We bring your architecture project from the state it is when you call us to any stage or to any kind of document or representation. We can work from any kind of material, sketches, hand-made drawings, or any type of CAD file. We start from what you give us and, based on what you explain and want, we make proposals to solve the points that need a solution. In the course of the work, you analyze the solutions we imagined, and ask for changes, adjustments, or other solutions. We try to make everything discutable, adaptable, changeable.
We communicate often with you, we keep precise track of all the questions we have and seek quickly responses from you, as we think that a big part of the quality comes from how fluid is the information passed between you and us.
We like to mix hand-made drawings with computer techniques, since, in that area, every design is for us an opportunity to test other styles, techniques, combinations of colors and effects. These options are discussed with you when we set up the work.
Some work give excellent results with these techniques. Among them are:
- Exterior perspectives, façade studies, that can be easily inserted in a photography of the real place. These are the most frequently asked drawings.
- Interior perspectives, quick color, light, views or atmosphere studies, putting the focus where you want.
- Urban design plans, where the global impression given by the whole project is sometimes more important than the detail...
- Quick modelling of projects, with simple volumetry, without much materials work, for production of minimal style images (sketchup style).
- Hand-drawn studies of any type of volume, detail, furniture, for which you need a quick base.
Ideally, we like to arrive to a point we call "pre-execution", that groups all phases prior to execution, and where it only needs detailing to go to the worksite. Of course, if you like, we also do that detailing, which is something we like much to do. That "pre-execution" is naturally ready for submission to authorities.
To bring an architecture project from sketches to an executable project is a process that involves much decision-taking. We usually choose options that seem appropriate when designing, and we submit regularly the works to you for approval. What you find convenient stays, what you want to change, study again, cancel, complement, will be changed. That way we manage to keep a speedy work rythm, that depends as little as possible of your attention.
Since rarely a project begins with the guarantee that it will be built, we work according to that situation: We begin the work, if it stops during the process, we give to you what we made until then and you pay only to the point we went.
We consider the development of a project as a very technical and rigorous work. Even so, doing several options is possible, even if we always try to come back quickly to a unique option. Studies, sketches of any type, are natural part of a project. We only charge for them apart if it is a special task, like presentation drawings, etc...
Usually, as soon as we have a basic geometry modelled, we choose quickly a couple of views of the project and we submit them to you for approval. After that, we produce the final images.
We always like to do architect's work, and to put the focus on the architectural qualities of the project. 3D images are also a powerful tool for the conception of a project, and are often used as a base for much discussion over implantation, treatment of the surroundings, materials, volumes, etc... Like we do with execution documents, we can always review, modify, study, change any element, if it is compatible with the schedule you gave us.
The work needed to produce a 3D image is more or less divided into 50% modelling and 50% image production. The price we ask is always based on that consideration. Since the modelling part is usually the same for all images, it is always better to produce several images from the same modelling. Typically, we produce a pack of 6 to 10 images.
The time we need to do the work can vary much. It depends on the size of the project, the quantity of images and the level of detail. We always have ideas and techniques to reduce that time, if you are open to a little more alternative visual aspect, like mixture of hand-made drawing, "sketchy" aspect, etc...
We deliver the images to the size and format you want (usually .jpg). If you also need the 3D model, we charge it apart.
An animation work envolves much more work than still images, since every part and angle of the model has to be treated with the same high quality. Besides this, the time needed to produce the images grows exponentially. For that reason, the time we ask is usually much bigger than for still images.
Since the modelling will be complete and detailed, we can easily, after the animation, make still images, in bigger sizes, without additional costs. In other words, who asks us an animation also receives the presentation images described in the previous section.
An animation is a more consequent and expensive work, but usually brings results in the same proportion, when presented to the client. It is therefore worth spending a little time reflecting over the atmosphere, the impression to be transmitted. With animation, several concepts that do not exist with still images become availible. Some are actively used in movies: suspense, acceleration, contemplation, surprise effects, drammatic effects and all kind of scenographic communication. As always, we use to submit a first draft and a camera preview, that you analyze, discuss or approve.
As a sidenote, the samples here at the right were reduced much in size and quality to keep this page light. The final quality is similar to a DVD movie. We deliver the animation in the format(s) you want, be it a computer format (avi, quicktime, mp4, etc...) or directly on a CD, VCD or DVD. The works we produce can always and easily be converted later between all those formats.
Here are a couple of things we can do, know how to do and already did:
- Quantities bills: we organize in a clear form the quantities of the entire project. We always try to group data in an associative way, but we give priority to a complete, detailed an rigorous information.
- Specification documents: In some countries that kind of documents is very extense and detailed. We like to do it so it is useful, and we elaborate it with much rigor and care.
- Structural pre-dimensioning: we can make loads schemes and estimate a pre-dimensioning of the structure, at a preliminary design level. This kind of study allows to develop a project with less design margin in relation to the structure.
- Studies of hydraulic networks: in some cases, it is interesting to have a preliminary design of an evecuation system, sometimes only for estimating costs. We can elaborate a realistic scenario of an hydraulic installation.
- Web pages: for a project, the advertising of a building to sale, or even your office's website!
- Design of folders, flyers, displays, panels, for advertising, selling, logos, business cards, and more generally any kind of graphic creation.
We use mainly open-source software and deliver all our works in digital form (we don't deliver printed copies). This give us a low functionning cost, benefit that we share with you, and makes our work useful to others, since we contribute actively to the development of the tools we use. We also try to use little paper, little electricity, and produce little waste. Besides the work presented on this page, we also do complete projects, competitions, other types of graphic works and we dedicate a part of or time to projects we do free of charge.
We take great care at respecting the defined schedules and we work fast because we like, but our priority is to deliver a rigorous, detailed and high-quality work. We began to offer these services more and more, and since september 2006, it is our principal activity.
How we work "overseas":
We are located in São Paulo, Brazil, and since a couple of months we work regularly for and with architects from other parts of the world. With actual internet communication techniques, the information flux between you and us is almost as easy as if we were sitting around a table. We use e-mail, skype, instant messenging or any other kind of on-line conferencing system, and take great care in managing all the information exchange between us, so both of us always know what we need to know during the process, you always know where we are in the process, and nobody has bad surprises.
Both of us are registered and work as independents according to brazilian reguations. We do emit bills, or factures, that are valid in Brazil, Europe, and, as far as we know, in the rest of the world. The only difference with national bills is that since brazilian taxes must all be paid here, our bills are always "all taxes included", this means, there is no deductible VAT.
We can receive payments by bank transfer to a brazilian or european account, or, if necessary, by credit card using paypal.
To see more material:
Our websites contain much more graphical material and exemples of already realized works, besides the other works described in the previous paragraph:
Maíra's site: http://maira.uncreated.net
Yorik's site: http://yorik.uncreated.net
About us:
Maíra's curriculum vitae
Yorik's curriculum vitae
Contact:
Do not hesitate in contacting us if you would like more information. Maíra's e-mail is , and Yorik's e-mail is . We can also be contacted on msn at the same addresses, on skype at yorik.vanhavre or by phone at +5511 9487 0628 (Yorik) or +5511 9487 0625 (Maíra)