From classroom to practice: Emma Meriwether’s unique journey with Lumion
Lumion Student Story: how the young professional landed a role at Ford Architects
Design with a mission
Ford Architects, a Denver-based architectural practice, specializes in bridging the lessons of the past with innovative, sustainable designs for future generations to enjoy and experience. This ethos is evident in every project they undertake: their dedication to regenerative design and sustainable architecture is complemented by a deep commitment to human-centric solutions.
Lumion plays an important role in the firm’s design process, allowing them to communicate their designs with precision and clarity. We spoke to Emma Meriwether, a key member of their team and a dedicated Lumion user since her student days. Keep on reading to learn more about Emma and her journey from architecture student to architectural designer, all with Lumion by her side.
Tell us how you got started with Lumion.
Emma: To be frank, I’ve known Lumion as long as I’ve known architecture! I studied at a small school in West Virginia, with my graduating class being around 10 people. I had remembered seeing architectural visualization online, not quite knowing what exactly “rendering” was. As we got into designing and modeling through the architecture program, Lumion began to spread through my class. It ended up being an excellent tool for me to research elements of architecture and figure them out. I’ve always looked at rendering and design as two different processes, but somehow, with Lumion, they align perfectly.
Would you say learning Lumion was a pivotal moment in your journey as an architect?
Emma: Definitely. I grew up in the construction world but not in the drafting world. Being able to learn how to render with Lumion shaped who I am and what kind of architect I would later become.
Do you remember your first "wow" moment with the software?
Emma: Yes, and this is going to sound really cheesy, but I vividly recall seeing a couple of sunset settings sometime in 2019 when I first started using the software, and they were captivating. I remember thinking: how can a software somebody built be able to see and depict this?
Is there a particular project you have fond memories of?
Emma: During my undergrad, we were assigned various structures by different architects to handcraft the architectural piece and design a guest house for it. It was determined that I would design and craft the Lovell Beach House by Rudolph Schindler. This being the first time I used Lumion, I also recall being the first one in my class to use the software to visualize the project. After that, the software seemed to snowball through my program.
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In your experience, how do students find and choose what visualization software to learn?
Emma: Personally, I have always been into tech software and have made an effort to stay on top of the latest of what's available. Looking back, I think I found Lumion by myself. But once I did, it shortly became my school’s go-to software. All it takes is one person to find something cool and spread the word around! During our Master’s Thesis, everybody was using Lumion renderings to get their point across. I think the fact that it is free for students is extremely helpful: I couldn't afford anything when I was in college, let alone rendering software. But generally, word of mouth certainly plays a role. From what I know, our school now uses Lumion all the time.
Emma Meriwether
Architectural Designer, Ford Architects
The journey of learning to render with Lumion shaped who I am and what kind of architect I would later become.
How was the transition from studying architecture into practicing it at a firm? Any challenges you faced as a fresh graduate?
Emma: The transition from studying to practicing architecture was quite a journey. One of the biggest challenges I faced after graduation was moving halfway across the country to Denver, Colorado, leaving behind my family, friends, and the architectural internship I had started during my junior year of college. It was incredibly tough to leave everything I knew and start fresh in an unfamiliar place. However, this experience significantly contributed to my personal growth. The incredible professional and leisure experiences I’ve had in Denver have made the move worthwhile. For those facing uncertainty after graduation or starting into a trade, my advice is to embrace change. Stepping out of your comfort zone is essential for growth and will take your skills and experiences to unimaginable places.
Did you do anything specific to prepare yourself for the competitive job market? It must’ve been an intense yet exciting process.
Emma: Creating a cohesive portfolio that showcased my capabilities prior to starting my professional career was one of the most crucial steps in preparing for the competitive field of architecture. To visually represent the synergy between architecture and my vision, I required a reliable tool to facilitate this process. Fortunately, my familiarity with BIM modeling and Lumion, which form the core of my portfolio, made this task manageable. The evolution from my undergraduate to graduate portfolios highlights the growth in my renderings and designs over the years. Although this process demanded countless hours, it was essential in demonstrating my potential to the world.
Is that how you landed a job at Ford Architects?
Emma: Yes. I was going through the interviewing process with Ford Architects at the time, and my entire portfolio was all Lumion projects. I had 3 major projects that I did in school and every visual was very graphically intense. Luckily, it was super easy and effortless to walk them through my story and show them who I am, what my approach is like, and my architectural vision through those renderings and images.
There’s a cohesive style to the renders you do at Ford. Would you say you have a certain signature style? How has it developed?
Emma: That is absolutely true, I do have a certain way of doing things. I developed my style at Ford, but I didn't have one before. I believe it’s a combination of both a lot of hours of practice and finding what works for me over a long period of time. My style developed through trial and error.
What helps you save time and make your design process easier?
Emma: In the past, I would spend too much time on rendering. But architecture is time-sensitive more often than not – there’s always a budget and a timeline, and it’s a challenge every architect faces once they start working in a practice. I now have a very methodical and structured approach to visualization: there’s a material library and post-production library in my arsenal, both of which I’ve been curating and building up since the school days. I also have pre-done camera angles that I can set up right away, and during the design phase we can narrow it all down to what we need. I save presets after every completed project, which also helps.
Internally, we faced the challenge of balancing the time spent on renders with their quality. To help our firm get better results faster, I’ve created a handy Lumion Render Quality VS Time chart for colleagues to be able to see what can be done with the software in different amounts of time, ranging from 2 hours up to 12 hours. The matrix shows the time investment required to create a particular look, and outlines different rendering approaches, from basic form studies to professional-grade presentations. This strategy has streamlined our process, improved communication, and effectively managed client expectations.
Emma Meriwether
Architectural Designer, Ford Architects
Lumion has become an irreplaceable tool in my practice, from early schematic designs to high-detail presentation renderings.
That’s fascinating. You seem to have your finger on the pulse of things. We’d like to know how you see the future of architecture evolving.
Emma: VR is huge right now, and I believe it’s going to continue developing: it’s quite interesting to witness how much more immersive architectural design is getting. More experiential and all-encompassing, too. And then there’s AI, which I think is going to help practices optimize their internal processes – software will eventually become multifunctional. Overall, it’s exciting to see the direction architecture is moving towards.
Could you imagine working without Lumion now? Would you say it’s become an irreplaceable tool in your arsenal?
Emma: Lumion has certainly become an irreplaceable tool in my practice. Beyond the primary BIM tools for technical work, Lumion is indispensable for creating architectural visual representations, from early schematic designs to high-detail presentation renderings. It helps convey our vision to clients who may not have a designer’s eye to interpret plans and elevations.
Your creative companion
Emma’s story demonstrates how both perseverance and inquisitiveness are what’s needed to step into architecture as a professional, along with the right tools. Lumion can be one of those tools to accompany your journey. It’s completely free for students around the world — get your license today.
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