21 Years of Change in Design – Technology and Client Communications

On November 1, Spaceworks will be 21. I have been with the company for 17 years and owned it for 16. In that time, the way we communicate design has changed significantly and our current path puts us light years ahead of where we came from.

Whilst I am the CEO of Spaceworks, my passion and my trade is design, specifically 3D design of interiors. I and my creative team see our designs in 3D, we can propose shapes and forms, materials, colours and textures and visually see this in our minds. As designers this comes quite naturally, and it can be easy to forget that not everyone has this ability.

When I started at Spaceworks, we hand drew everything. Space plans were hand drawn, perspective sketches were developed with pen and coloured with felts or pencils, and architectural drawings were completed on a draughting board with pens and rulers. Even now, when our team use high tech machinery I sometimes opt to hand-sketch, but it is a dying artform.

Hand drawing was superseded by computer-aided programmes like AutoCAD, allowing higher levels of accuracy and precision. It minimised human error because, for instance, walls could be shown at the correct scale and were not dependent on the thickness of your pen. It allowed you to ‘undo’ lines rather than scratch them out and re-ink.

We were still hand-drawing concept sketches and providing material finishes boards for people to imagine their space. I’m great at waving my hands animatedly so this assisted in taking clients on the design journey but it was not uncommon for a client to say they didn’t quite realise how good it would look, how big it would be, or that they had heard but couldn’t see it in their mind’s eye.

Next came 3D rendering programs with Sketch-up a firm favourite for many. And with ArchiCAD we have the precision of architectural drawings and 3D renders in the same program. Saving both time and money, this appealed to my efficiency and productivity drivers.

With 3Ds we can develop the project visually and show a client how the space looks. This has been a winner, however I have an eternal desire for improvement and 3Ds are just really good 2D perspectives. Whilst the visual is developed in a 3D program, it is then printed on to a 2D piece of paper.

This is where Virtual Reality comes in. We are now using it on every project for the sole purpose of improving the client experience.

We want every client to understand their new space via a 3D world. No more flat 2D space plans, no more printed 3D renders.

When we complete a space plan, clients now put on a set of goggles and walk around the space. They can check the size of their reception area, see the way spaces interconnect and physically feel distances.

From a business perspective this meets more of my efficiency and productivity drivers. Lengthy explanations about the space, the whys and hows are explained visually. This technology assists in space configuration decision-making early on, before commencing developed design and working drawings.

With developed design, we now go through another process where the materials, finishes, features, textures are all added. This provides a further opportunity for the client to see and feel the proposed design.

With colour swatches and static 3Ds it is challenging to communicate excitement and instil emotion around a design. VR cuts out much of the leg work, comprehension is faster and client engagement is more successful. This full immersion experience is a game-changing addition to communicating design.

I am excited for more of our clients to experience this technology – for them to find the design process more collaborative and engaging, and for them to be able to confidently proceed on projects as they can see the visual impact.

From a Spaceworks perspective, I am excited that this will enable easier communication around design, that it will provide a more efficient way to complete projects, and that it will provide and enhance our team’s own design journey. An engaged emotive experience is best when felt by both the client and the designer.

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