Project Overview

This project involves creating architectural visualizations for a future 3-storey residential building in Okinawa, Japan.

The building will feature one and two-bedroom apartments (3x per floor) with a ground-level open garage under the building. The top floor apartments will have ocean views. You will have room for creative freedom and opportunity to research on this beautiful humid subtropical island.

Site Context

The building will be situated on a coastal property with ocean views. Student should incorporate elements of Okinawa's tropical setting and typical building practices to create a comfortable building. 

Features: Remote from big city, In sync with nature, integrated in Nakijin Village, access to local restaurants and cafes.

Building Specifications

3-storey residential structure

• Floor 1 & 2
• 4x residential units per floor
• 2 bedrooms
• 1 bathrooms
• Living/dining area
• Kitchen
• Small balcony
• Approx. 64m² / 688ft² (or less)

• Floor 3 - same as below floors, except:
• 7x residential units
• 1x room multi-purpose, including BBQ in the balcony
• 1 bedroom
• Approx. 35m² / 380ft² (or less)

• Rooftop:
• 2/3 area solar panels
• 1/3 area open purpose area
• Can be creative or leave it empty (lower priority)
• Ground floor:
• Open parking garage
• Utility/storage spaces

Note the blueprint can be similar to other Japanese prefectures, except Okinawa has different functional constraints as it’s very humid, warm and has frequent typhoons, so student must take it into account. Local reference development - Lions Chatan - The Lebel Naha (you may need access via VPN).

Project Timeline (6 Weeks)

Week 1-2: Research and concept

• References shared to student
• Student conduct briefing meeting with directional questions
• Concept sketching
• Basic site understanding
• Simple precedent research

Week 3-4: Development

• Track 1: half way 3D model creation
• Track 2: Initial sketches or render concepts
• Mid-project check-in

Week 5-6: Finalization

• Complete required deliverables
• Final presentation preparation

Project Tracks

Student will apply to one of two tracks:

Track 1: Basic Architectural 3D Modeling

Focus: Creating a simplified yet functional 3D model of the building and placing it on the site.

Deliverables:

1. Basic 3D model showing the building structure and apartment layouts
2. Decision on building layout and orientation
3. Simple site integration showing the building on the provided land
4. Basic material application (no detailed textures required)
5. 3-5 static viewpoints of key angles
6. Output 3D file

Technical Requirements:

• Model can be created in Blender, Sketchup or similar free software.
• Basic lighting to show the form clearly
• No detailed interior furnishings required

Track 2: Simplified Marketing Visualization

Focus: Creating basic marketing images that show the building concept.

Deliverables:

1. 4-6 rendered images showing:

• Building exterior with ocean backdrop
• Top floor BBQ area
• Typical apartment layout (simplified)
• Two contextual view showing the building in its setting

1. Color palette suggestion based on research of local natural elements
2. Simple conceptual poster suitable for marketing

Technical Requirements:

• High quality images at full HD
• Human figures for scale (can use silhouettes or basic models)