Arch-Viz: the emergence of the architectural visualisation industry in the United Kingdom and the business of images

Abstract

This article aims at reconstructing the emergence of the architectural visualisation industry (or, as it is known in short, arch-viz) within the architectural practice landscape of the 1990s and 2000s, focusing on some key practices in the UK. It questions the definition of architectural
renderings, the practice of creating realistic images of proposed buildings using specialised software, by problematising matters of authoriality, aesthetics and uses in British architectural discourse since the early 1990s. By doing so, it aims to reveal wider narratives around
capital, large developments and the professional crisis of the architect. The historical account offered here of this young and growing industry in the UK straddles histories of architectural developments and technological advancements and exists to this day in continuous tension
between the artistic recognition of architectural draftsmanship and developers’ glossy gimmick.