Today I’m joined by a previous guest from Session 001 — Pedro Fernandes from Arqui9 in London. Pedro’s story spans Australia, Portugal, and London. We talk about his days as an architect in Australia and Portugal, and his gradual move toward visualization as he was teaching fellow architects in the Lisbon office about rendering, only to find out that he loves doing visualization.

Upon seeing that fork on the road, he went right and never looked back.

We dive into the Arqui9 way of making images, discuss why London is the best place for this, and talk about Arqui9 Learn teaching.

The Long Progression to Arqui9

Starting out at university, Pedro always had a passion for visually demonstrating the work he was doing. He really began cultivating his passion for 3D after internships in Lisbon and, and as his interest grew, so did his experimenting. He joined forces with three friends to create architecture, 3D, and design. As more information became available on the internet, he sourced as many tutorials as he possibly could, including many of the blog, which can be found here.

This started in 2008, when the economic downturn gave him the opportunity to depart from architecture and focus more on 3D design. After sending his portfolio all over, he started at Vyonyx in London and eventually formed his own company.

The Drive Behind the Work

After working for several companies in different countries, Pedro decided to work for himself, and he never looked back. He gets to do what he loves, working for clients he loves, and he considers himself among the luckiest people on earth.

He has always worked toward the goal of working with certain people, and that desire has driven him to keep working harder and better, even on the days when he wishes that he’d never started down this road.

Crafting Visuals at Arqui9

Pedro creates unique images that always catch my attention, and have been featured on the blog several times as “Best of the Week.” On this session, we discuss how he has passed his unique vision on to his team, where he gets his inspiration, and how he incorporates the talents of each artist into the work that they do. He appreciates that his work isn’t better or worse than anyone else’s, and appreciates the differences in visuals. Recognizing this has helped him identify what he wants to accomplish with his work, and pushes him to achieve it.

You’ll be inspired when you hear about this and more — including why London is the best place for ArchViz and the why behind Arqui9 Learn — in this session of The SpectRoom with Pedro Fernandes.

Key Takeaways

[1:46] The gradual progression from Uni to 3D design.

[6:38] If you study architecture, you’ll be prepared for anything your career may bring.

[9:22] Why Australia? Pedro details the lessons he learned down under.

[14:58] From Lisbon to Arqui9 — how Pedro decided to take a risk on himself.

[18:10] The dream client in the elevator won’t see much from Pedro.

[20:21] The driving factor for Pedro starts with luck and love.

[25:18] The approach for crafting visuals at Arqui9.

[31:16] The workflow among their 7-person team is a collaborative one.

[37:00] Mixing still images and technology.

[42:35] Selecting a new artist starts with finding a good, moral person.

[46:37] Why London is the best place for ArchViz.

[48:58] Pedro highlights the managerial skills he gained in Australia.

[52:55] All about Arqui9 Learn.

[59:28] How you can connect with Pedro.

Main Quotes