The Art of Architectural Visualization | EYRC Architects

Written by Jessica Chang

Architectural visualization plays a critical role in EYRC’s approach to design. Different forms of representation helps our clients understand the design throughout all phases of the process.

In this blog post we will be highlighting the drawings generated by EYRC staff during our Digital Practice Committee’s Visualization Competition. The only prompt for this competition was to create a piece of visualization for an EYRC project using at least one digital tool. This exercise allowed us to be free with ourselves and to shake out of our default rendering style without the usual project pressures. 

In order to discuss what brought about this competition idea it is helpful to look back at where we started.

The History of Architectural Visualization at EYRC

Prior to the use of computer modeling and rendering, the firm represented projects in detailed 3D models or in 2D conceptual elevations. The series of images above were drawn in a style that was often used at the firm, with an elevation at the top of the page and an additional drawing that further expressed the project concept below. For example, in the Windward Circle drawings, Steven outlined the previous structures below the new designs. The elevations illustrate how the rhythms and forms of the old hotel and roller coaster can be remembered in the new buildings.

As the firm began to use 3D modeling in the early 2000s, this opened a new world of visualization options. The early renderings from the firm took on a bit of abstraction as the technology was not good enough to create a photorealistic image yet. The renderings of Kendall Square above show the building material mapped in a very simple way with the context ghosted in the background. Photoshop was used to place scale figures and the overall effect is very stylized and high contrast to compensate for the lack of photorealistic capability at the time. 

The series of images above show the progression in realism in our renderings from the early 2000s to today. As our methods and technology grew more sophisticated, our visualization became more and more detailed and realistic. This followed the trend within the architectural community to achieve photorealism. Recently, however, the style has been moving back to something more conceptual. As with art, when realism is achieved - abstraction becomes the next endeavor. Thus, the 2020 Visualization Competition was born. 

EYRC’s 2020 Visualization Competition

With everyone working from home during Covid-19, a visualization competition was a fun way to encourage a more critical view of the renderings we had been generating. The hope was to return to some of the conceptual clarity that the firm’s early drawings had. Everyone in the office was encouraged to participate with the only rule being at least one digital tool needed to be used to generate an image of an EYRC project.

Please enjoy the competition entries below.

You can see more of the submissions to the Visualization Contest by clicking here. To learn more about our work, we encourage you to visit our residential and commercial portfolio pages.