Out with the old and in with the new! In Converted, I’m asking you to take an in-depth look at existing architecture near you or one you love worldwide and introduce something new.
rom the architect. The perceived quality of life in buildings should come from the geometry and how that geometry connects to human beings”. It was the initial thought we had when being offered to design a row house in Phu My Hung, a new urban development area in the Southern Saigon. This project could be considered as another attempt to find a contemporary living manner in row house typology. The brief was to get rid of the way of living we used to have in common town house, where the staircase in the center along with the corridor to access spaces covered by four walls which isolate people inside his own world. The client is a nuclear family, consisted of the parents and two kids with the explicit wish to have a home fulfilled with natural elements while being able to improve the spiritual connection between each family member.
After a long stint of rather repetitive projects, I decided to start a personal project around my true CGI passion: interior/exterior design. And since I’ve done a lot of interior scenes in the past, I figured it’d be a challenge to go all in on a exterior scene.
I really enjoyed being completely free in my creative decisions, not having to take into account the wishes of a client, the input of a creative director or producer. So I made a scene that few clients are likely to request: a rainy, moody scene with no direct sunlight.
While things went fairly smoothly, I did struggle a bit with getting the lake to look right and to have the ripples from the raindrops feeling more or less natural.
Peter and Henry share the driving reasons and goals behind their decision to join forces and create The Boundary. From friends to business partners, as their individual capacities increased they decided to raise their game and share the burden of their work together. Although they just call it the next logical step, the results have been incredible.
Current Projects and What’s in (their) Store
Despite detouring from traditional architecture, Henry and Peter are more involved in architecture and design than ever before. They’ve been working with their heroes on fundamental design details from an early stage, including Peter Zumthor on the Los Angeles Museum of Art. We put Corona Renderer up against VRay, discuss animations and VR deliverables, and examine what it means at The Boundary to be a project manager, 3D artist, or project visualizer. We also chat about The Boundary Store, which they’ve set up to help people gain access to their scenes. The store is evolving to become a place where people will go to find the top brand, top-quality images.
Five Years into the Future
When I asked Peter what we need to start thinking about now so that we are still relevant five years into the future, he admitted that although he may not be excited about VR and augmented reality, he is passionate about creating beautiful images, moving images, and films. Henry recognizes that the change will be constant in this industry — there will always be other companies coming up behind you, so you must constantly push forward with your energy. And that thrust toward success is the future of business at The Boundary.
one day when I was watching wonderful poetic photos of Julien Coquentin on his Early Sunday Morning Album I found some photos made me really excited so that I decided to create those places on my own way!
Sharing an update on the first year of their new business, Peter and Henry call their first year “an incredible one.” They cover how they’re keeping updated on new technology, including Unreal Engine, the plans for their new shop, and what they’re looking for from potential employees. Their morning routine starts with sleeping in, and their motivation comes from learning new things and having fun, but I’ll let Peter and Henry explain how that works for them. You can gain access to their workflow by grabbing scene files from The Boundary Store, where they share work files and more.
The Boundary Store
Hayes Davidson
Hayes Davidson pioneered architectural visualization with 25 years behind them. They have produced over 20,000 CGI images in those years, and it was a real pleasure to sit down with David, John, and Luis, at SOA Academy Day #6. From planning to marketing, those years of experience give them an edge over their competitors, which they detail in our conversation. When looking for new employees, the first thing they want is someone with a good eye, and possibly someone who is exceptional at a game of squash.
London Fast Forward
Squint/Opera
Squint Opera is a creative studio and production house based in London that produces extraordinary work in everything from video content and animation, branding, websites, design, games, and strategy. I chatted with Silvia, who is an intern-turned-3D artist, and John, music- producer-turned-technical editor. They share some of the technology tools they’re using, what they’re looking for in new hires, how they train their employees to meet the Squint standards, and one major perk that’s located just downstairs from their main office.
The Doodle Bar
Beauty & The Bit
Victor and Eva are brothers at Beauty and The Bit, which is based out of Madrid. They specialize in architectural illustrations and visual creation. In our conversation, they share their approach to testing out new technologies, what they’re looking for in new employees, and what they love to do in their spare time — provided they happen to find some.
B&TB Team 😉
Bloom Images
Bloom Images splits their efforts between two offices — one in Hamburg and one in Berlin. We chat about how they manage multiple locations, the ideal team size, and how they use people leaders to develop their whole team. They give a glimpse into their newest venture — set design, creating surroundings for advertisements for games, movies, and more, and again, share what they’re looking for from anyone that is looking to join their team.
