Le Bureau members Recent Spaces are pushing the boundaries in how we view the space around us. Their innovative techniques and game-changing technology bring spaces to life – before they’ve even been built.
Here, co-founder Alex York talks about virtual exploration, the appeal of co working and why tetrachromacy could be cool.
Tell us a little about how Recent Spaces came to be, and what you do?
Recent Spaces is an architectural and design visualisation studio. We make realistic, beautiful images, short films, virtual reality tours and interactive Fluid Images for architects, developers, interior designers and marketing agencies – either to help them achieve planning consent or to market their schemes to potential buyers/tenants. Most of our work is in the luxury residential area but we also work on a wide range of interesting projects including one-off sculptures and installations, huge master-plans and product visualisation for designers. Both co-founders and all our artists are passionate photographers and videographers, which is a critical part of our workflow.
Co-founder Iain and I met back in the early 2000s at university in Middlesbrough, then went on to work together at an architectural visualisation studio in London.
After a few years I left and formed my own studio, Iain left to freelance and we met up again in 2015 and decided to combine our passion for image-making. We wanted to push the standard of architectural visualisation and innovate with new tools such as our Fluid Images and unique VR tours.
Describe an average day.
Each of our artists takes on either a whole project or whole images/shots within a larger project. In this way they take ownership of their work and can see it through from brief to completion. Our work consists primarily of 3D modelling, sourcing reference images for inspiration and dealing with the design development process, working closely with our clients to bring their designs to life.
What’s the best thing about your job?
Our favourite part of the image-making process is exploring the spaces we create with our virtual cameras – it’s no different to exploring a real, built space, and finding beautiful, unique angles and compositions that often the architects themselves might not have found.
Sometimes we are afforded the opportunity to offer our own design suggestions, which is a great sign of trust from our clients, and occasionally our suggestions make it into the real, built project, which is extremely satisfying. But mostly we feel very fortunate to be working in such a vibrant and creative industry filled with passionate and talented people, one that’s constantly moving and evolving with new techniques and technologies. We’re proud to be part of that evolution.
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What are the biggest challenges?
Resisting the temptation to expand too quickly to accommodate regular but short-term influxes of projects. Keeping up with accounting and admin when all you really want to be doing is making images.
Why have you chosen to work in a co-working office?
Being in a space with its own unique “buzz” is quite attractive. Isolation is rarely a good thing in the creative industries (although a little distance can help in some ways…) and being around people who aren’t in your particular area of work can be interesting and inspiring.
It also gives a great impression to clients when you’re a smaller company in a large, busy space.
What’s next for Recent Spaces?
We’ve grown from two to four in just over a year, but our main focus, always, is on maintaining an extremely high standard of work and constantly trying to push ourselves to do even better. We have some exciting ideas for new technology we’d like to explore in the coming months and years and hopefully we’ll find time between our projects to bring those ideas to life.
The quick fire Q&A
Who do you most admire, living or dead?
The artist H.R. Giger.
If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would that be?
Norway! Our team recently visited Bergen and surrounding fjords for a studio photo trip (DSLR cameras, Leicas, 360 cams, drones, the whole lot…) and we all had a truly amazing time.
Early bird or night owl?
Neither, if at all possible.
How would you spend an unexpected free day?
Photo trip around the city or drive out to the south coast. With drones, of course.
What’s the last song you listened to?
‘Computer Love’ by Kraftwerk.
Favourite movie?
Blade Runner.
The book that changed you?
‘Biomechanics’ by H.R. Giger (his New York series images, specifically.)
Which three luxuries would you take to a desert island?
Camera, drone, solar charger.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’d be interested to experience Tetrachromacy for a while, but only if I can reverse it…
The best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Work to live, don’t live to work.
Happiness is…
Client sign-off.
