Beyond slums. From camps to cities

Since the outbreak of the civil war in march 2011, millions of Syrians have fled their homes heading to an unknown future. Determined the moment they crossed their country’s border. A border used to be a wall that protects but today it became a drawn line on a map that defines who you are and determines futures.

The design approach is to take the border back to what it used to be, a symbol of protection and provide a sustainable framework for the refugees to once again become citizens. by planting their own food, and building their own homes and let them have the opportunity to define what the border will be like and place an entire nation that has its citizens lives on the edge, back to the edge.

A small office building with a complex brick laying.

It is so wonderful to work on such an unusual and interesting visualization as this low-rise office complex among numerous high-rising residential buildings.

A low-rise building is the one that has 5 or less floors. Such buildings may not have an elevator. In Europe people have long understood that this type of development is the most environmentally friendly and comfortable for humans, while we in Russia only start drawing attention to it.

The most interesting thing in the construction of a 3D model was its varied and complex brick laying. To create it, we have made each brick separately and have drawn maps of brick-laying to each wall. Thanks to this method, we were able to achieve varying degrees of bricks reflectivity which is very cool!

Writer’s Desk

Personal project for a custom-made writing desk designed for a modern cabin in the woods. As usual, I also worked on details: there are several elements created by Masters that I really admire a lot. These images are a personal tribute to Charlotte Perriand, a French architect and designer that brought about a profound change in aesthetic values and gave birth to a truly modern sensitivity towards everyday life and John Pawson, a British architectural designer whose work is well known for its minimalist aesthetic.

TSR 009: Surfing the Waves of ArchViz with Pedro Fernandes from Arqui9 in London

The Long Progression to Arqui9

Starting out at university, Pedro always had a passion for visually demonstrating the work he was doing. He really began cultivating his passion for 3D after internships in Lisbon and, and as his interest grew, so did his experimenting. He joined forces with three friends to create architecture, 3D, and design. As more information became available on the internet, he sourced as many tutorials as he possibly could, including many of the blog, which can be found here.

This started in 2008, when the economic downturn gave him the opportunity to depart from architecture and focus more on 3D design. After sending his portfolio all over, he started at Vyonyx in London and eventually formed his own company.

The Drive Behind the Work

After working for several companies in different countries, Pedro decided to work for himself, and he never looked back. He gets to do what he loves, working for clients he loves, and he considers himself among the luckiest people on earth.

He has always worked toward the goal of working with certain people, and that desire has driven him to keep working harder and better, even on the days when he wishes that he’d never started down this road.

Crafting Visuals at Arqui9

Pedro creates unique images that always catch my attention, and have been featured on the blog several times as “Best of the Week.” On this session, we discuss how he has passed his unique vision on to his team, where he gets his inspiration, and how he incorporates the talents of each artist into the work that they do. He appreciates that his work isn’t better or worse than anyone else’s, and appreciates the differences in visuals. Recognizing this has helped him identify what he wants to accomplish with his work, and pushes him to achieve it.

 

You’ll be inspired when you hear about this and more — including why London is the best place for ArchViz and the why behind Arqui9 Learn — in this session of The SpectRoom with Pedro Fernandes.

Main Quotes

“Being able to show your ideas how you want to have always seduced me.” — Pedro Fernandes

“We are some of the luckiest people on earth.” — Pedro Fernandes

“You’re going to have good days, bad days, and days when you wish you’d never done this.” 
— Pedro Fernandes

“The magic is the artist instilling their own experience into the image.” — Ronen Bekerman

“The 3D program may not seem like an essential thing, but it’s very essential.” 
— Pedro Fernandes

“I’m not gonna lie — good work gets you far.” — Pedro Fernandes