Historic Buildings & Contemporary Architecture Documentation
For architects, architecture offices, builders, project owners, heritage bodies and researchers
1. Documenting Contemporary Architecture
An architectural project takes months or years to design and build. But if no good image of it exists, a large part of its value is lost the moment it is published, and an undocumented project does not exist in a portfolio.
Specialist magazines, architecture websites, competitions and portfolios want images that show more than a beautiful space. They have to convey the design idea, the proportions of the spaces, the quality of the materials, the light and the relationship between the building and its setting.
The same goes for commercial projects. A hotel, shopping center or office building has to appear in the image at the scale the visitor will actually feel. An extreme wide-angle lens may make a room look bigger and more attractive at first glance, but when the visitor walks in and sees the difference, you have lost their trust.
Light management. In interiors, the difference in brightness between the window, the walls and the depth of the space can exceed what a single exposure can record. By combining available light, supplementary light and, where needed, several exposures, we control that range so that the interior and its connection to the outdoors both remain legible, and the result looks natural rather than assembled.
Timing. Outdoor light changes the look of a facade and its materials through the day. We choose the time according to the project's goal: soft overcast light for even legibility of the facade, the golden hours of morning and evening for depth, texture and volume.
Geometry and perspective control. Camera height and level, distance, focal length and viewing angle directly shape how the audience reads the architecture. Tilting the camera upward makes vertical lines converge, so we keep the camera level and correct perspective with a tilt-shift lens. Correction in software is also possible, but it costs part of the frame and image information, so wherever possible it is done at the moment of capture.
Interior and Exterior Photography and Detail Shots of Architectural Spaces
Facades, interiors, material details, design and construction We capture the space so that both the architectural idea and the real quality of the execution are visible. For the architect's portfolio, specialist magazines, competitions, the website, client presentations and project marketing. Sample ProjectPanoramas and Aerial Photography of Architectural Spaces
Interior and exterior panoramas, aerial views, the building's relationship to its setting A panorama shows a wider field of view of the space in one image, and an aerial shot places the building in relation to its grounds, the scale of the project and the surrounding fabric: information an ordinary photograph does not carry, especially on large projects. Aerial flights are carried out in compliance with regulations and with the required permits. Sample ProjectDocumenting Construction Stages of Buildings and Architectural Spaces
Construction progress, execution stages, final condition Regular recording of the project through its stages of construction turns the making of the building into a visual file. For client reports, project documentation, publishing the construction process and building a visual record to return to later. What is not photographed before it is closed up, such as services behind a wall, can never be seen again. Sample ProjectVirtual Tours and Interactive Experiences of Architectural Spaces
3D tours, interactive walkthroughs, online project presentation Viewers experience the project's space remotely, before ever visiting. For hotels, commercial centers, sales projects and architecture offices, and for presenting a project to a client who is far away, it gives a more tangible understanding of the space and makes the decision easier. Sample ProjectArchitectural Video Production and Project Introduction Film
Project introduction film, space walkthroughs, aerial video, construction time-lapse Video shows architecture in motion and over time: entering the space, moving between its parts, the change of light through the day and the building's relationship with its surroundings. For marketing, client presentations, media publication and the portfolio. Sample Project2. Documenting Historic Buildings
A historic building is more than a structure. It is part of a historical, architectural and cultural record whose condition keeps changing with time. Erosion, restoration, environmental change and human intervention can alter or destroy part of the evidence for good.
That is why documentation has to be done before any serious change, and why it cannot stop at a few selected photographs of the main facade. For a registration file, a conservation report or a submission to the responsible bodies, all the facades, structural details and ornament, the existing condition and the building's relationship with its fabric have to be recorded in an orderly structure so they can be cited. A funding request for conservation, domestic or international, is hard to defend without a documented visual record, and without recording before work begins there is nothing to compare the before and after against.
Most important of all, this record fixes the condition of the building at a specific point in time and makes comparison with the future possible. In urban fabric exposed every year to demolition or change, it is a necessity, not an option.
Systematic coverage. Documentation of a historic building has to cover, according to the project's goal, the facades, angled views, distinctive elements, ornament and existing condition in full. Our framework rests on the ICOMOS principles for recording monuments and sites and on CIPA guidance: orderly, retrievable recording matched to the level of accuracy required.
Geometric control. When images will be used to take dimensions, produce drawings, run photogrammetry or reconcile with plans, the geometry of the image is decisive. For rectified facade images the camera stays level and perspective is corrected with a tilt-shift lens at the moment of capture rather than in software. For photogrammetry, capture uses a fixed lens with regular overlap between images, together with a scale reference and, where needed, control points.
Traceable recording. Images are organized by building ID, recorded location or elevation and date, so they can be compared with the new condition in later projects. In conservation projects, the same structure builds a visual timeline of the building's changes.
Documenting Historic Architecture, Old Urban Fabric and Building Details
Facades, angled views, ornament, structural elements, surrounding fabric We record the building and its distinctive elements systematically, so that a coherent visual file of its existing condition takes shape. It becomes the basis for research, the technical file, conservation studies and the introduction of the building, and it stays usable years later without depending on the photographer's memory. Sample ProjectPanoramas and Aerial Documentation of the Building's Historic Fabric
Interior and exterior panoramas, aerial views, the building's relationship to its fabric Panoramic and aerial images show the building at a larger scale and in relation to its surroundings. They clarify the building's position, the structure of the fabric, the grounds and the relationship between building and setting, for study and for presentation. Sample ProjectDocumenting the Successive Stages of Historic Building Conservation
Before conservation, during works, after completion We record the conservation process at defined points in time, using a capture method kept as consistent as possible. The result is a visual timeline of the building's condition and the changes made, for the conservation report, the archive, before-and-after comparison and the defense of the decisions taken on site. Sample ProjectVirtual Tours and Interactive Experiences of Valuable Historic Buildings
Virtual visits, interactive historical information, a lasting digital version The building becomes a digital experience for audiences who cannot be on site. The architectural space, its details and its historical information are presented interactively so a tourist, researcher or international audience can see and learn about the building remotely. For a building whose access is limited or at risk, it also leaves a lasting copy. Sample ProjectDocumentary Film Production of Historic Buildings and Conservation Process
Historical narrative of the building, aerial video of the fabric, recording the conservation process, heritage introduction film A documentary film brings together the building's history, existing condition, relationship with its setting and conservation process in one coherent visual story. For introducing the heritage, documenting conservation projects, education, media publication and presentation to domestic and international audiences. Sample ProjectSelected Projects
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Every project has its own visual language. Send us your initial details, and our Creative Director will review them and propose a suitable approach and timeline.