Architectural Renderings for Urban Planning
Client: Pikes Peak International Raceway
Urban Planning Renderings 1 | Urban Planning Renderings 2 | Urban Planning Renderings 3 | Urban Planning Renderings 4
A Collaborative and Efficient Approach
To meet the client's needs for both speed and conceptual clarity, I employed a pragmatic production method. I utilized high quality stock 3D models as foundational components throughout this project. This strategic choice significantly reduced production time and costs, allowing us to focus resources on the overall vision rather than building every element from scratch. It is important to note that this approach still demands a high level of artistic skill. My role centered on curating these assets, developing a unified aesthetic, and compositing them into cohesive and compelling scenes. The true artistry lay in creating a consistent look and feel that defined the entire project, ensuring each rendering felt like part of a singular vision.Conceptual Storytelling with a Watercolor Style
The illustrations served a specific purpose for my client’s planning and presentation phases. With most buildings existing only as preliminary concepts, the goal was to communicate scale, relationship, and atmosphere without locking into granular architectural details. The client specifically requested a loose, suggestive style reminiscent of watercolor sketches. This aesthetic was achieved directly within SketchUp Pro, enabling a fast and flexible workflow. The hand drawn lines and painterly effects being done directly in the modeling software allowed me to quickly visualize ideas and implement revisions. It encouraged viewers to engage with the broader concept without fixating on specifics not yet designed. The digital model was adapted from a comprehensive venue model created for a previous PPIR project, providing an accurate base upon which to illustrate new possibilities. The final renderings successfully highlighted key areas from the client’s list, presenting a clear and inspiring vision for a future destination that expands upon the legacy of Colorado’s iconic raceway. This project demonstrates how strategic illustration can effectively communicate developmental concepts during early planning stages. To explore more of my work in illustrative storytelling for architecture and venues, please visit my Architectural Rendering Portfolio.
ARCHITECTURAL RENDERINGS:
I'm not an architect, but sometimes an architect isn't who you want doing your architectural renderings. I can bring a more aesthetic approach to rendering a building, interior or venue. Sometimes the engineering accuracy of an architect is overkill and you just need to know what the inside of your restaurant or office will look like. Particularly in the case of making proposals for future construction no one wants to get bogged down in a discussion about the style of park benches outside or some other point of trivia. In that case an I have no problem keeping the specifics vague while still making the place look like somewhere you would like to go.
The maps I make can also be described as architectural renderings and I use some of the same software as architectural firms use to make them. I sometimes work from CAD files and I have collaborated directly with architectural firms. That having been said, if you need the precision, licensing or engineering prowess of an architect you should hire an architect, but under many if not most architectural rendering circumstances I may be a perfect fit for your needs.
RACING RELATED ILLUSTRATION:
EXPLORE MY PORTFOLIOS
- Illustration: Find custom illustration, book covers, illustrated maps, and architectural rendering.
- Fine Art: Browse original paintings and drawings, the Custom Halftone Series, and murals.
- Graphic Design & Motion: See my graphic design work, plus motion design and animated illustrations.
- Maps by industry: Illustrated maps tailored for boat shows, resorts, marinas, real estate, transit & parking, towns & cities, parks, and wayfinding.
- Other project types: Also available: cover art, vehicle & vinyl wraps, proposal renderings, and street art.
- Techniques: Explore work in vector, isometric & axonometric, painting, black & white, GeoData, overhead, and halftone styles.
- Software: Primary tools: Photoshop, Illustrator, SketchUp Pro, and InDesign. Motion work uses Premiere Pro & After Effects.