Designing a bespoke home is one of the most exciting projects you can undertake. It is also one filled with important decisions — about layout, space, views, materials and how your home will function day to day.
Traditional architectural drawings such as plans, sections and elevations are essential tools for architects, but for many clients they can be difficult to fully visualise. Understanding how a home will actually feel once built is not always easy when looking at two-dimensional drawings.
At Allan Corfield Architects, we use a range of advanced digital tools to make the design process clearer and more engaging for our clients. Two of the most valuable of these are BIMx models and Virtual Reality (VR), which together allow you to explore your future home long before construction begins.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR HOME THROUGH BIMx
BIMx is an interactive building model viewer developed by Graphisoft that allows clients to navigate through a fully detailed 3D model of their project using a computer, tablet or smartphone.
Rather than trying to interpret multiple drawings, BIMx allows you to move through the building in real time. You can walk through rooms, explore the circulation of the house, view ceiling heights, and understand how different spaces connect.
The BIMx model also links directly to the architectural drawings, meaning the plans, sections and elevations are all connected to the 3D model in one place. This provides a powerful way for clients to explore and understand their design from every angle.
For self-builders, this often transforms how the design process feels — turning drawings into a digital version of the home that you can experience and explore.
TAKING THE EXPERIENCE FURTHER WITH VIRTUAL REALITY
While BIMx allows you to explore your home on a screen, the next step is to step inside it using Virtual Reality.
Through the VR service at Allan Corfield Architects, clients can visit our VR suite and walk around their future home in an immersive environment. This allows you to experience the design at full scale and truly understand how spaces will feel before anything is built.
The process typically involves transferring the architectural model into a real-time visualisation environment, allowing clients to move through the building naturally. During the session, our designers can even make live design changes while you are experiencing the space, helping refine layouts and details instantly.
For many clients this is the moment when the design really comes to life.
MAKING BETTER DESIGN DECISIONS EARLIER
One of the biggest benefits of BIMx and VR is that they allow design decisions to be made earlier and with far greater confidence.
When you can move through a space at full scale, small details become much easier to evaluate. You might notice that:
- A window could be larger to capture a particular view
- A hallway feels slightly narrow
- A door might work better in a different position
- A room layout could flow better with minor adjustments
Identifying these opportunities during the design stage can prevent costly changes later in the project. VR also allows clients to explore material choices and final design tweaks in a highly visual way, making it easier to refine the design before construction begins.
SEEING LIGHTING, MATERIALS AND VIEWS
Modern visualisation tools allow much more than simply viewing the layout of the house.
Using VR and advanced rendering software, we can also produce high quality CGI images and cinematic walkthrough videos, allowing you to experience how your home might look in different lighting conditions, weather or times of day.
This helps clients understand how natural light will enter spaces, how materials will work together, and how the house will sit within its surroundings.
SHARING THE VISION WITH FAMILY AND BUILDERS
Another major advantage of BIMx is that the model can easily be shared.
Clients can explore their home on a phone or tablet and show it to family members, contractors or consultants involved in the project. This makes it much easier for everyone to understand the design intent and spatial relationships within the house.
For self-builders managing elements of the build themselves, this clarity can significantly improve communication with contractors and trades.
A MORE ENGAGING SELF-BUILD JOURNEY
Designing a home should be an exciting and collaborative experience. Digital tools such as BIMx and Virtual Reality make the process far more engaging by allowing clients to actively experience their home during the design stage.
Instead of trying to imagine what a room might feel like, you can stand in it. Instead of guessing how spaces connect, you can walk through them.
This level of clarity helps ensure that the finished home truly reflects your vision.
EXPERIENCING YOUR FUTURE HOME WITH ALLAN CORFIELD ARCHITECTS
At Allan Corfield Architects, we combine detailed Building Information Modelling with immersive visualisation tools to help clients fully understand their designs.
Through BIMx models and our Virtual Reality suite, self-build clients can explore their future homes, refine design decisions and gain confidence in the project before construction begins.
For anyone embarking on the journey of designing a bespoke self-build home, these tools can make a significant difference — turning drawings into a real, walkable experience.
Get in touch if you would like to talk to us about how we can bring your home to life through the use of BIMx and VR.
