More renderings

Renderings & Drawings

New direction for Arch design

from sddrawings.com

In this next part of Renderings & drawings, Sherrod Drawings has found fast and accurate renderings to be an integral part of architecture.  Before the pen hits the paper (or in our brave new world, the first ray is drawn on a blank digital canvas), we have to have an idea of the best way to go about drawing in 3D.  The entire process is far more complicated than just making a pretty picture or straight up 2D drawing.

I basically begin with the foundation in a group and draw up from there.  The model itself is always the base point, keeping as many pieces as possible as components for easy modification during and after client meetings.  There have DEF. been client meetings where we are designing on the fly and completely changing the direction the design is going to head on screen, during the meeting.  This is a far cry from the typical "This is what I came up with and this is what you are going to get" mentality.  A lot has to do with the climate of business in a busy beach town.

I want to stress that accuracy is of the utmost importance in my craft and my work. Something I will always continue to excel in, any problems in field always stem from changes made in field; except one instance a few years ago (2013) where extenuating circumstances caused a slight hiccup during construction, and I'll say the house still came out absolutely beautifully.  (For the record, 4 separate professionals should have all caught the computer error, my faux-pas for being so trusting).

Irregardless.... the end product of any CAD system and drawing mechanisms (which ever you choose to use) should be a beautiful useful end product.  Then comes the next fun part: renderings.  Renderings are life like visualizations of your product (in my case, architectural design).  Below, you will see two times of day, the first is a night scene with the house illuminated, probably for a dinner where the host is having a dinner party.  The next, is where the guests have obviously left all the lights on in the early morning hours.

Starr Sanford Architecture, Sherrod Drawings Technical & Artistry

Starr Sanford Architecture, Sherrod Drawings Technical & Artistry

I personally love the twilight scenes, getting to see the houses during those magical moments of the day when the light is just amazing.

All photographers know there are 2 hours a day... those magic hours when the sun is rising or setting, and the lighting is most dramatic and casts the best shadows.  SO in these renderings, what I can point out is my flaws.  Less flaws and more time constraints.  If you look at the trees on the left had side of the screen (background foliage), they are cut off and look irregular.  The palm trees are not high enough quality and the lighting is a little blown out in both renderings.  It's a trial process, using different plants, creating new ones in photoshop type software and importing into the 3D world. I also think the clouds in the dawn photo are flat and do not give off enough depth.

So to get these 2 renderings probably represent about 12 hours of time rendering, processing, rendering again, fixing mistakes, rendering and processing again.... It's a vicious cycle, though if you love it, the process and the end product, then it's nothing to keep at it.  Thanks Starr Sanford for using my services to help create another beautiful residence!

Endless Summer

Magazine Spread

Shameless Self Promotion or discussion on how to get there

from sddrawings.com

Today's submittal is way less about self-promotion and more about a great team brought together to make something amazingly unique and beautiful.  Under the direction of Julia Sanford @ Starr Sanford Design, this team created a stunningly beautiful residence.  Apparently so interesting, Jacksonville magazine decided to cover it in a really great spread this past month.

Take the jump to see more about this project !

photo from http://jacksonvillemag.com/endless-summer/

What is so great about this particular project, was the local talent.  From the lead designer Julia Sanford, to the technical production & Architecture by Architect Peyman Abadi and Master Builder Jeff Brecko with Aurora, and to continue, we must include the Clients who had the foresight and wisdom to trust their house and design in someone else's hands.

From the before to the after, there is a lot of trust put in a Designer's or Architect's hands.  We are in charge of a family's savings and hard work.  If we go over budget, the project may never even be built, and we have designed for naught.  We also have to be very careful not to over build, or design to show off our own ego.

Great Architecture, should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness -Frank Gehry

One of my favorite Architects (Frank Gehry) speaks so eloquently about the timelessness of our craft.  If the clients with the house pictured above decided to go with a Contemporary home in a traditional neighborhood... how long would any of us love the house? Would the neighbors love us for doing that to their street?  Let's imagine plopping a modern sleek, concrete poured and steel house right in a Classic Beach shingle community.  The house would be so out of place, and the neighbors would probably question our sanity, as well as stir up their Dandruff.  So designing to fit into the surrounding area is super important, we use the local Architectural language of the community to help guide our design, or risk losing neighbors as friends.

I question how long we will have individual Architectural language from each region.  If I were to make a prediction, it is that our Architecture is going to become as homogenized as our commercial landscape in America; countless miles of strip malls and big box stores, all the same in every city.  How long are we going to love this fashion trend in construction?  American's answer is usually just long enough to do some damage; like the suburbs.  Yes, they work well in theory, though totally car dependent, not walkable nor healthy for a true community.  We are turning around slightly.  Walkable communities with an urban shopping center are coming back in vogue.  

So how does this design fit into the neighborhood on a larger scale?  Julie did an amazing job designing this house to help speak the language of Florida's Northern Coast.  This house says "it is a part of the Ponte Vedra beach community and worthwhile".  I wonder what your house says?  Long story short, please do not build the white elephant on the block and Kudos to the design / construction team, as well as the Owner's. It is a beautiful home and a gorgeous story.

More Completed Construction

Completed Construction

From 2D to Real D

from sddrawings.com

Today's submittal is a very well designed and built Carriage House in Florida. Working with Starr Sanford Design out of Jax Beach, FL; we accomplished an absolutely beautiful structure.  This 2 Bed, 2 Bath Carriage House features a Full Kitchen and Living room upstairs, while the 3 Bay garage downstairs holds all your toys and leads out to the covered porch on the House's Side entry, creating a fantastic Courtyard effect.

Take the jump to see more about this plan and others !

Renderings & Drawings

Renderings & Drawings

New direction for Arch design

from sddrawings.com

Renderings & drawings have been an integral part of architecture since we've been putting together log homes, and probably before that.  Now that we can design and plan for every conceivable notion a client may have... Designers and Architects find that they sometimes become more of an artists than a building planner.  Simply drawing what the client asks for while trying to gentle guide them towards good design choices and explaining why.

Today's submittal has been a fun contemporary piece in Florida.  The project starts out on a side street from a main thorough-fare.  There is a curve at the location of the main street that radiates a block into the side street, affecting all the lots where the original planner(s) and to disperse the curve before the land ends in the Atlantic.  This curve made this lot especially difficult to design for as it is more of a wedge shape and sub 8,000 sq ft.

Taking into account the small lot, we are also constrained to coverage one a certain percentage of the lot.  This is where my expertise really helped the Owners to understand how much house they were going to be able to build, and how their ideal changes would affect the lot coverage; meaning: Calculate lot percentage, then recalculating, then recalculating again.  At the end of the day, we have a great Courtyard home centered around the pool area.

If we break down the rendering, there are several items I may adjust to create a more appealing elevation.  One is the window glare, notice how there is hardly any reflection (okay, there is non at all).  Additionally, more light should come out of the house to cast shadows on the pool, which should also be illuminated.  Other lighting should be amped up (Pool patio) to show off the exterior better during this twilight scene.  The effect I have now is a darker "before the storm" affect, where additional lighting would create a "Someone is home" effect and a more welcoming environment.