The drive for artistic expression is a powerful force. When Brian Salvatierra and his wife Dariana Pitti quit their office jobs to found adetalle studio in pursuit of more creative endeavors, it was like “jumping into the abyss”. Still, it takes but one look at the outstanding work they and their team produce, to fully understand their decision. Their project ‘Lantana Residences’, a tropical Costa Rican neighborhood, has been making the rounds on social media lately, and we are eager to add to the well-deserved attention with our Rebus Render Farm August 2022 ArtWanted feature.
Continue reading, as Dariana and Brian offer a fascinating insight into their professional life and creative process, including a concise account on how to make the most out of your reference material.
Welcome to Lantana: this front angle of the central staircase, which Brian describes as the “axis” of the entire project, seems like an open invitation to a tropical paradise.
Hi Dariana, hi Brian, thanks for joining us! To start things off, please introduce yourself to our readers.
Brian: Hello, and thank you very much for this opportunity, it is an honor for us to this interview! My name is Brian Salvatierra, I am 31 years old and I was born in Panama. Dariana is my wife and business partner, we met when we first started our architecture degrees, and in 2018, we founded adetalle together, our very own archviz studio based in Panama City.
Dariana: Hi everyone, nice to meet you! My name is Dariana Pitti, I am a 30-year-old architect and archviz artist, born and raised in Panama City. Before founding adetalle studio, I worked at one of Panama’s largest architecture firms for a few years, gaining lots of valuable experience in the project design and project management.
Do you recall when and how you first consciously encountered CGI?
Brian: Yeah, as a student I worked a part-time job for a small architecture studio called 'Sketch', they were looking for someone to do some simple but presentable renders. The software they were using in the office was Modo, which I had never heard of. Back then, I was only familiar with SketchUp, so I had to learn fast, which I think ultimately pushed me to dive deeper into 3D, as I felt a responsibility to do the best I could. The more I researched the software, the more it fascinated me, and for the following years, it became my 3D tool of choice.
Dariana: My first experience with 3D software came while I was working for a construction company. I was tasked to design a landscape solution for a green area within a large public square under construction. I only knew how to use basic SketchUp, but now I needed realistic lawns and gardens for my proposal. Modo seemed like the best alternative, since Brian was learning it at the time and helped me get started with the new software. This was the first time I recognized the true potential of CGI, and the results were excellent. Years later, this construction company became our very first client, and we continue to work with them to this day!
When and why did you decide to pursue professional careers as 3D artists?
Brian: Before formalizing adetalle, I had already worked at several architectural companies. While I was involved in design as well, I usually was the official “render guy” at the office, which I enjoyed a lot. Still, internally I was questioning whether I had to fully commit to either design or archviz work at some point. Over time, however, I came to the conclusion that I might be able to do both. So, besides adetalle, which is exclusively for archviz work, both Dariana and I take on some small design projects on the side.
Dariana: When we were working for other design studios, we were already regularly doing render jobs at night or over the weekends. We soon realized that there was a market, and that we had a competitive product we could offer in our region. Developing a brand solely dedicated to our archviz services seemed like the obvious step, and so adetalle was born!
A closer look at one of the flowery terraces found all throughout the neighborhood.
Tell us more about adetalle studio, the company history, its field of work and overall philosophy! When and under what circumstances was the studio established?
Brian: As Dariana mentioned, we were juggling our office jobs with some freelance rendering work, and little by little we received projects at an increasingly demanding level. It was after the birth of our first daughter in 2018 that we finally decided to dedicated ourselves to founding our own architectural visualization studio. It was a tough decision, as it meant leaving the stability of both of our jobs at the same time, and throwing ourselves into the abyss. But we do not regret it! We continue to face challenges, but it has been a fascinating journey.
What service do you provide and who are your clients and target markets?
Dariana: We create all kinds of useful graphic material for the promotion and sale of real estate and architectural projects of different scales. We classify our service into two categories: CGI illustration, which includes still images, animations, virtual tours, and rendered architectural plans, and implementation, which comprises art direction, graphic design, branding, and digital development. Our client base mostly consists of developers, architects, and construction companies involved in the real estate sector.
How would you describe your approach and overarching vision as an archviz company?
Brian: We admire architectural photography and we pay special attention to what makes a photo spectacular. Why do some photos capture the viewer's attention and convey sensations while others do not? We want to give our clients the former kind of images before they even start developing their space. We created adetalle with the idea that we could make a difference for developers, architects, and builders in our region, based on our artistic vision and abilities.
What are your general responsibilities and daily tasks at adetalle studio?
Brian: adetalle is a small studio so Dariana and I take on multiple roles and share a lot of the tasks. Most of the time, I work as art director, making sure that all the images in a project have a coherent look and maintain the same quality throughout the production process. While I still really enjoy making the images myself (after all, a major reason we started adetalle was to work as 3D artists), I understand that our roles will most likely change as we grow. I imagine we will eventually end up like coaches of a football team, helping our player to improve their technique as well as offering guidance and direction, so that they can reach their full potential.
Dariana: I dedicate myself to different tasks at the administrative level, but at the operational level my main role is that of a project director: I am in charge of finalizing the images, reviewing the 3D scenes before rendering, post-production, and client communication amongst other things.
The adetalle team rightfully takes pride in their attention to detail – just look at the complexity of this scene!
Is there a specific design philosophy or architectural school of thought adetalle adheres to? What inspires you as 3D artists?
Brian: We don’t have a specific design style in terms of archviz. I believe that each project has its own unique identity, from where we draw inspiration and try to make the most of its characteristics, translating the strong points of the project into images. In a more general sense, our greatest inspiration is architectural photography. Some of the people we follow include Fernando Guerra, Iwan Baan, Rory Gardiner, Ema Peter, Sergio Grazia, Cristóbal Palma, and Fernando Alda. There is a great artistic sensibility in what they do!
Designwise, we appreciate contemporary architecture. First and foremost, we are fans of architecture, not so much of a specific style. We do enjoy the work of David Chipperfield, Sou Fujimoto, SO-IL, Herzog & De Meuron, Sanaa, Isay Weinfeld, Marcio Kogan, Fran Silvestre, Campo Baeza, Aires Mateus, Renzo Piano, Norman Foster, and Alvaro Siza, just to name a few.
Describe your profile as a CG artist! Where does your own fascination with architecture and archviz stem from?
Brian: Whenever somebody asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up as a kid, my answer was either football player or architect, so the fascination was always there. Of course, I only developed a better understanding of architecture many years later, at university. Then when I discovered the work of Norwegian visualization studio 'MIR', that was the icing on the cake, that was the moment I said “I want to learn to do this”. Their work still amazes me to this day.
Dariana: For me, it was during my university days, although I still had a fairly limited perspective of architecture and CGI at the time. The term ‘CG-architect’ seemed like an amazing combination of words to me, as I thought each enhances the other. Personally, I feel I grew to love archviz not only because I had more control over the technical aspects, but especially because viewing a project more through an artistic lens gave me so much more enjoyment. To me, that is when the real fun begins!
What are your main areas of expertise?
Dariana: As I have said before, I was heavily involved in project design and development for many years, residential projects in particular. Brian also has a ton of experience in the development and interior design of apartments and offices, and is very familiar with the real estate sector.
Is there a part of CG-related work you particularly enjoy?
Brian: My favorite part of the entire creation process of any project is when we generate clay renders after building a detailed 3D model. This is when we first light up the geometry and start trying out composition and lighting ideas; it is an equally exciting and crucial moment, as it allows us to give the project a clear direction. For example, in the case of ‘Lantana Residences’, we contrasted our images with the reference material, and developed new ideas and possibilities.
Dariana: I think my favorite parts are the setting decoration and post-production, both of which I am involved in a lot. Setting decoration is particularly interesting to me, because it directly ties in to one of our brand statements, namely our attention to detail. The details of an image usually provide so many opportunities for visual storytelling. Post-production I enjoy because it is such a delicate and important process, bringing out the true colors of the images.
In your experience, what is the current state of the CG industry and community in Panama and Central America?
Brian: Around 10 years ago, Panamanian architecture and real estate companies mostly worked with visualization studios from Colombia, Mexico, or Argentina, as they promised a better benefit-cost ratio. Today, there are many local studios and freelancers who offer competitive, high-quality services, and I think that is a good indicator of how the industry progressed in recent years. I am not informed enough to speak for other Central American countries, but I feel like the interest in CG work has generally been increasing in the entire region.