by Alison Sailors

When choosing a presentation medium for design ideas, architects are often torn between divergent options: should they show off their technical abilities with a sleek animation? Or should they demonstrate the preliminary nature of the design by portraying it in an imprecise watercolor painting?

In confronting this choice for a proposal for a new sports complex in Jacksonville, Florida, architects at the Kansas City, Missouri office of HOK Sport+Venue+Event and animator Adam Kruvand, decided to combine the technologies and make an animation from watercolor images.

Kruvand, the founding principal and creative director of Kansas City-based Studio2a was experienced in high-end animation but felt this hybrid concept would break new ground. Adding to the challenge was the project's short timeline. Kruvand recalls: "We had to create so much imagery in so little time, I knew we couldn't create it all in the computer."

Never ones to shy away from innovation, the architects were excited at the prospect of exploring new techniques and possibly setting a new industry standard. "This project presented challenges for us on many levels because we were combining the best attributes of three different media," says Phil Hofstra, principal of HOK Sport+Venue+Event.   >>>

A simple geometric model partially rendered with watercolor illustrations. The technique was developed by Studio2a for a project designed by HOK Sport+Venue+Event. Image: Adam Kruvand Animating watercolors: one of the final renderings showing shadows and transparency. Image: Adam Kruvand   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.