02
Aug
Architectural AR for Tomorrow’s Home Renos
Does it feel like the world has gone back to normal in your neck of the woods? At Stambol, our answer is … yes and no. In spite of retail and restaurant businesses recovering, we’re seeing the long-term commitment to many of the lifestyle changes we expected when the pandemic started. And Architectural AR is at the heart of the action.
For our clients, two realities are dominating the landscape. Real Estate markets are as hot as ever. And remote work is here to stay. So, there’s one related trend we want to talk about today that dovetails those topics together.
Homeowners are renovating new or existing dwellings in new ways. Either because they’re upgrading a rural property with permanent telework in mind. Or because they’re diving into overdue renovations that they didn’t have the resources/connections to tackle during various lockdowns.
Both urban and suburban homeowners have had a lot of improvements on the back burner, simmering away during 2020 and the first half of 2021. And it’s turning into lucrative opportunities for anyone equipped with both Extended Reality tools and an understanding of the above-mentioned dynamic.
New Clients for a New Era
We know homeowners are going to want more from their personal space than ever before. It’s actually gone from want to need. Regardless of the likelihood of another pandemic or of how long we’ll enjoy these lifestyle changes, homeowners want the peace of mind that comes with adaptability.
In urban settings, this means coming up with solutions that turn traditional rooms into areas that adapt between sleep, relax, work, learn, and socialize. In larger rural homes, you may be asked to bring technology into structures not originally designed to accommodate it. Think of upgrading a small rancher or a farmhouse.
Either way, the sooner you have these projects under your belt, added to your portfolio, the stronger the foundation for your own business’s future.
Architectural AR for City-to-Country Moves
Let’s start with the larger-scale endeavour. An urban professional remaking a rural home to meet their telework needs. Acquiring and successfully assisting these clients means you’ll need sophisticated technology at your disposal.
A client in a position to make a secure move from an urban company to a rural home-based office is likely in a middle to upper management role, in a long-term relationship with their employer. They have the stability and equity to trade an existing mortgage for a new property, along with a renovation budget.
Whether they’re self-employed contractors or seasoned executives, they’re likely to have high standards and firm expectations. They may know exactly what they want to be done to their new-to-them rural home. Perhaps they’re open to suggestions. If you can be the renovation professional to meet them where they’re at, you’re in a good position to capitalize on this trend.
Pacific Point Condominiums by Lark Group (Rendering by Stambol)
Cure the Stuck-with-my-Home Blues
We are by no means suggesting that staying home is the new normal forever. What we mean today is that many homeowners who want to sell, for one reason or another can’t make a move. The solution for these clients is to reimagine the space they’re in, making their current home new again.
These are clients who’ve been watching their peers exit cities in droves, envying the change, but they either have employers who aren’t on board, or they’re just not comfortable enough with the risk.
You may be designing anything from a Zoom room to a VR gaming den. And in urban settings where square footage is limited, you’ll be reimagining spaces that meet multiple needs. A Zoom room home office that’s entertainment friendly, for games, movies, and whatever the future may bring.
Opportunities exist for architects, contractors, designers, and decorators to take on problem-solving projects with new clients across many regions. Working remotely, visiting once or not at all, many renovation professionals can reach out far beyond their own municipality. These forward-looking home renovations will be more challenging and inspiring than ever as they solve today’s problems and anticipate tomorrow’s demands.
Architectural AR Unifying Designers & Contractors
Will personal residential homes employ tools like BIM data in either new construction or renovation? It’s hard to say. But we may see the next best thing in terms of 3D models and renderings that carry a clear vision forward from an initial design.
Renderings enriched with specs, complete with clear instructions and approved decisions, can put every professional on the same page from day one. Measurements, materials, finishes, and fabrics, spelled out from the beginning, in the hands of every contractor and tradesperson, ending in the hands of an interior decorator.
Using digital tools can also protect each person involved in the project from misunderstandings. Achieve secure approvals before costly work is done to set everyone up for success.
Innovation at Home Starts with Scalable Spaces
In whatever capacity you work on home renovations, chances are you’ll need to be truly innovative in terms of multipurpose spaces. Yes, we’re talking about the usability outlined above. But we also see expectations from a family home changing over time.
You may have Baby Boomer and Generation X clients with deep enough pockets to meet their housing needs. Yet, they know their children may not have access to the same economic dynamics. In short, you may be asked to convert a living space into something a young family can grow into for much longer, possibly even housing adult children comfortably.
Renovating to Recover
Lockdowns were hard, but now that enough time has passed for many people, we’re able to look back and extract tools and process changes we actually want to keep. For example, special needs learners found academic success in the quiet calm of a personal space. Virtual doctor’s appointments made health care easier for sick and injured patients. And on a much larger scale, the act of working remotely en-masse demonstrated noticeable environmental benefits.
In keeping with an evolving view of how families live together in the long run, we expect to see more holistic goals that allow older generations to benefit younger ones until roles can reverse. Almost like a shift back to traditional lifestyles.
Whether this happens for large numbers of people or not, we can see value in accommodating architectural and interior design for large families that can insulate them from future pandemics. In both urban and suburban settings, multi-family, multi-generational households suffered a disproportionate impact on quality of life and health during the pandemic. An architect or contractor that can help these families make changes for the future is sure to find work again and again.
Impress Clients & Partners with Architectural AR
Almost every homeowner wants to make some level of change to their property as a result of spending more time in their space over the past couple of years. So, you are bound to have clients who are taking a hard look at both improving their space and benefiting from lifestyle changes.
Many people are willing to invest to make these things happen. Using the latest technology to pitch as well as to execute your project will set you apart from your competitors from day one, ensuring that you’re the name being passed by word of mouth from one client to the next.
Don’t forget that word of mouth applies to B2B relationships too, as a regions’ professionals build experiences working together with new technology. Is your firm one of the ones leading the way?
Grow Your Reach with Extended Reality
When was the last time you had to turn down a referral because it was outside the region that you’re comfortable serving?
Using Architectural AR and other Extended Reality tools like 360-degree videos and fully immersive VR models also allows you to effectively serve a much broader geographic market than ever before. Say yes to more clients, taking in more work, getting more referrals as you go.
You may still want to visit a home or other construction site in person, to get a feel for the space and/or take measurements, but the need to do so is reduced. If your clients want a fully contactless experience, you can deliver that with Extended Reality without compromising the quality of your work.
Renovating Shared Housing, Reimagining with AR
As green construction practices continue to proliferate, we expect to see more urban reclamation projects. These are the revitalization endeavours that turn old factories into the condos of the future. Take the live/work/learn model above and apply it to presale offerings rooted in upcycled materials and cutting-edge design.
Condominiums, apartments, and townhomes slated for maintenance and/or upgrades can benefit from the simplicity of presenting through Architectural AR. The strata boards and members of shared residential spaces usually vote on which contractor they choose, in addition to what renovations will be undertaken.
Ensure your bid is the successful one when you’ve sent an AR-enhanced proposal ahead of time. You not only look professional; you help a group of owners who all need to agree to see the value in your work immediately.
Use Architectural AR in Your Workflow
Incorporating Augmented Reality tools into your design process can improve your workflow as well as your client experience. Use these highly visual tools to help create beautiful spaces as well as to present and market them. Use AR on-site to design around infrastructure and frameworks. Inform your graphics with lifelike 3D renderings as well as the specs you need to accommodate.
We believe the versatility of AR and VR is one of the primary advantages of this technology. We’re looking at a future in which designers of all stripes start work in a virtual, cloud-based environment. Contributors can collaborate remotely, involving approvals as needed, for an entire project. Benefit from an early collaboration between all professionals involved, ensuring a more concrete, detailed vision presented to clients.
Use Architectural AR to Market as You Evolve
Imagine being able to share a realistic, true-to-life portfolio with all your prospective clients. You’ve been hearing about these tools for years now, so if you haven’t already rolled them into your toolkit, don’t waste one more day.
We can’t stress enough how versatile these tools really are. Use them in person. Send a link to an app. Add an interactive layer to your printed collateral. Architectural AR can be used in many ways, and it’s surprisingly affordable.
Try Before You Buy Interiors & Smart Art
Architectural AR enables instant staging and effortless redesigns. But with versatility in mind, we want you to also think about offering your clients ‘smart art’ including canvases and projections that change on demand. Think of these as larger versions of a digital photo frame.
While not strictly Augmented Reality, smart frames allow homeowners the flexibility to display different artworks in small spaces without the burden of clutter. You can even offer your clients a space to show off an NFT acquisition, toggled between a family portrait, and a significant landscape.
When you have a client that wants to jump into a move but can’t really make it work, Extended Reality can make the difference between home renovations that act as a stopgap – and changes that truly meet your clients’ emotional and physical needs.
Architectural AR Innovators
The Stambol team has been working very closely with architects, designers, tradespeople, and Real Estate salespeople since our inception. Our B2B expertise in Extended Reality for built environments allows us to provide cutting-edge solutions for a broad range of professionals.
Inquire today to learn more about the many ways you can incorporate Architectural AR into your design, presentation, and sales processes. We are available for casual, no-pressure conversations about all the ways Extended Reality is changing our world.
Feature Image Credit: Gorodenkoff / Adobe Stock
