins JSA as our dedicated 3D artist and visualiser. He’ll be taking ownership of all our three-dimensional work - computer modelling, rendering, and the presentation visuals that show clients and planning authorities exactly what a scheme will look like before a single brick gets laid.
It’s a role that matters more than it probably gets credit for.
João studied at the University of Derby and qualified as an architectural technologist — so he understands how buildings are put together, not just what they look like on screen. After graduating, he worked for a number of established regional practices, picking up the kind of experience you can only get by being inside a real project: the decisions, the compromises, the gap between the first sketch and what eventually gets built.
Then he set up his own 3D studio and ran it for two years.
What good 3D visualisation actually does
João will be responsible for all of JSA’s 3D modelling, rendering and presentation work — the full suite of our 3D visualisation services.
It’s worth being clear about why this matters. A well-produced 3D render isn’t just a marketing tool — it’s a communication tool. It lets a client see what they’re actually approving before they commit. It gives a planning officer a clear, accurate picture of how a scheme will sit within its surroundings. It answers the questions that flat drawings leave open.
Done badly, 3D visualisation is expensive wallpaper. Done well, it removes uncertainty from the process — and uncertainty, in construction, tends to cost money.
João does it well. He has the technical background to understand what he’s modelling and the eye to make it land the way it needs to.
João is originally from Lisbon, which goes some way to explaining his love for football. He’s also closely interested in AI and the latest developments in visualisation software — which, at the rate the industry is moving, is less of a hobby and more of an occupational requirement. It means the tools JSA uses for 3D work stay current. That matters to the quality of what we produce.
Welcome, Joao.
We’re glad you found us more interesting than running things on your own. The studio is better for having you in it.
If you’d like to see what our 3D visualisation work looks like in practice — or talk through what it could do for your project — get in touch with the wider JSA team.
Want to see what your project could look like before it’s built?
Our 3D visualisation service covers everything from early design concepts to planning-ready presentation renders.
Areas We Cover
JSA Architects Across the Midlands
We work with homeowners, developers, and landlords across the Midlands. Fees, planning authorities, and project types vary by location — find local insight and project examples for your area:
Architects in Derby → — Quarndon, Kirk Langley, Duffield, Allestree, Darley Abbey, Mickleover, Littleover
Architects in Nottingham → — The Park Estate, West Bridgford, Edwalton, Mapperley Park, Wollaton, Bramcote
Architects in Lichfield → — Shenstone, Little Aston, Four Oaks, Streetly, Aldridge, Walsall, Tamworth, Whittington
Architects in Solihull → — Knowle, Dorridge, Hampton in Arden, Shirley, Dickens Heath, Olton
Architects in Sutton Coldfield → — Four Oaks, Wylde Green, Boldmere, Mere Green, Streetly, Little Aston
faq's
Common Questions
Joao Bravo is JSA's dedicated 3D artist and visualiser, responsible for all of the practice's 3D modelling, rendering and presentation work.
Joao studied at the University of Derby and qualified as an architectural technologist, so his visualisation work is grounded in understanding how buildings actually go together, not just how they render.
It lets clients and planning officers see how a design will actually look and sit in context, well before a spade goes in the ground, rather than relying on a 2D drawing alone.
Joao is originally from Lisbon, Portugal, and now works from JSA's studios in the Midlands.
Articles
News & Insights
Project updates, practice news, and useful guidance from JSA Architects.
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A new appointment in Allestree: refurbish or replace?
A new Allestree appointment prompts a practical guide to refurbishing or replacing a house, with a worked cost example, surveys, fees and planning questions.
JSA Appointed for Listed Building Extension in Amber Valley
JSA is appointed to design a sensitive extension to a Grade II listed stone building in Amber Valley, Derbyshire, going to pre-application with CGI support.
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Poor architectural drawings create assumptions, delays and cost. See why clear, accurate information matters to homeowners and commercial clients.
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Twenty years of Midlands pub, bar and restaurant projects, plus a decade behind the bar. What a busy summer tells you about the building you trade from.
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Datum is JSA's own project app. Every client gets a login: latest drawings, the brief, where planning's got to and what we did this week. Free on every project.
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A 1960s Bungalow Gets a Contemporary Rethink in Lichfield
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See the finished restoration of The Grange, a Georgian villa in South Derbyshire. JSA acted as both architect and project manager throughout.
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Planning Approved for Bramble Street Office-to-Flats Conversion in Derby
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Justin Smith Architects is now JSA Architects. Here’s the story, in Justin’s own words, and what the rebrand means for our clients and the practice.
Welcome to JSA, Joao Bravo
Joao Bravo joins JSA as our 3D artist and visualiser. A University of Derby graduate and qualified architectural technologist, originally from Lisbon.
Light at the End of the Terrace: Contemporary Rear Extension to a Victorian Townhouse in Sutton Coldfield
A contemporary rear extension brings light and space to a Victorian townhouse in Sutton Coldfield, and leaves the period terrace out front exactly as it was.
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JSA is working with British Living Group, one of the Midlands' most commercially minded developers, on a 27-room co-living conversion in Derby.
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5,500 Homes Are Coming to Walmley. If You’re Already Living There, This Is Your Cue to Stop Putting Off Your Own Project
Birmingham City Council has approved the groundwork for 5,500 new homes near Walmley. If your own project's been on the back burner, this is your sign.
Planning Approved for Brooklands Luxury Dwelling
Golden Brook Developments had a permission for Brooklands and didn't rate the design. We redesigned it, and South Derbyshire has now approved the new scheme.
Planning Submitted: Brooklands' Redesign Heads to South Derbyshire District Council
The design's done and the application's in. Here's what JSA has proposed for Brooklands, a new home in Weston-on-Trent, South Derbyshire.
JSA Architects Appointed to Redesign Brooklands, a Luxury New Build in Weston-on-Trent
A permission existed and a design was on the table. Golden Brook Developments decided it wasn't good enough. They were right, and they called us.
Two Stand-Out Self-Builds Submitted for Full Planning in Little Eaton
Two bespoke self-build homes in Little Eaton designed for standout architecture and smart investment returns.
Major Family Home Remodel Proposed in Repton, South Derbyshire
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The Windy Rise plot in Little Eaton lost its bungalow to arsonists in 2017, then spent a decade rewilding. Our design for the hillside is now with the council.
Windy Rise Gets the Green Light: Erewash Borough Council Approves the Hillside Home That Made Councillors Say 'Thunderbirds Are Go'
Planning approved at Windy Rise, Little Eaton. Erewash Borough Council approved this Green Belt replacement dwelling 11-1. See how JSA Architects made the case.
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