Architecture and Virtual Reality

Building confidence is an essential component of the home design process.  Whether you are hoping to build a new house or remodel your existing home, working with an architect may feel like taking a ‘leap of faith’.  You have resources and a vision for the home you want to create but getting there often requires you to trust your architect has the skills and understanding to help turn that vision into reality.

That is why building confidence with our clients is so important for architects.  Building a new home, or even adding onto your existing house, is one of the largest financial purchases you will make.  There are significant decisions and investments involved, and you want to work with someone you trust.

“The first job of a leader—at work or at home—is to inspire trust. It’s to bring out the best in people by entrusting them with meaningful stewardships, and to create an environment in which high-trust interaction inspires creativity and possibility.”

Stephen M.R. Covey, The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything

A solid portfolio of work and a recommendation from a close friend can be wonderful confidence boosters.  However, even if your architect is proven to have exceptional talent and good character, will they understand the design intent you are trying to communicate?  Will you understand whether the design they create matches what you envision?

If you are like most people, then you probably have a difficult time reading architectural plans. Even if you can interpret the layout, you may still have a hard time envisioning how the space will actually feel. Architects are uniquely trained to design and interpret spatial relationships, but traditionally owners have been asked to make a ‘leap of faith’ and trust that their architect knows what they are doing.

Renderings of 3D spaces may help you visualize the design, but it can still be hard to understand how the space will feel.  “Will it be comfortable?”  “Should we add a few feet?”  “Maybe we need to raise the ceiling height…”

By using new virtual reality technology, you can now experience how the design will actually feel in real time and at a true scale!

Virtual reality is quickly becoming the new standard in architectural design.  Imagine looking at a floor plan of a kitchen and trying to envision yourself in the space…  Now imagine stretching out your hands and really feeling the distance between the virtual countertops that you can actually see!

Part of the beauty of virtual reality technology is it enables both architect and owner to see and experience the same representation of the completed design at the same time.  It practically eliminates the opportunity for misunderstanding when it comes to the design intent since you are able to see and experience the completed design before ever putting a shovel to the ground!  It helps build the trust you need to move forward with confidence and excitement.

Building trust is one of our core values at Lowden Architecture, which is why we are excited to be offering virtual reality walk-throughs for your projects!  By the way, did we mention that walking around in your own virtual world is quite a fun experience?  Fun happens to be another one of our core values!