DESIGNING A NEW HOME BEGINS AS AN ACT OF IMAGINATION; it’s an exercise in seeing what does not yet exist. For those in the industry—architects, designers and builders—that intuitive vision comes naturally. For homeowners with no homebuilding experience, however, the vision is often far less clear. They may struggle to grasp the true scale of a soaring great room or imagine how a new countertop might shift the mood of a kitchen. It’s rare for everyone involved to hold the same finished picture in mind. The industry’s standard answer—static architectural renderings—offers only a partial solution, falling short of the immersive experience clients crave and making it difficult to explore alternative materials, layouts and design styles without significant investments of time and money.
Design & Build XR, a collaborative partnership between Walk Your Plans Atlanta and Walk Your Plans Nashville, removes the guesswork from the visualization process. The team behind Design & Build XR is a group of seasoned professionals who understand the experience from both sides: managing complex builds and making deeply personal decisions about a space. The company’s AI-powered, three-dimensional architectural modeling service goes far beyond traditional visualization. Instead of simply showing what interiors might look like, it allows homeowners and their project teams to step into the design and walk through it, reshape interiors in real time and fully experience spaces long before the dirt is disturbed on the property.
Design & Build XR is an expansion of Walk Your Plans Atlanta’s existing services. Mary Atchley and Mark Brown, co-owners of Walk Your Plans Atlanta, have been providing 1:1 scale blueprints that are projected onto the floor of the company’s 6,000-square-foot warehouse so homeowners and trade professionals can walk them to get a true feeling of their floor plans.
With the launch of Design & Build XR, the company has quickly accelerated the visualization process. Now clients have two options: They may walk the 2-D blueprints at the company’s physical location, or they can choose to have the in-house technology team turn those floor plans into a fully immersive 3-D model that is entirely walkable and can be taken on the go. “These complementary technologies allow us to work with our clients to visualize spaces in whatever way works best for them,” Atchley says. “It now allows us to deliver services worldwide; we are no longer limited to a physical location.”
One of the most exciting features of the Design & Build XR platform is its ability to generate unlimited, AI-powered photorealistic architectural renderings—all from the same 3-D model. Once the in-house tech team has created the model, clients can use intuitive language to tell AI what to do. For example, a homeowner and designer may be collaborating on what cabinet finish and countertop material look best in a kitchen. By popping materials, furniture and finishes in and out, they can create as many versions of a rendering as they would like to assess how the changes affect the room’s look and feel. AI renderings happen within seconds, allowing the team to go through as many iterations as necessary until they achieve a satisfying result.
The platform allows a homeowner to meet with their architect, designer and builder virtually, with each person “walking” through the digital version of the home using augmented reality. The group can see things such as ceiling height, sight lines, walls, windows and furniture, which they can modify in real time as the discussion happens.
“Previously, teams would have to wait several days to have a static architectural rendering created, which costs anywhere from several hundred to a few thousand dollars, depending on the project,” Atchley says. “Unlimited, on-demand renderings on the Design & Build XR platform can be achieved instantaneously by anyone on the team at no extra cost.”
The solution is priced within reach. “We believe technology should be accessible no matter the size of the building or home,” Atchley continues. “Our platform is priced competitively so everyone can visualize the look of their home before it is built, saving money and time.” The cost of the service for a 4,000-square-foot home, for instance, is $1,750 for a full-color, 3-D model, which includes unlimited architectural renderings and “walk-throughs” for collaborative meetings throughout the design and building processes. The fee is a small amount to allocate in the budget, providing benefits that far outweigh the cost.
Design & Build XR’s platform has a number of creative uses in a variety of industries. While it provides a clear way for homeowners to see and respond to their spaces before they are built, the platform can be used by professionals in specific modalities. A production builder, for instance, can substitute a rendered home for a physically built model home, then provide a smart device for potential homebuyers to walk through the virtual model or see multiple floor plans from which they can choose. “Design & Build XR provides a model home minus the overhead,” Atchley explains. “It’s like a 24-hour sales center and model home in one.”
Custom homebuilders, design-build firms and architects can deliver client experiences without building internal infrastructure, providing immersive walkthroughs, photorealistic renders and ongoing collaboration tools without the expense of building those systems in-house. Developers can test community layouts, amenities and product offerings before committing to a full rollout. Designers can upload inspiration boards through an AI-powered interface, creating and modifying rooms with furnishings and finishes at will while working side-by-side with their clients.
Alabama-based developer Andy Freeman of Gulf South Development Group recently used the service to ensure that a planned residential loft addition to a commercial project would turn out as he envisioned it. “Mark and his team exceeded my expectations and went the extra mile to give me peace of mind that the plans were spot-on with only a couple of necessary tweaks,” he says.
While there are a few 3-D visualization products in the marketplace, the innovative Design & Build XR solution has some distinct advantages over less robust applications. First, the Design & Build XR platform is an end-to-end solution. The company’s technology team builds a model from a set of blueprints and then hands it over to the user to collaborate and customize layouts via an AI tool. There is never a need for the end user to have special employees who handle the process or who have specific technical expertise; all of that is handled in-house by the Walk Your Plans Atlanta / Design & Build XR team. The 3-D model furnished during the process is a lightweight model, meaning it is not just available on a standard desktop computer but functions as an app downloaded onto any smart device. Its ability to travel on a smartphone or tablet makes it very easy to use on the jobsite.
“Every week, our client list grows exponentially,” Atchley says. “We keep hearing from those in the industry that using this service is a no-brainer for design and construction visualization processes.” *
Dana W. Todd is a professional writer specializing in interior design, real estate, luxury homebuilding, landscape design, architecture and fine art.
