Pushing creative boundaries with Konrad Wójcik
Get to know the man behind the rising YouTube channel, Architect Reflects
A Q&A with Konrad
A modern hobbit house. A glass bunker in the Dune universe. A prefabricated cabin in Iceland. Konrad Wójcik’s weird and wonderful design projects certainly leave an impression. If you’ve come across his YouTube channel, Architect Reflects, over the past six months or so, you’ll know what we mean.
We caught up with him to find out what inspires his one-of-a-kind ideas, the tools he uses to bring them to life, and the creative process he follows. So, without further ado, let’s meet the man himself.
Hi Konrad, thanks for talking to us today. Can you start by telling us a bit about yourself?
I’m Konrad and I’m a practicing architect in Denmark. I was originally born in Poland, where I grew up and finished my bachelor degree in architecture. During my bachelor’s, and thanks to the student exchange program, I got to experience Denmark and immediately fell in love with the country. Scandinavia is known worldwide for its architecture and design, so moving there to finish my education felt like the natural next step. Plus, I also fell in love with my future wife. Now, after more than 13 years, I can say it was one of the best decisions in my life both professionally and privately.
How did you get started in the field?
I was raised in a family where the building industry was always part of our everyday talks. My father is a professor of building physics and has his own construction company, while my grandfather was an architect. One could say I always knew this is something I would end up doing.
There was always a big part of me that was fascinated with digital art and animation. The freedom and ability to create anything you want without any limitations was extremely exciting and liberating. This pushed me to start experimenting with 3ds Max and 3D rendering engines as early as 15 years old. This helped me a lot during my architectural education and finally in my professional life to visualize ideas and explain my thinking process.
Tell us about your channel, Architect Reflects.
Over half a year ago, I decided to create Architect Reflects, a creative outlet where I can let my imagination run wild – a sort of architect's sketchbook that every architect has but never shares. Well, not me! Architect Reflects is a place where I can experiment, test different ideas, and have fun with architecture. No budget, no deadlines, and none of the typical challenges I face as an architect in daily life. In Architect Reflects, there are no limits.
Where do you find inspiration for your channel?
I find my inspiration everywhere and this is what makes Architect Reflects unique. I try not only to look at other people's designs, but I also study pop culture references, art, classical architecture, and many different unusual places that are full of creative people making things. Sometimes even music brings me ideas and inspires me to create something new.
How would you describe your approach to architecture and design?
Throughout my journey, I've found that the discussion around architecture tends to be rather serious and often lacking a sense of joy. That joy for me is a very important part of the creative process. In my project, Architect Reflects, I blend inspiration from pop culture and fantasy with modern or classical architecture, to drive experimentation, all the while challenging myself to create projects that are - at least in theory - buildable.
My approach involves presenting architecture in a relatable, human manner, focusing on creating works with identity, character, and emotional impact - qualities I feel we have lost in what is being built today.
Architect Reflects was born from my desire to explore numerous ideas within my lifetime, unbound by the typical five-year building process. This freedom allows me to experiment and share my passion, aiming to inspire others. I use animation for storytelling as it effectively conveys emotions and simplifies complex concepts, making it an ideal medium for expressing my ideas.
Let’s delve into your design process and workflow. How do you typically start a project?
My design process begins with an intriguing idea, often mine or inspired by a viewer's suggestion. I always start with hand sketches, exploring various perspectives, plans, sections, and details. This usually results in a comprehensive set of drawings for 3D testing.
Next, I create a basic 3D model to evaluate the design from different angles, progressing to a detailed model if satisfied. I use Lumion for 3D rendering to refine design aspects, select the right materials, and prepare it for animation.
Simultaneously, I develop the project's narrative, scripting, and recording narration. Finally, I combine everything in video editing software to share with the world.
How do you incorporate rendering in your work?
In my projects, I use Lumion to refine my main 3D building model, assessing its effects on light, materials, and overall ambiance. As the project progresses, I introduce surrounding and furniture models in Lumion, manipulating them for the desired outcome.
Rendering is crucial for sharing and explaining complex ideas and emotions inherent in my designs. It's a versatile communication tool, understandable across various professions, making it ideal for conveying concepts and explaining complex ideas.
Essentially, a good rendering has the power to convince people and make things happen through emotive storytelling.
Konrad Wójcik
Creator of Architect Reflects
I want my tools to work without me spending time to learn them. I want to have a workflow where I can focus on the design itself without worrying about the tools. Lumion helps with that.
Konrad Wójcik
Creator of Architect Reflects
Lumion definitely helps me to visualize my ideas in a simple way. I get great quality, fast.
Konrad Wójcik
Creator of Architect Reflects
I want my tools to work without me spending time to learn them. I want to have a workflow where I can focus on the design itself without worrying about the tools. Lumion helps with that.
Konrad Wójcik
Creator of Architect Reflects
Lumion definitely helps me to visualize my ideas in a simple way. I get great quality, fast.
When did you start using Lumion?
I remember very well the moment I saw the Lumion 9 trailer that introduced HDRI lighting. When I saw the quality I can get with almost real-time rendering, I decided to make the switch from my workflow at the time with V-Ray and start using Lumion. For me, it is all about the balance between time and quality and at this point I understood how much Lumion can help my design process.
How easy was it to learn to use Lumion?
This was the second selling point for me. Using Lumion takes almost no training. It feels like a game that you want to explore. There are no wrong choices and with every click you make an instant change. Switching from a traditional 3D engine, it was amazing what could be achieved with almost no effort.
In what ways has Lumion improved your workflow?
First of all, it allowed me to test many more ideas than was ever possible in more traditional workflows. Secondly, thanks to the speed of rendering, for the first time in my life I was not concerned about making animations for projects. I truly believe that animation is the natural next step for visualizations and it will be seen more and more often in project presentations.
What do you like the most about using Lumion?
Quality, simplicity, and time saving, in that order. Lumion definitely helps me to visualize my ideas in a simple way. I get great quality, fast. I want my tools to work without me spending time to learn them. I want to have a workflow where I can focus on the design itself without worrying about the tools. Lumion helps with that.
Can you tell us about a recent Architect Reflects project that you used Lumion for?
A recent project I worked on was Dune House. It is a project inspired by the Frank Herbert novel called Dune that was recently turned into a movie by Denis Villeneuve. It is an amazing story with a unique, beautiful universe and I wanted to experiment with it.
I asked myself how would you design a house for the extremely hostile, desert environment you find in the novel. It is a project where I experiment with futuristic architecture that has its origins in ancient design. For me, it sounded very intriguing and I wanted to give it a go.
I used Lumion almost all the way through the design process starting from developing the concept right to final animations.
How long does it typically take to complete a project?
Each project takes around 2-3 months from an idea to a finished presentation. However, Architect Reflects is a passion project developed after hours. I am still a practicing architect during the day and also have a 2-year-old, so there is not that much time left during the day! In my projects, quality means a lot to me and I definitely do not want to make any compromises there. Maybe in the future I will be able to speed up the process.
What technology do you think will become relevant to you in the future?
Even though I have mixed feelings regarding AI, I see enormous potential in it assisting humans and making us more creative. We’re starting to see rendering technologies that are assisted by AI speeding up animation times and creating more realistic outcomes even faster. This is something I believe will have a huge impact on how we think about rendering in the future.
What do you find most rewarding in your work?
I love the concept-developing stage, where everything is possible. I sit down with a blank page and start sketching. Every stroke changes the building and the story it can tell. It might be a little bit daunting at times, but the moment the first few lines appear, the rest just follows and the design unveils itself.
Another step that is very rewarding is the moment when I start to work with a 3D model so I can begin to see how it behaves with natural light and specific material choices. It is a very creative step where instant feedback from Lumion is extremely important.
What kind of work do you want to focus on in the future?
I want to test the limits of what is possible in architecture. I have a lot of ideas for my next projects and barely enough time, so I have to be very selective. Modern architecture visually has not changed that much in the last 80 years, so with my work I plan to see what we can do about that. I don’t want this to sound grandiose! At the end of the day, I just want to experiment and have fun.
