articles/Architectural/architecturespecial-page1

Architecture Special - part 1 of 1 2 3

Published 01/03/2003

As a part of this month's feature on architecture we look at one of the uses of Photoshop to assist visualisation of new building design and how it influences the process of getting a design from concept to solid bricks on the ground. The people in this speciality are playing for big dollars, we were shown examples in which the visualisation persuaded the planning authority to allow an additional floor to a block of apartments.

The extra 8 apartments added close to £2m to the value of the building - not a bad return on investment for a few quid on an A3 print out of an inkjet!

We spent time with one of the leading experts in this field, Phil Voas of EWA Architects Limited who have a base in Cheshire. Phil is an architectural technician, an unassuming title which hardly begins to describe the computing power and skill at his fingertips. EWA handle all sizes of contracts but at the top end they bid for new football stadia and other prestigious public building work.

The process from design concept to hand-over can run to many years but we follow the progression from sketches and site surveys to full 3-D visualisation ahead of approval to break ground and start laying bricks. Like all complex projects there are a great many skills brought to bear and photography is just one of them. Work commences with a survey of the plot and the preparation of a brief, which will define things like how many apartments will be built, how many floors will be used and how the development will sympathetically blend into the local environment.

It is at this stage that the visualisation work commences. Traditionally this was done with pen and ink and sometimes watercolour but today it is as likely to be carried out using simple primitive shapes in a 3-D design package.

• Architecture Special page 1
  
• Architecture Special page 2
  
• Architecture Special page 3
  

There are 42 days to get ready for The Society of Photographers Convention and Trade Show at The Novotel London West, Hammersmith ...
which starts on Wednesday 15th January 2025