This article was published in April 2019 and will not be updated. Please contact us if you have specific questions regarding the information in this article.
When marketing a new development or redevelopment it is very important that potential tenants and tenant rep brokers have a clear image of what your property will look like when it comes to life.
While your architectural firm will likely be able to produce good quality renderings, at AQUILA our project leasing and marketing experts almost always recommend hiring a visualization firm to produce photorealistic renderings that can be utilized in the marketing campaign for your property.
Read Next: The Ultimate Guide to Commercial Real Estate Marketing
Our clients always ask for our list of trusted rendering firms, and we’ve decided to share this list with you in this article.
abSketches
Location: York, Pennsylvania
Website: http://absketches.com/
abSketches is a Pennsylvania-based visualization company that produces photorealistic renderings of commercial, hospitality, institutional, and residential developments.
The firm also offers interactive services, including 360 videos and walkthroughs, branding and design, and video production, including the incorporation of photorealistic and illustrative renderings.
All of abSketches featured projects can be found on their website.
BOGZA
Location: Portland, OR
Website: http://www.bogza.com/
BOGZA is a creative visualization studio that produces immersive 3D visuals for emerging real estate projects.
Here is a project that we worked with Bogza on that we are very happy with:
Mueller Business District
Mueller Business District Alpha Building is a 235,000-square-foot, Class A mixed-use development planned for Austin, Texas, featuring ground floor retail and office. Shorenstein is developing the building in coordination with Catellus and Page is the architect for the project.
This project is in Austin’s Mueller neighborhood, surrounded by high-end restaurants, bars and entertainment spots for people of any age.
A street-level view of Mueller Business District
Bogza was able to capture the sophistication of the building in these renderings, while also showing off the vibrancy of the surrounding area.
Bogza was also able to bring Alpha Building’s outdoor paseo to life with elaborate landscaping and perfectly tuned lighting.
Devisual
Location: Shanghai, China
Website: http://devisual.cc
Devisual is a Chinese visualization firm that has worked on multiple projects in Austin, Texas, including Arena Tower, which AQUILA is leasing. We were so impressed with their work on this project we wanted to include them on the list.
The firm specializes in producing beautiful photorealistic renderings and competes in several international rendering competitions.
These are two examples of projects from Devisual that we think are impressive:
200 West 6th Street
200 West 6th Street, also known as Indeed Tower, is a Trammell Crow development under construction in downtown Austin, Texas.
200 West 6th Street in Austin, Texas. Images courtesy of Devisual.
The project was designed by Page architects and has been fully leased by Indeed, who announced the lease and plans to hire 3,000 employees in May 2018.
The renderings by Devisual place the new tower seamlessly into the existing Austin skyline and show the building illuminated against the night sky.
Devisual also shows the building on a human scale. This one shows what the streetscape will look like against the glass lobby interior.
Frost Visualizations
Location: Austin, Texas
Website: frostvisualizations.com
Frost Visualizations focuses solely on the production of visualizations, including renderings, virtual reality, and animations.
An Austin-based firm, Frost Visualizations works with a number of the city’s top local architects, including Bercy Chen, Michael Hsu, Specht Architects, Matt Fajkus, and more, on commercial and residential developments.
Our top picks from Frost Visualizations include:
Bercy Chen Studio
Bercy Chen Studio is a design and construction studio in Austin, Texas. This building is located in Austin’s unique Eastside.
The colorful books and other small details bring this building to life and highlight the amount of space in the building.
With attention to detail and photorealistic aspects, these renderings would pass as photographs to most.
Arrive Hotel
The Arrive Hotel is a part of the transformation of Austin’s eastside. Arrive hotels are community-focused and this is reflected in the design of their East Austin hotel.
This street-level rendering shows the unique details of the bottom floor and people interacting with the building – bringing life to the rendering.
The design reflects the unique architecture of the area and is brought to life in this photorealistic rendering.
Kilograph
Location: Los Angeles, California
Website: http://kilograph.com
Kilograph is a branding and visualization firm based in Los Angeles, California, that offers 3D illustration, film and animation, web design and branding, virtual reality, and real estate marketing services. They have done a lot of work in Austin, including 6XGuadalupe, RiverSouth, and UpCycle.
At AQUILA we haven’t worked directly with Kilograph on still renderings, we have worked with them on 3D animations and can vouch for their professionalism, creativity, and ability to stick to tight deadlines.
Their portfolio is a knockout, and while it’s hard to pick just three, here are our favorites:
1111 Sunset
1111 Sunset is a vibrant mixed-use development from Palisades in Los Angeles. The project, designed by SOM, is a redevelopment of the dormant Metropolitan Water District headquarters located along Sunset Boulevard just north of downtown LA.
1111 Sunset with views of downtown Los Angeles in the background. Images courtesy of Kilograph.
The renderings put the project into context of both its immediate surroundings and LA overall, while other illustrations put the viewer at street level to appreciate what the project will look like from the ground once it is built.
Houston Center
In January 2019, Brookfield Properties announced plans to redevelop Houston Center, a prominent office and retail campus at the heart of downtown Houston, Texas.
2 Houston Center at the corner of McKinney & Fannin. Images courtesy of Kilograph.
Houston Center is made up of four office towers and 200,000 square feet of retail, and renovation plans include the development of a large central plaza to activate the ground level.
By featuring the project at dusk, Kilograph adds appeal and allows Houston Center to glow.
The plaza is also shown in context with the surrounding commercial space and street, while still showing activation throughout.
West Hollywood Hotel
Another Sunset Boulevard development, this hotel designed by Morphosis, is planned to replace the infamous L.A. bar the Viper Room.
The Morphosis-designed hotel is planned for Sunset Boulevard. Image courtesy of Kilograph.
Although not much is known yet about development plans, these renderings of the project were released in December 2018.
Kilograph’s beautiful rendering of the project allows the viewer to visualize a complex design and shows beautiful detail including levels of transparency juxtaposed against natural plant textures.
Plus Development is representing property owner Silver Creek Development Co. on the project.
While we’re confident that you will find success working with any of these firms on your project, we’d love to talk to you more about your specific property marketing needs.
To chat with one of our project leasing professionals, please request a consultation today.
Or, to continue learning about marketing your development, check out these helpful articles:
- 10 Best Examples of Commercial Real Estate Video Marketing
- How Much Does It Cost to Market a Commercial Property?
- 4 Benefits of Professional Photography for Commercial Real Estate
