“Architectural photographers are hunters, and architectural filmmakers are more like birdwatchers.”

-Red Mike

It’s no secret that we’re always at work getting quality documentation of the work we do, and advocate for others to do so as well. Whether it’s capturing process snapshots on site or finished photos after the space is furnished and occupied, photography and architecture go hand in hand. It’s how we communicate our work and our ethos. But we’ve noticed in recent years the accelerating importance of animation and video in communicating architecture. It can take shape in a variety of ways — slick animated renderings bringing a prospective project to life, a finished project layered with music and a narrative bringing the emotive dimensions of a building to the surface, and even the purely conceptual expression of architecture as an artistic exploration.

While this format of videography and animation deviate from the predictable format of pure documentary, they aim, and often succeed, in pushing past the cerebral appreciation of architecture into the realm of the intangible. They communicate why we architects do what we do. So to give you an idea of what we’re getting all excited about, we’ve grabbed a few examples that have struck a chord with us. There are plenty more out there, and we’d love to hear about some good ones you’ve come across in the comments below.

Lakewood Cemetery Garden Mausoleum | Minneapolis, Minnesota
Video by Peter VonDeLinde
Architecture by HGA Architects & Engineers

Museum Plaza | Louisville, Kentucky
Video by Brooklyn Digital Foundry
Architecture by Office of Metropolitan Architecture

8-House Project | Copenhagen, Denmark
Video and Architecture by Bjarke Ingels Group

Urban Abstract | Conceptual
Video by Jopsu Ramu and Timo Ramu (ex. Huhtala) 

Daeyang Gallery & House | Seoul, South Korea
Video by Spirit of Space
Architecture by Steven Holl

Cheers from Team BUILD