Rendering: ArchDaily via Neoscape – Al Bayt Soccer Stadium

First impressions matter and Neoscape is in the business of ensuring its clients are always making the best ones.

Long before shovels hit the ground on a new building, the team at Neoscape put their heads together to develop a brand story. From architectural renderings, video, film and photography, Neoscape works across a multitude of media platforms to give us, “the audience”, our first sense of what a project will look like once its complete.

Since 1995, the creative agency has collaborated with industry juggernauts, including starchitect Moshe Safdie and renowned real estate entrepreneur Joseph Sitt, to create a visual representation and narrative on the soon-to-be-built structures.

Neoscape was also behind the newly released renderings and accompanying video for the future Al Bayt Soccer Stadium in Qatar, which will serve as a venue for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

We spoke with Neoscape’s Chief Creative Officer Rodrigo Lopez and Technical Director Matt Richardson to learn more about the cutting edge firm.

BBH: When creating a new architectural rendering, where does the process begin?

Rodrigo Lopez: Ultimately we’re telling a story on behalf of our client, so it always begins with a very thorough conversation with either the developer, architect or a marketing head about what the goals of the project are.

Most architects will probably have a pretty interesting story to tell to begin with, so listening to them and finding the way that we can take their trigger points and enhance the imagery is always a good point of departure.

BBH: There’s a strong emphasis on Neoscape as a visual storyteller. What does it mean to tell a visual story? And what role do architectural renderings play?

RL: When it comes to architectural illustrations, often times they can play different roles. At Neoscape, we certainly feel that what we do is storytelling. The visuals we produce, whether static renderings or films in motion, help our clients relay a fine-tuned message for a specific audience without having to rely on words or preconceived notions.

An image can also extract emotion and impart an emotive quotient to the story. Visuals are powerful in that they allow for people from different backgrounds and different interests to sort of fill in the blanks.

BBH: How do you approach rendering images for interiors compared to exteriors?

Matt Richardson: They are two very different tasks, but in the end of the day, they involve similar techniques. I feel like the exterior is almost more of a challenge in that it’s more grounded in a real world setting. When creating a believable exterior experience, there’s a lot more elements at play that need to resonate as credible. Oftentimes, an exterior rendering will have some element of photography or existing condition that you’re matching to.

RL: We often approach interiors as self-contained stage sets. Interiors are usually where we are given the most latitude and flexibility in terms of moving things around and making sure we’re creating an idealized version of an intimate space.

Rendering: Neoscape – 3D illustration of 93 Worth Street in New York.

Rendering: Neoscape – Twenty-Two Liberty at Fan Pier

BBH: How does the rendering process differ when working on commercial buildings versus residential buildings.

RL: That’s probably where there’s a significant difference in terms of what the ultimate goal is. Any residential work Neoscape does probably errs more on the side of the personal connection because you’re speaking to the individual much more than with a commercial building, where you’re appealing to the masses.

BBH: You have offices at New York and Boston. They’re two contrasting cities. Creatively, do you find that teams in each office are inspired and influenced by different things?

MR: Looking at the work we produce, we can often spot if it’s from New York or if it has more of a Boston feel to it. At the end of the day though, they’re all still Neoscape work and we make sure that is apparent throughout both offices.

RL: We understand that both cities have a very different vibe and energy to them. The creative community in New York is far larger whereas Boston is more on the cutting edge of R&D and new techniques. Part of how we try to leverage those two types of energies and cross pollinate between Neoscape’s offices is that we will often send artists from New York to Boston and vice versa, in a sort of an exchange program.

BBH: Can you speak a bit about your interactive apps for the iPad?

RL: Mobile apps are something that we’ve been doing for a number of years on a variety of projects.To put it simply, the iPad app involves taking the idea of a static rendering, finding opportunities to bring them to life, and ultimately, giving people new ways to connect to the project.

Our clients, such as Federal Realty, have used Neoscape’s ipad app everywhere from trade shows to big community presentation and when speaking to potential tenants.

MR: I think one opportunity with interactive apps is to give a project more of a life beyond what we consider the final delivery. Content can be continuously funneled into the app in what becomes an evolutionary process.

The apps also create a more intimate experience as people can be shown details of a specific development and they can interact with the renderings on one-on-one basis.

Check out Neoscape’s interactive app for Pike & Rose from Federal Realty below: