PLAN AND SECTION

A while ago I wrote about a practice that is becoming more and more common, studios hiring outside rendering work for their project packages.  As studios take on greater number of projects they seem to spend more time designing and less time rendering, hence they call in the aid of contracted renderers. These companies are made up of serious visual artists adept in evoking the architectural vision of the design firm. I think of all the perspectives I’ve hurried through at the brink of a deadline and how much more composed they could have been with a bit more time. So what would a rendering look like with a bit more time?

Helsinki Zoo – Beckmann N’Thépé – ARTEFACTORYLAB

Michelle Desvigne – ARTEFACTORYLAB

ARTEFACTORYLAB is a visual design studio out of Paris specializing in high quality computer imaging for the built environment. Their  clients list includes a number of the top designers from Herzog & De Meuron to OMA to Desvigne.

They also make adorably cool videos that mix models and reality into architectural vignettes.

OLGGA – Hands-on from ArtefactoryLab on Vimeo.

To see more of their work: http://www.artefactorylab.com/drupal/news

Tatebanko diorama – the ancient art of Japanese paper dioramas found here

When it comes to architectural renderings there is a list of drawings that have withstood the trends of time. A quick glance over any competition entry, studio portfolio, or collection of work will show that  landscapes are rendered in any number of styles however, the types of drawings are predictable from one landscape architect to the next. The list is plan, section, perspective, model and diagram with variations of those analog and digital, also now we should add animation. However, there is one representation that never quite stays on the list, it is wanted when it in fashion and cast aside as soon as it is not. It flits in and out of rendering history. What is this representation? It is the diorama.

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Quick tips is a series devoted to helping you work more quickly. Lightning fast in fact. These tips and tricks will have you rendering like you were born with a keyboard in hand.

Let us begin with a common problem in Adobe Illustrator which is displacement when scaling.

Have you ever had a layer of objects in Illustrator and realized EGAD! they are all the wrong size. So you go to scale them and something like this happens:

Not only do the objects change size, they also lose their center point and change location within the drawing. Obviously this is not an ideal result as you have probably placed the objects, whatever their scale, exactly where you had wanted them to stay. There are people who may solve this problem by scaling each object individually. Do not take this approach, that is the slow way. Learn the Quick Tips way and use all your extra time to actually do something away from the computer.

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This is a really interesting publication out of  North Carolina State University that collect musings about one contemporary theme in landscape architecture. The end result is a repository of ideas from bright thinkers in the field. In fact, the last issue featured two friends and class mates of PLAN AND SECTION, Britta Johanson and Shannon Bronson, so I have to say the SHIFT editors choose submissions wisely. When I saw the final product both the content and production quality was impressive. Get your ideas published with SHIFT: Process

Call for submissions:

The inaugural issue of SHIFT: infrastructure suggests that the
integration of natural systems into the built environment provides for
a more sustainable model of landscape architecture in infrastructure
design. However, the skillful employment of ecological principles does
not necessarily ensure a culturally sensitive design.  In the 21st
century, Landscape Architecture faces the challenge of not only
creating ecologically regenerative designs, but doing so in a way that
engages the public through education, community mobilization, and
inspiration. This is important not only for the long-term viability of
the design, but also for its economic success.

How can we as students re-imagine the design process that engages
modern culture (such as changes in media, communication technology,
and social networking)? This new process should holistically integrate
the designer, the users, and ecology in the process of design. What
does this process look like? Where does it take place? How do these
processes improve on current techniques?

SHIFT: process calls for submissions from current students from any
discipline, or student work from graduates within the past 2 years.
We are looking for work that encourages debate and discussion of this
important topic through informed and academically rigorous creative
thinking. Each submission will be reviewed by an independent jury,
which is composed of nationally recognized leaders in Landscape
Architecture.

Submissions may be: academic essays (up to 3,000 words), narratives,
project graphics including mixed media, or anything one considers key
in communicating their ideas. We strongly encourage graphics,
photography, diagrams, flash animation, stop motion animation, models,
social networking tools, games, community building art forms, puzzles,
interactive media of any kind, and…you get the idea. Each
submissions must include a concise written abstract with bibliography.

View first issue information: http://shiftncsu.wordpress.com/shiftjournal/
View our website: http://design-dev.ncsu.edu/openjournal/index.php/shift/index
Please make your submissions by February 15, 2011 Questions? Please
contact mnevans@ncsu.edu

Diana Balmori understands the power of visibility.

Her firm, Balmori Associates (which by the way is made up of super talented dedicated designers and amazing design alums), has projects around the globe and is known for highly creative landscapes that urge clients and users to question their idea of a lawn, garden, or park. Whether through 35,000 sq feet of green roofs in Long Island, NY or a stair climbing garden in Bilbao, Spain, Balmori Associates does not let the landscape fall to the background. For some examples, check out their website, http://www.balmori.com/balmoriMain.htm, where projects like the Botanical Research Institute of Texas in Fort Worth, Texas and their proposal for the Highline in NYC show their unflinching dedication to roaring soaring landscapes supported by cultural goals and steeped in ecological realism. Also notice how the firm’s representation style changes for each project, every drawing is its own work of art. The representations coming out of Balmori like dot matrix perspectives and neon-colored felt model are always refreshing to see in the competition circuit.

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