3D Architectural Models – Guest Post by Jack Bransfield AIA

Mayfair Owner's Presentation - The designers who renovated this residential lobby needed to sell their design to a coop board with very high standards. The realistic depiction of the historic existing structure was as important as the luxurious new furnishings and materials.

Building or renovating a home is a major undertaking, and is often the single biggest investment in a homeowner’s life.  Ironically, it can be difficult to answer a very basic question during the design process.  That question is: “What will it look like?”

Parkway Finishes Selection - The developer for this rental property provided very detailed information on furnishings and finishes, including material samples. All lighting is based on the fixtures and layout specified by the architect.

There is a simple reason for this.  Architects, designers, and builders usually have a much better understanding of conventional architectural drawings than their clients do.  The value of a solid set of construction documents is that it lays out very explicitly and thoroughly what is to be built.  But the technical nature of these drawings can leave clients scratching their heads and hoping for the best.

Going all the way back to Vitruvius, architects have addressed this problem by using three dimensional illustrations or 3D renderings to communicate their design ideas.  These images have been created using pencil, ink, watercolor, and other media for hundreds of years.  But in the last ten years or so, digital architectural rendering has made enormous progress in quality and accuracy.  Today it can be difficult to distinguish a high quality rendering from a photograph.

Copper Simulation - The architect of this home wanted to carefully study the material palette of copper cladding, precast concrete, and channel glass.

Being able to see what a finished space will look like early on gives homeowners a much more active role in the design process, allowing them to make decisions more quickly and confidently.  Renderings of a proposed design also allow the architect or designer to manage their clients’ expectations and rapidly test different design alternatives.  In the case of custom millwork, with thousands of available profiles and countless combinations, a digital model can make it very easy to study different designs as they will appear in a particular room.  Once a design has been agreed on, it can be shown in any wood species, finish, or paint color.  Custom finishes, lighting and furniture can be added to complete a very realistic scene.

Mayfair Architectural Detailing - Site photos, measurements and architectural drawings were used to recreate accurate moldings, column capitals, and other ornament.

Another advantage of working with a digital model is that, once a space has been modeled, any number of views can be created, including animations that allow a viewer to move through the virtual space.  Different lighting schemes can be presented, and accurate daylighting studies can confirm whether that new porch will shade your guests as they arrive for your Labor Day cookout at two o’clock sharp.

Seasonal Daylight Study - To study the daylighting performance of a sculptural roof, we produced a series of renderings at different times of day.

Architects and designers are increasingly offering digital renderings as an additional service, and savvy clients are coming to expect this capability.  Some professionals can produce renderings in house while others rely on specialized consultants to produce detailed photorealistic renderings from their drawings.  Whatever the method, using 3D architectural models throughout the design process can turn a potentially mysterious and intimidating process into an exciting and vivid exploration of possibilities.

Jack Bransfield is an Architect and President of Built Light, a Design Visualization Studio in the Greater Chicago Area.  An active member of the AIA (American Institute of Architects) and graduate of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Jack’s firm is dedicated to the art and craft of architectural visualization producing vivid, engaging images that bring designs to life.