Design Brief Text

The final submitted draft of my design brief:

Title

Present architectural visualisations of a proposed extension to a Staffordshire suburban house, incorporating Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) and Augmented Reality (AR). 

 Background

An architect traditionally works in response to a design brief set by a client or a developer.  In order to help sell designs, an architect must illustrate their intentions to client.   Historically, hand drawn 2D renderings, illustrations or 3D physical models have also been employed for this purpose.

Today, contemporary architects overwhelmingly use CGI for this task.  Virtual, photo-realistic, imaging of the proposed project is utilised to convey a sense of form, space and context.   This has advantages of cost and versatility. 

Demand for digital work has led to an entire a sub-industry of ‘architectural visualisation’.  As a result of the increasingly specialised nature of the work, this is frequently undertaken by artists or animators who themselves are not qualified as architects. 

Most CGI visualisations are currently presented either as 2D rendered imagery or as an animated, virtual, walk-through.  An emphasis is usually placed on (hyper-)realism and technical proficiency.  The work may be a composit of photography, film and CGI or, alternatively, a full 3D experience. 

Increasingly, however, interactive visualisations are also being presented to clients.  These adopt technology used traditionally for videogames (itself adapted from that used by the military establishment).  These allow clients to virtually navigate a building remotely using a standard PC or laptop.    

In a similar vein, advances in technology and lowering of costs have enabled the adoption of AR in visualisation.  This allows live projections of a concept in direct relationship to real-world physical environments.   In short, the user is able to literally navigate a site.

I have been approached by a local architect to create a visualisation of a proposed building project: a two story extension to a suburban house that will include living areas, a kitchen and communal rooms.  It is expected that this architectural visualisation will display both the exterior and interior of the design.    Traditional 2D plans have been drafted by the architect, identifying general layout and interior/exterior space.  These have been viewed by the architect’s client and agreed in principal.

Proposition

It is proposed that a virtual realisation of the extension be created, enabling the client to visualise the context and possibilities of the proposed building.   The visualisation will make use of: CGI, interactive game engine technology and AR.

The visualisation will be presented in the following manner:

·         2D renders of the visualisation, printed in colour.      

·         Animated walkthrough of the building suitable for playback via DVD.

·         Interactive visualisation suitable for playback via a remote PC, Mac or laptop.

·         AR visualisation suitable for viewing via a mobile device (such as a smart phone or PDA).

Audience

The architect’s client is the primary audience.  The client is the owner of the property and intends living there with his family.  It is important that the visualisation clearly demonstrate the context and possibilities of the new space. 

The client is a practising artist and intends using a part of the new space as a studio.  It is essential that the visualisation(s) show the building in different lighting conditions.

In addition, the client aims to show his children the designs.  With this in mind, it is important that the visualisation is accessible to all ages.

The architect is considered a secondary audience.    The concepts will be used to demonstrate the possibilities of incorporating visualisation techniques, particularly AR.    

Desired Response

The final architectural visualisation will enable the client to discuss the possibilities of the proposed design.  The visualisations will present alternative visions of the proposed building and allow the client to explore and interact with the project both remotely and on site. 

To facilitate this, the client should be able to access the visualisation without the specialist equipment or knowledge and it is expected that the client will have access to a TV, PC (or laptop) and a smart phone.