pOMONA APARTMENTS 

RENDERING
LOCATION: POMONA, CA
Architects: Babak Azimi & Miguel Maio
In collaboration with: Alma Jauregui

This apartment complex situated in the suburbs of Pomona had recently been approved by the planning commission and neighborhood council after months of back and forth design negotiations. This although standard practice now in the world of architecture poses the question as to who the real architect in new developments shaping the urban landscape are?

Many cities impose what are known as design criteria which is then evaluated by a board of often non design related professionals who proceed to tear apart every design feature added to the building. In situations such as these full realistic renderings pose the greatest harm compared to hand sketches/colored renderings. When full realistic renderings are presented before these neighborhood council boards the average Joe will pick apart every tree species a renderer has placed into the scene. Yet when presented an abstracted hand sketched rendering the public typically reacts to the building with more leniency.

As Wes Jones once told me “if you are going to make it look real it has to look the part. If not make it as abstract and fake as possible otherwise it just looks wrong”.