The Edge: Pablo Garcia’s Architecture Unchained

This year we had the pleasure to sponsor Flying Architecture's contest Architecture Unchained. Franco Folini, Novedge's President and Co Founder, was also one of the judges of the competition.

Pablo Garcia won First Place overall (which entitled him to receive a complimentary license of Rhino 5.0 from Novedge!) as well as Best Detail and Best Materials for his work, Favelas. I asked him to share with us how he approaches creative work and what we can expect to see next.

Novedge: Tell us a bit about who you are and what you do

Pablo Garcia: I’m Pablo, I'm a young French architect and artist. I graduated from the School of Architecture of Montpellier (Ensam) in 2010. I am now working in an architecture office as a designer. Creating is what I am passionate about. I create spaces, structures, painting, universes, stories…often with a clear science fiction orientation, a little geeky sometimes, but always in a constant research for details that will make the visual almost touchable. 

Novedge: What inspires you?

Pablo Garcia: Movies are my biggest source of inspiration. I find filmmaking to be a very powerful medium because it throws you somewhere else in 2 seconds, and as a viewer you accept the reality that is offered. I have been mostly influenced by the modern/classic sci-fis that everyone knows, but also by movies by Chris Nolan, Zack Snyder, Frank Miller and the Wachowskis (+ Tom Tykwer). The same goes for movies by Terry Gilliam, Luc Besson, Hayao Miyazaki, Duncan Jones… The list is too long to enumerate. All those directors are real artists to me. For me the source of creativity is the imagination that opens fields of possibilities and allows you to dream. We have to dream, to escape, that’s what I’m trying to do with my work.

The psychological world of the story is as important as the visual universe, both allow us to travel to unknown places. For me a good image can tell a story on its own. In that way, I consider myself a storyteller.

Novedge: What is a recent project that you worked on? 

Pablo Garcia: Outside of my job, I’ve been working for some time on a global project temporarily called "Chateau". This project is the joint work of three people: Thomas Dubois, a very good friend and architect, his brother Alexandre Dubois, a literature student who has a talent for writing, and myself. All three of us are making 3D-model visuals of intrigue and creative writing. The idea with this project is to develop an entire new way of imagining how we will live in the future.

The development process came naturally, drawing and writing flow at the same pace. As the story comes to life, places are materializing naturally step by step.

Quick synopsis :

2172. Following a terrible cataclysm called "The Flood", the Earth was struck by continuously increasing water levels throughout the world, submerging cities and lands. Humans have interpreted this disaster as a punishment for past sins and lack of faith. It is right in the middle of the stormy atmosphere that the stories are written in blood and heroes will rise trying to restore what remains of humanity.

You can understand that the project is ambitious, but it drives us to create a really strong background for its universe. We have chosen a certain sci-fi direction, but we want to anchor the story in a reality that is still close to us. The concept aims to make you dream with as little stylistic and visual effects as possible. 

Novedge: What software do you use? 

Pablo Garcia: I always separate my workflow in three parts: first modeling, then rendering, and lastly post-production. I use SketchUp, Cinema 4D and Photoshop. These are very good tools that will require a lifetime to master. If find this to be a quality and a danger as well. One must avoid spending too much time trying to solve problems.

For example, when I worked on the Architecture Unchained competition on modeling, I could have detailed my renders more and more. I chose not to as my thought is that better is the enemy of the good. We can’t and shouldn’t say everything in one shot, we must leave a little room for the imagination. 

Novedge: Who is your favorite Architect? Why? 

Pablo Garcia: I love the work of OMA and MORPHOSIS because these firms are developing powerful solutions about staging, sometimes with force and sometimes with finesse. As architecture is designed, another reality comes through. Their approach is clearly cinematic. And I think that through the understanding of their work, these companies are able to make us read the storyboard of their projects. We love it or we don’t, but we can’t stay indifferent because we are directly confronted with the size of the building. For me, these architects seem to control a kind of emotion. They offer us as a gift questions about our cities, our way of life, and about how we navigate through them.

I said earlier that a successful picture tells a story, but for me a successful image is also a question of determination, and it's necessary to know when to stop.

Novedge: What do you hope to achieve in the next few years? 

Pablo Garcia: First I want to start the production stage of "Chateau" because it is an exciting project, and we feel passionate about. For now, we do not really know which form the production will take, but what I am sure is that we have great ambitions for it.

I also wish to complete all projects and writings I have in mind. Right now I have a lot of work waiting to be realized. Each of these projects will be endeavored with the same passion. This is what I hope to work on for many years to come.

While Pablo is working on building a website you can see his award winning renders, Favelas, on the results page of Architecture Unchained.

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