Gallery: Finally, an Architect's Renderings That Don't Look Like Crappy CGI
Illustrations by Ness Lafoy01floating-platforms
Vanessa Lafoy, a recent graduate from the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College of London, opted for a unique approach to illustrating her final project. (Try checking this out in full screen with the button above).
Illustrations by Ness Lafoy02Tupa-Chirstmas-Eve
It's a town hall dedicated to the inhabitants of the small islands surrounding the Finnish capital of Helsinki.
Illustrations by Ness Lafoy03nighttimearrival
A view approaching the town hall at night.
Illustrations by Ness Lafoy04Tupa
The hall's cozy clubhouse, a space modeled after a Tupa, as the double-height living rooms central to traditional Finnish farmhouses are known.
Illustrations by Ness Lafoy05Comic-strip
Lafoy starts with the arrival of the morning post at 7 AM, moving to a cutaway of some island-dwellers meeting in the canteen around 2, and concluding with some quiet scenes of the double-height clubhouse after the sun has set.
Illustrations by Ness Lafoy06Long section A Ness Lafoy-crop
"I was keen to visually represent what it would be like for people using the Town Hall during a typical day," Lafoy explains.
Illustrations by Ness Lafoy07masterplan
"I found that comic strip style drawings helped narrate the building. I think that maintaining a clear aesthetic helps tell the story of the project and helps give the Town Hall its own character."
Illustrations by Ness Lafoy08Clubhouse-plan-crop
She's exactly right. Though simpler in a way than the familiar architectural rendering, they give a much stronger impression of place and personality.
Illustrations by Ness Lafoy09Nightime-elevation
It looks, in other words, like a place you might actually want to visit.
