Behind The Scenes of Ayala

Ayala is one of our newer projects, which fascinated many of our readers, so we decided to bring you another interview with our project manager, Bensu Kılcı. If you want to know what goes on behind the scenes when it comes to the visualization of an architectural project, read on.

Q: Can you give us an overview of the Ayala project and its primary role?

Bensu: The Ayala project is just a very small part of an otherwise huge masterplan, Townsquare. It’s situated on plot 12. The design includes a linear and L-shaped building that forms the main part of the space. These structures are complemented by an outdoor pool, playground, and BBQ area, making Ayala a really good example of modern living. The primary goal was to create an inviting, cohesive community that blends functionality with aesthetics, turning the landscape into a lively habitat.

Our client was very clear about the plot’s purpose, as it is supposed to be the community hub of the area. Because of this focus, we put a lot of effort into showing off the park. It was an essential element of the project and I think it works really well as part of the overall picture.

Q: What were some of the most challenging aspects of designing Ayala, and how did you and your team overcome them?

Bensu: Honestly, the most challenging part was also the one that made our job a bit easier, if that makes sense? The client had a very clear vision, with items, frames, textures already picked out, which didn’t leave us with much creative freedom. They even brought images of bubbles that they wanted to use.

However, this also made the process faster, as we didn’t have to try out several different colors, pieces of furniture, etc. Having such a clear directive meant we could focus on execution rather than conceptualization, which ultimately accelerated the progress and allowed us to meet deadlines with precision.

It’s rare that a client has such a clear vision, so this was definitely exciting.

Q: The project required creating exteriors in a 6 PM sunset lighting. How did this influence your design process?

Bensu: Yes, the client requested that each image have a 6 PM sunset lighting, and the exterior images had to have all balconies and apartments with lights on as well, which made everything light up. Everyone loves a good golden hour, so we weren’t surprised with this request, we remember how good Lysangen turned out.

But that is not all, as there was another reason for why they wanted the images to feel like they were “taken” in the late afternoon. It’s quite clever, really. During the daytime it can get quite hot, so people are way more active in the evenings, meaning that our visualizations turned out more realistic because of the context. After all, people wouldn’t really be walking out in the scorching hot sun in the middle of the day, would they?

Anyway, because we wanted a community hub we mainly showed the park area. This involved a lot of shadows and we also played with the lighting a lot, to make sure it was realistic but also aesthetically pleasing. I think that was the most time consuming part when it came to the “6PM sunset lighting”.

Q: Looking back, what aspects of the project are you most proud of?

Bensu: I’m really proud of the fact that we could do everything before the deadline. It was very tight, as we had to do a lot of renderings in a short amount of time. This is not something that we do very often, but I suggested using raw images during our communication with the client, as it allowed us to cut down some time. This way, they could make their comments and give us feedback without us having to completely render an entire image. Once again, this is not the norm, but we wanted to keep to the deadline and ensure our client was happy. I think it just shows how solution-oriented we are.

When it comes to the renderings themselves, I’m very proud of the interiors. They are some of our best works. The moodboard and material palette helped a lot, and we are very happy with the final result.