A Helpful Guide on Architectural Rendering: Everything to Know

Construction spending seems to be breaking new records year after year, which has caused the need for renderings to climb. An architectural rendering helps all stakeholders understand how projects are built and designed before a shovel hits the ground. This is vital to working on any sized project.

Here’s what you need to know about rendering and what you should expect to get from the best renderings.

It Should Aim to Win a New Project

When looking at an architectural rendering, you’re not looking to learn all kinds of new concepts in architecture. You want to see a rendering that’s going to try to meet the needs that you’ve laid out in your RFP.

Grand concepts can help to convey an idea and having lots of different perspectives is important but you need a rendering that takes into account the basics. Just look at the example of a more than $40 million library built in Queens in 2019. It opened to lawsuits rather than excitement because the designers forgot some basic accessibility requirements.

The renderings you see need to incorporate the use of your project and what its goals are. The poetics and beauty are great but forgetting about functionality can land you into a whole lot of trouble.

The best way to ensure you end up with a quality rendering is to be in constant communication with the designer. This way when you see a rendering, it’ll cover all of the main issues you’re concerned about.

On top of that, there should be multiple concepts and multiple possibilities presented. You need to see more than just one way of reaching your goals.

You Should Feel Decisionmaking is Mutual

When the decisionmaking process is one-sided, it’s hard to end up with a satisfying result. A control freak of a client is going to leave out some key ideas when it comes to designing a rendering. A designer who doesn’t consult their client is going to have a hard time making that client happy while ignoring their needs.

As they present a rendering to you, they should be asking questions about decisions that impact the integrity of a project. They may even present you with multiple options. While you should expect the hard decisions to come to this, you should also expect that big creative decisions also take you into account.

Renderings should be playing off of one another. One rendering might show exactly what you were looking for and what you expected from them. The next should show a more efficient or cost-effective solution.

While there might be a clear leaning one way or the other from the designer, putting the decision in your hands is vital. It’s also important to avoid talking abstractly, which is what multiple renderings can do. It allows you to clear up what might not be clear if people were just sitting in a room describing things verbally.

Get a story behind each scheme or, better yet, expect the renderings to tell that story. If you’re feeling like testing out an agency after reading this, you can go after notrianglestudio.com.

It Should Explain Concepts to Everyone

The aim of these renderings is to win over review boards. Outside of your own office, there are going to be people worried about environmental or local issues. An illustration needs to not just show the benefits of the architectural project for you but for the world around you.

Strong architectural renderings take into consideration nearby buildings, the impact of their shadows, and how things look from different angles. There should be material and seasonal concerns addressed as well. It should list how materials will be sourced and how the building will be impacted by winter, spring run-off, and summer heat.

When you take on multiple vantage points with a rendering, it’s possible to win support more easily. Rather than leaving you high and dry to have to argue for the project to a skeptical community, it should ease their concerns. Being strategic about those concerns in advance will streamline the entire process of approval.

Does it Make Sense to the Architectural Team?

While there are so many stakeholders to get on board with for a project, your rendering needs to make the most sense to your architectural team. Without their buy-in, a good design is just a nice drawing.

The point of the rendering is to communicate, evolve, and construct the team’s creative vision. It’s a springboard for ideas as much as it is a practical way to show what you’re aiming to build.

No one should expect a rendering to be a completely finished product, but it’s a tool for developing a project. Things need to be flexible while developing a project.

These architectural rendering companies provide a good example of what to look for.

Is The Designer Clear on What’s Going On?

One great way to know the quality of a rendering is to ask its creator. While they might think they’ve completed the task and implemented your concepts, they might have missed the mark.

Only when they talk about it out loud will they realize what they’ve done and why. Sometimes, designing can be a solitary process and even with a feedback cycle, it’s easy to miss the mark

As a design takes shape, having this cycle of communication will help the designer better understand what you’re looking for. Over time, it’ll lead to a faster decisionmaking process.

An Architectural Rendering is a Guide to Success

Having a strong architectural rendering is the best way to ensure that everyone is happy with a finished product. Knowing what to look for and what makes for a good rendering is the key.

Make sure you bookmark our page when working on any new project so that we can offer guidance to you through the entire process.