The Benefits of 3D Architectural Models in the Digital Age

In the digital age, architectural models have become more popular than ever before. Having always been an opportunity for builders, engineers, architects, and clients alike to visualize their concepts, digital pathways have enabled and improved access to the tool. New technology, in fact, has led to opportunities in architectural modeling that were unheard of only a few years ago. As a result, even more clients can take advantages of some of the benefits that architectural models can provide:

1) Project Visualization

Above all, and as mentioned above, an architectural model can help you and all other stakeholders visualize a project. We’re visual beings able to grasp complex and especially spatial concepts much more easily if we can view them rather than imagining them. Ultimately, all of your stakeholders will benefit from this visualization. The model is more closely connected to reality, allowing both your clients and your team to better understand the actual scope of the project. The result will be fewer surprises and an easier way for everyone to get on the same page on the goal you’re working toward.

2) Selling Your Project

Any experienced architect or engineer knows: completing a building project is a constant selling process. Your clients need to be sold on your architectural design and development choices, providing the buy-in you need to move forward. You may need to get your building partners on board with the ideas as well, ensuring a smoother construction process. And the benefits don’t end there. A model, designed well, can be a crucial marketing piece for you and your client. Showing and featuring a tangible visualization of the project allows you and your client to build up excitement about it, ultimately, leading to a more positive reception of the build and finished project. In selling your project, an architectural model can be invaluable.

3) Improving Project Speed

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking of the model as an extra step in an already complex process. Instead, consider it a step that can save you valuable time down the road. Once the model is build, you can use it as a centerpiece to adjust and and center your efforts on the priorities that need to be completed. Especially once you begin your work with contractors and other builders, showing them their work in the model helps them understand their work and save significant time to obtain from a 2D drawing. The result, ideally, will be a faster design and building process

4) Planning the Process

Similar to the above, an architectural model can help you make sure that everyone involved in the building process is on the same page. Architect, engineer, and contractors will all need to know their role, and a look at the entirety of the process can be beneficial in helping to gives them valuable context as to the end goal of their contribution. The result is a better planning process. Everyone can refer back to the model as needed, tracking their success toward the finished project.

5) Obtaining Your Permit

Finally, you may need and can definitely take advantage of an architectural model in obtaining any necessary permits for your new building. As you probably know, obtaining the right permits is a crucial part of the architectural and engineering process for any building project. With the right model, you can expedite the process. Regulators responsible for giving you the building permit you need to proceed will look at the potential impact the new building will make on the environment. A model can give them a better, more visual idea of just that, expediting the process of making sure that all of your paperwork and permits are in place.

Understanding the Types of Architectural Models

The benefits above apply regardless of what type of architectural model you decide works best for your project. Still, it’s important to consider the three major types that you may come across, to help you determine which works best for your project.

A Physical Model
The most traditional method of architectural modeling is to build a scale version of the building project. The goal is to build a representation of the project you’re about to build, in order to better help you plan out each step and determine viability of each of your decisions. Of course, models are also used to communicate your vision for the building to clients and other stakeholders. Building a physical architectural model has been so successful, it’s an integral part of our history as human beings. Archaeological excavations have unearthed models as old as 7,000 years. If you can build it, you should probably try it on a small scale first.

Digital Visualization
As a cost-effective alternative to physical models, especially smaller firms and clients have taken advantage of digital opportunities to replace physical modeling for quite a few years now. By building a model of the building on the computer, you can more easily manipulate and adjust changes as the project moves along. Using CAD software, architects and engineers can create a photorealistic representation of any project they’re working on. An outgrowth of 3D modeling, 3D rendering takes the model and adds context. Camera angles, surrounding environments, and physical conditions are considered. The result is a more complete picture of the project, one that will be beneficial for both the engineer and the client.

Virtual Reality Opportunities 
Both of the above types of architectural models come with a variety of benefits and drawbacks in their own right. Physical models, for example, are time-consuming and can be expensive to produce. Traditional 3D models, on the other hand, may not convey the spatial sense and scope that a physical alternative can. That’s why the advance of new technology into Virtual Reality, or VR, has been such a crucial development in the space.

In fact, as pointed out in Architecture Magazine last year, VR has the potential to change the world of architectural modeling as we know it. Building the model digitally saves time and resources, without losing the sense of scope and scale that physical models can provide. In fact, the same technology allows architects and clients to view models at full size, freeing them of the scaled-down limitations of their alternatives. In addition, the same technology can also take advantage of augmented reality capabilities, which is particularly beneficial for considering the environment around your new building:

AR allows architects and clients to visualize the 3D architectural models of a new building integrated into a real building site with its actual size and environment. AR technology permits the information about the physical world around the architect to become interactive and digitally manipulable.

Building the Best Model For Your Needs

Ultimately, the benefits of architectural models are well-established. But finding the right model for your individual needs can be a bit more complicated. Physical models, for example, still work well if you are looking to present your vision of the project at a large, in-person event. Digital visualizations perform better on smaller project, while virtual reality alternatives just may be the future of architectural modeling. Regardless of your choice, though, the benefits of building a model to begin with are undeniable. By helping you and everyone involved visualize the project, stakeholders will more easily be convinced of its viability. The time saving and planning benefits are important to keep in mind, as is the ability to get your permit more quickly and with a higher success rate. Done right, an architectural model can guide your building process from beginning to end.