Case Studies: Perspectives

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1. A more developed, and particularly effective, hand-drawn perspective of Urbis Prow, Manchester, by Patrick Thomas of Ian Simpson Architects, had to convey building geometry accurately for purposes of a planning application. It was initially drawn by hand in ink on 112gsm A1 tracing paper using a Marsmagno 0.18mm or similar fine-nibbed professional drafting pen. It was traced over a crude “underlay,” which involved splicing an early Form-Z model render showing the building’s outer skin geometry only (i.e. no internal or cladding detail) together with a print of a digital photograph of existing conditions, taken from the same viewpoint. The final traced image was scanned in black and white, and colored using Photoshop.

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2. Eric Parry’s pencil study of the façade of a building in Finsbury Square, London, is a wonderful piece of drafting, describing one of London’s most contemporary additions in a medium that seems sympathetic to the quality of its masonry. The drawing, done on soft tissue, reads at one level as a study of light and stone. The perspective lines are subdued, creating only a loose framework for the sciagraphy. This reveals the depth of the façade, primary and second orders of piers, and the stanchions that moderate light conditions in the interior and which animate the body of the building.

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3a, b. These skillfully executed perspectives by Kyle Henderson demonstrate a presentation drawing based on a one-point perspective, first done by hand and then worked up in Photoshop.

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4. There is a similar delicacy to Meadowcroft Griffin’s computer-generated perspective. Worked first as a wire-frame perspective in Microstation, the image is carefully built up as a series of delicate transparent layers to emphasize the interchange between the interior of the building, external gardens, and wider context. This spatial ambiguity is balanced by precise shadows and key reflections that establish the body of the building and orientations.

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5a, b. Neil Denari’s perspective renderings of the Corrugated Duct House (above) and Vertical Smooth House (right) are classic demonstrations of digital renderings of architectural design where perspective is set against well-balanced natural and artificial lighting.