According to Wikipedia, “Architectural rendering, architectural illustration, or architectural visualization is the art of creating three-dimensional images or animations showing the attributes of a proposed architectural design” and has been a part of architectural design for centuries. For a long time this rendering technique did not change because of a lack of technology. Eventually, simple line drawings gave way to more rendered charcoal sketches, which evolved into watercolor and oil painted renderings. In the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, colored pencils and magic marker renderings were in vogue, and since the waning years of the twentieth century, electronic rendering / computer generated visualization has really taken off.
Throughout the years we have used a variety of techniques to render a project. Some of the earliest projects Jack Teitsch worked on, outside rendering services were used. This was because rendering was such a specialized technique and took a great deal of time to complete. These projects include the attached beautiful line renderings for Pecometh Swimming Pool.
Projects through the 1960’s include more realistic watercolor renderings, often prepared by outside rendering artists. During this time such artistic pieces were created for St. James in Cazenovia as well as the attached rendering of West Winfield Community Church. These watercolor pieces with bolder colors and more detail, allow the viewer to more clearly understand the architectural concepts being proposed. They also give a clearer picture of what the completed project will look like when completed.
In the 1970’s Bob Kent joined the firm. He preferred to utilize colored pencil vignettes, rather than black & white sketches which Jack Teitsch previously used. Colored pencil vignettes allowed him to more easily produce images with resources commonly available for our office. This rendering style, as well as magic marker drawings, were used for many of our public school projects throughout this time period, and helped Bob and our team successfully pass a plethora of Capital Project Referendums
Teitsch-Kent-Fay Architects, P.C. has been producing computer generated images of the exteriors of our projects through our AutoCad software for a number of years. Keith Berger, our Visualization Specialist, has developed a series of rendering skills allowing us to produce photo-realistic exterior versions of our design concepts. This process creates images which are significantly above the earlier types of rendering. They include calculated shade and shadow, as well as “daylighting” simulations, allowing the exterior images of our projects to be adjusted for time of day as well as season.
We recently added Haylee Smith to our team this past summer as an interior design specialist. She brings with her a new set of rendering techniques. Utilizing “SketchUp” software as well as “Enscape” for greater virtual enhancement . With these tools she is able to create photo realistic images of both interior and exterior spaces that assist both our clients and our design team in understanding the design intent. Together, Keith and Haylee have taken our visualization abilities to an entirely new level
