Renders: The Latest Architecture and News

World War II was pivotal in human history, leaving a profound political and social impact. Its conclusion marked a significant turning point, leading to post-war suburbanization and the baby boom. These phenomena resulted in rapid urban growth and a surge in housing construction, which peaked in the 1960s and continued to flourish throughout the following decades, gradually slowing down until the present day. Currently, we are facing a very different scenario in which a backlog of affordable housing, combined with a challenging economic outlook and a climate agenda, have led to the need for a transformation of the built environment into a cleaner and more resource-efficient one, in line with the Paris Agreement.

Thus, with the ever-increasing demand for housing, combined with policy initiatives such as the European Green Deal, the post-war model of hyper-production is becoming unsustainable. Consequently, refurbishing derelict or redundant buildings has emerged as a viable alternative. Unlike the scheme of demolition and new construction, this approach offers opportunities for energetic retrofitting, which helps mitigate environmental obsolescence, extend the lifespan of buildings, and revitalize the existing and dilapidated stock—including postwar housing—while improving people's quality of life.

The Enscape 4 All - Architectural Real-Time Visualization Award, a collaboration between ArchDaily and Enscape, has spotlighted the most outstanding and innovative real-time renders produced using the Enscape 4 Real-Time Engine. This award recognizes excellence in four distinct categories: Interior, Exterior, Landscape, and Conceptual. The jury, composed of ArchDaily Editors and Enscape specialists, assessed submissions based on creativity, technique, and the innovative use of real-time rendering. Submissions poured in from all over the world, highlighting the global reach and appeal of this competition.

As we stand at the dawn of a new technological era, architects and designers are witnessing a paradigm shift in the industry. The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and collaborative design solutions are transforming the professional landscape, redefining the boundaries between creativity and technology. This article delves into these emerging trends and introduces cutting-edge tools designed to address the challenges inherent in this sweeping wave of innovation, relieving architects from the anxiety of navigating the unknown.

In architecture, choosing the right construction materials is crucial to improve efficiency, ensure structural integrity and maximize performance, ultimately setting the standard for the finished product. But because any building – from its outer skin to its framing system – consists of many layers and parts, understanding how these fit and work can be just as important during design and manufacture. Technical specification of materials and constructive systems plays a key role in conveying this information, providing all of the necessary knowledge, properties and characteristics for any successful project. After all, the more you know about what lies between walls and behind finishes, the better your architecture will be.

Along with several other imperative factors, the success of an architectural project relies heavily on how it is communicated to its users and builders. Most architects opt for realistic computer generated renders to showcase their projects, while others choose to explore different techniques, translating their architectural narratives through photo collages, sketches, animation, hyper-realistic miniature models, walkthroughs, diagrams, and occasionally, script. 

This week’s curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights projects submitted by the ArchDaily community that are presented through different media. From a hand-drawn sketch of a coastal redevelopment in Norway to an abstract composition of photography and architectural drawings in Poland, this round up of unbuilt projects showcases diverse architectural typologies and their unique visualizations. The article also includes projects from the Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan.

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With V-Ray 5 for SketchUp, Update 2, Chaos has introduced intelligent new tools that make it easy for architects and arch-viz artists to create incredible renders. You can make use of the free models and materials provided in Chaos Cosmos, customize surfaces with V-Ray Decal, and tune your render with LightMix and post-processing.

In this tutorial, V-Ray Product Specialist Ricardo Ortiz uses an interior scene to demonstrate how these powerful new additions can accelerate your creative processes and add extra details for exceptional photorealism.

During this month we will discuss from a critical perspective the meaning of rendering for architecture. What are the models and what are the limits of rendering in the design process of a building?. And from this perspective ask ourselves what is a rendering? It is just an image to win competitions and prospects clients. Or is it an effective tool for the construction process?

In the most fundamental sense, it can be said that architecture emerged due to the basic human need for shelter. The construction of the primitive hut was realized long before the conceptual Primitive Hut was described by Marc-Antonie Laugier and drawn by Charles Eisen in 1755. Laugier theorized that man wants nothing but shade from the sun and shelter from storms- the basic requirements of a human for protection from the elements. The pieces of wood that are raised perpendicularly give us the idea of columns, the horizontal pieces laid across them give us the idea of entablatures, and the branches that form a sloping incline are covered with leaves and give us the first roof. Although humans have been inhabiting the earth for millions of years, why was it only 265 years ago that Laugier’s theory was penned and made into an architectural cannon?

Australia’s most iconic landmarks have had their facade peeled off to reveal their interior, in order to make these spaces more recognizable to the general public and cater to the curiosity of people.

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Swedish creative firm Studio Esinam has launched a new package from their cutout shop, offering an aid to architects and designers seeking to enliven renders and visualizations. The studio’s products, including these print elevations of iconic landmarks, are made in Sweden with an emphasis on eco-friendly materials.

The digital package, containing a diverse mix of 1000 cutouts, was created to cover a range of scenarios in daily life, including people biking, families, kids, business people as well as people dressed for all seasons. This week, ArchDaily readers are being offered a discount of £400 on the package that costs £695 by using the discount code ARCHDAILYSPECIAL at checkout here.

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With its intricate ornamentation and complex ribbed vaulting, Gothic architecture introduced a slenderness and exuberance that was not seen before in medieval Europe. Epitomized by pointed arches, flying buttresses, and tall spires, Gothic structures were easily identifiable as they reached new heights not previously achievable, creating enigmatic interior atmospheres.

Several centuries later, a new appreciation for Victorian-era architecture was reborn in the United States with the Gothic Revival movement most famously depicted by Chicago's Tribune Tower. A series of computer-graphics (CG) renderings done by Angie's List reinterpret some of America's iconic architecture from the 20th century to mirror buildings from the Middle Ages. View the republished content from Angie's List complete with each building's informative descriptions below.

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Are architects really turning to real-time rendering for visualization? Epic Games, the creators of Unreal Engine, decided to find out with an independent survey.

The results confirmed what many of us have suspected—real-time rendering is on the rise in architecture, media and entertainment, and manufacturing. But the survey also revealed a few surprising details about real-time rendering and its uses.

Videos

If you are trying to approach the representation of architecture through postproduction in Photoshop, the YouTube channel Show It Better can be very useful. The following tutorials allow you to maximize the effectiveness of photoshop by providing both technical and visual tips.

Here we have selected examples that address axonometric representation, plans, sections, elevations, diagrams, and others.

We hope you enjoy the following tutorials. What other kinds of drawing tips would you like to see? 

Swedish creative firm Studio Esinam has launched a new cutout shop, offering an aid to architects and designers seeking to enliven renders and visualizations. The studio’s products, including these print elevations of iconic landmarks, are made in Sweden with an emphasis on eco-friendly materials.

In celebration of the launch, the studio is offering a mixed pack of 50 diverse, high resolution cuts outs for free, normally priced at £100. Users can gain access to the offer using the discount code “archdaily” on the cutout shop here during the purchasing process.