One Rendering Challenge 2022: The Finalists (Part 2)

Explore more amazing architectural visualizations, each one a Finalist in the 2022 One Rendering Challenge!

Architizer Editors Architizer Editors

Explore a further 25 extraordinary architectural visualizations, each one a Finalist in the 3rd Annual One Rendering Challenge. Let us know which are your favorites on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #OneRenderingChallenge!

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“7th Element” by Hugo Ferreira, Pedro Teixeira, Gonçalo Alves and Catarina Brites (okdraw studio)

“This image is part of a set of images developed for a competition for the 7th bridge on Douro’s river in Porto, Portugal. Porto is a very foggy city, with a very peculiar light. We tried to embrace this atmosphere, alongside the idea of scales, between the old city and the new architecture.

architecture: CNLL architects + Helder da Rocha”

Software used: 3ds Max, Corona Renderer, Photoshop


“Field trip” by Hugo Ferreira, Pedro Teixeira, Gonçalo Alves and Catarina Alves (okdraw studio)

“This image is part of a set of images done for the Environment Museum Design Competition, V.N. Gaia, Portugal. We got inspired by the natural materials like concrete and brick, of this very straight forward auditorium, and wanted to give this atmosphere of deep space, a hole on the ground like somewhere between Wieliczka Salt Mine and James Turrel.”

Software used: 3ds Max, Corona Renderer, Photoshop


“Mountain Cabin” by Qiantailong Shi

“In the cottage in the mountain, you don’t have to buy flowerpots and plant all kinds of flowers and plants in order to create a quiet and elegant environment like city people. There are countless flowers and plants in the mountains. As long as you set foot outdoors, you will enjoy countless fragrances and surprises. These beautiful messengers of nature breathe the breath of the mountains, enjoy the sunshine of the mountains, suck the rain and dew of the mountains, and bloom gorgeous and dazzling flowers.”

Software used: 3ds Max, SketchUp, Corona Renderer


“Do Look Up” by Weiwei Toh

“What happens when post-anthropogenic destruction of forests has necessitated a new paradigm of above-ground forestry labs, catalyzing the radiant hope for a flourishing of ecosystems of mycelium and plant growth? “Do Look Up” is predicated upon the anxieties of living and reconciling with the preceding age of environmental collapse and landscape desolation.

A spatial spectacle is formed through the physicalization of what is often not seen, allowing a public approach to understanding the roles of deep root systems and soil pedogenesis in influencing carbon storage of forests. Under-soil ecologies of mycology thrive and enable studies on mycelium biomaterials; communal-living is activated through the open experimentations of using organic, plant-based, low-emission substrates from fungiculture or horticulture as a means of constructing pod-based lived habitats for humans. The prototypical mega-living typology situates itself as an antidote to chaos — a new mode that allows us another chance to live with nature.”

Software used: Rhino, Photoshop, Other


“Copenaghen Opera House” by Antonio D’avolio

“The image depicts one of the icons of the city of Copenhagen, the Opera house, designed by the Danish architect Henning Larsen between 2001 and 2004. During my trip to the Danish capital I took some photos of it and used them as a reference to reproduce this personal work of mine. I focused my attention on reproducing a lighting that could emphasize not only the building but the whole context.
I hope you like it!”

Software used: 3ds Max, Rhino, Corona Renderer, Photoshop


“The winter of Cipea” by Vann Roark

“The Context: The Cipea house is located within a natural forest context in Nanjing, China, the introspective architecture brings the main focus inward allowing the organically shaped openings to simulate the shape of a traditional Chinese scroll cohabiting with the immediate landscape.

The Archviz | The winter history: A black building in a winter context, a cold environment with warm lighting, I want to achieve visual confusions between the real context and the influence of colors and light.”

Software used: 3ds Max, Other


“Above the water surface” by Jakub Ptaszny

“He stopped at the edge of giant round space and looked up at the delirious structure towering beyond the entire landscape. The main ring rose in the last few months over 10 cm through the accelerating speed of rising water caused by massive iceberg melting. In everyone’s mind was if the height of the pillars is enough to protect them from an ongoing catastrophe. Floating City has been growing in the past decade extremely quickly, as the area of dry land was shrinking.

This is the only solution for the fate that they prepared for us, the Landers, our ancestors and our downfall. He turned out to the nearest staircase and looked down at the people. They look like thousands of tiny fireflies, only a few meters from being put out. They are gonna move us up another 10 cm” he said and started going to his apartment.”

Software used: Blender, Other


“Gaia Responds” by Alan Curtis

“A house being swallowed by the sea
Who’s responsible, is it you or me?
Or is it both of us
Striving for fame and fortune,
But instead, gaining infamy.

We’ve built a house of cards on the foundations of bereft mythologies, in particular mythologies that promote the devaluation and commodification of nature with the result being alienation, loneliness and anxiety. Maybe the final question will be: was it worth it?”

Software used: SketchUp, Other


“Southworld: East Park” by Zoe Russian Moreno

“The park is in an envisioned theme set in the 1960’s retro futuristic Latin America. Visitors can feel the experience of a ‘wild’ space where nature harmonizes with its architectural surroundings making it appear organic. Using landmarks that defined generations of happy memories as a source of inspiration it engages with the possibility of extension and adaptability with different influential settings of culture. The park has created lifelike androids that ‘act’ as the animals supplanting their real counterparts for education and entertainment purposes. Although it’s an engaging experience, people will still need to use their own ‘air purifiers’ because things are never what they seem. Tailored prevention inside the park is most important. One never knows what could happen… A reality not so different from our own.”

Software used: V-Ray, 3ds Max, Photoshop


“The Ocean Regeneration Alliance – The General Assembly” by Wee Kee Goh

“The Ocean Regeneration Alliance becomes a beacon of hope in the South China Sea and seeks to create regional peace through cooperative ocean protection efforts. Reassessing our relationship with ocean plastics and oil rigs, and turning our problems into potential solutions.

The image depicts an ongoing hearing in the General Assembly Chamber, whereby the architecture harnesses the power of complete scene immersion to induce empathy among policy makers when making big governmental decisions. The occupants will not only be immersed visually with the state of the ocean around them, but are also able to touch, feel and smell the interior furniture designed from recycled ocean plastics.

With huge advancements in computation design and additive manufacturing technology, material properties such as PET plastics can be recycled and incorporated into digital models for construction. Hence, the blue washed interior and beautiful marbling textures from the plastic recycling process, creating a Plastic Architecture.”

Software used: V-Ray, Rhino, Blender, Photoshop, Other


“Disk House” by Karim Rashid

“Dubbed “The Disk House”, the design of this circular, see-through residence, came as response to the Covid lockdown.The concept of the Disk House is to have 360 degrees views, with no sharp corners and no obstructive columns. “Being locked down for so many months now, made me realize how important the connection with the exterior is – and how much a glazed surface can do for you. Transparency is immaterial, hence your space always feels much larger and it creates a positive mental psyche”, says Karim.

Fully glazed, both the architecture and interior design flow freely in this curved home. The central column not only creates the overall support, but also runs all electrical, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, plumbing, and technology. The two-bedroom, two and a half bathroom house expands over 200 square meters and two floors. Outside, a circular pool delineates the house, adding to the fresh environment.”

Software used: V-Ray, 3ds Max, Rhino


“A Postcard from Brutalism” by Sara Martella

“This image represent one of the iconic architecture of Brutalism: the Georgia’s Deputy Minister of Highway Construction (today Bank of Georgia) located in Tblisi (Georgia). The concept of this work, ideally inspired by Christopher Herwing’s photography , is to restore luster to architectures “unexpectedly beautiful” of brutalism; from that the idea of conceiving the image as a postcard, extrapolating the architecture from its current decay context and make it the protagonist.

The architecture is not portrayed in its entirety on purpose to be able to give a more intimate and subjective representation; we cannot see the building in its entirety but we are able to understand its grandeur, its forms and at the same time its fragility. The atmosphere is melancholy and with the use of color try to find and emphasize the essence of brutalism and Soviet architecture.”

Software used: V-Ray, 3ds Max, Photoshop


“Crystalline” by Dawid Wisniewski

“The image has been created for a design competition featuring a high rise commercial development in Hudson Yards, New York. A rhythmic and geometric composition has been chosen over a more dramatic perspective to bring focus to the subtleties of the facade and lobby space behind.”

Software used: V-Ray, 3ds Max, Other


“LAX 2150 Spaceport” by Joseph Gregory Siml

“The LAX 2150 Spaceport imagines what the travel center may become as our civilization inevitably trends towards advancement. As technology becomes more complex and the population grows, new challenges arise for architectural planners. How will flying vehicles be accommodated? How will giant crowds move through LAX? How will climate pollution and sustainability be addressed?

The LAX 2150 Spaceport envisions how these issues might be addressed and paints a hopeful picture for the future of humanity. In this future, technology is responsibly used, ushering in a new age of prosperity for all. All socio-economic classes can access the port and the unlimited potential of outer space.”

Software used: 3ds Max, Rhino, Enscape, Photoshop


“The Meeting” by Zana Bamarni

“- Hey! Im glad you could make it.
– Hi Deckard! Yeah of course. Wouldn’t want to miss this.
– How are you doing? How was your flight? Better than the last time, I hope.
– Doing great, thanks. The flight was amazing. Still can’t believe you can cross the pond in an hour nowadays.
– Pretty amazing, isn’t it?! Come on, lets head inside. The others allready ordered their drinks.
– Wait a second I need to …
– Forgot something?
– Nevermind. Let’s go inside.”

Software used: V-Ray, Rhino


“Succubus” by Hristo Rizov

“The image depicts a contemporary concept theater hall in Bulgaria’s capital city Sofia that stages the ballet dance performance called “Succubus”.
Bold and modern – both space and show leave audiences in awe with the final words:
“Roaming the realm of dreams
Showing in unexpected places.
Why did I love you
But never told you?
Why did I try to save you
But never could save myself?””

Software used: V-Ray, 3ds Max, Photoshop


“The Eden Initiative” by Hudson KadeHudson Parris Matthew Cox

“Fourteen billion pounds of trash, most of it plastic, is carelessly dumped in the world’s oceans every year. The enormity of this waste problem requires an equally scaled solution. The Eden Initiative is a waste-to-energy plant that seeks to converge and address two of the greatest challenges confronting mankind today—pollution of our oceans and pollution of our atmosphere.

The form gives way to combining a fluid dynamic structure with a tower-like presence that allows one to see for kilometers. The system gathers and consumes tons of trash every hour with the massive intake on the structure’s front. In the building’s belly, waste is burned, and energy is produced in the form of hot gases used to heat water, produce steam, and turn a turbine that generates electricity. The height symbolizes the scale of the issue as it floats from port city to port city.”

Software used: V-Ray, Rhino, Photoshop


“The Collectors” by Utkan Yonter

“It will happen soon. Sooner than you expect.
We will surrender and they will conquer.
One day we will all be gone, and they will live.
Destroying our world as we know it, they will make it their own. They will bludgeon down our walls, smash through our roofs, level our cities … They will trample over everything with disdain for our values.
Except … they will not be insensible to beauty.
Perfect, so intelligent, they will honor our artistic endeavors. They will know them better than us, understand them better than us: study them, analyze them, even try to copy them.
But they will not succeed. Without the human touch, creativity is not absolute. Perfection requires imperfection.
So, one day they will come and destroy almost everything.

but ART will survive.”

Software used: 3ds Max, Corona Renderer, Photoshop


“The Makeshift Studio” by Rachel Dash

“An oil painter sets up a temporary studio in an empty Victorian drawing-room. Having the best light in the house, it will make a perfect temporary workspace. A rug is pushed to the back of the room as the space slowly fills with finished and unfinished works, half-used paint tubes and dirty paint water glasses. Rolls of paper overflow into the hallway, accompanying forgotten paintbrushes and drops of paint now soaked into the hardwood floor.

Messy, unkempt and dusty, this was only supposed to be temporary.

As the soft light of the afternoon sun filters through the window and illuminates the hallway, the artist feels a sense of accomplishment in their latest piece. The workspace is a mess, but that is a problem for another day.”

Software used: V-Ray, 3ds Max


“The Outsider” by Jirair Maghakian

“In a time not too far in the future, most of us people have already moved to the digital world of Metaverse. However, a lot of communities in our society are having some difficulty accepting the idea of this unusual and strange piece of technology.

Leaders and people have neglected their neighborhoods. Everyone in downtown is too busy building a new life in the new world, creating a massive gap and a huge contradiction between what we were and what we are about to become.

This outsider on the other hand, is here to learn about this “underdeveloped” neighborhood trying to find new ways to convince its people for them to make this unwanted shift. This shift that we still don’t know what it is and how it is going to affect humanity. Will it affect us to the better or to the worse?”

Software used: V-Ray, 3ds Max, Photoshop


“Modern temples of culture” by Maurizio Gastoni

“In history, architecture has been an instrument to worship gods, emperors, and kings. In modern times, with a world moving towards a godless season, architecture hasn’t lost its symbolic value. The greatest locations are saved for those buildings that move people, gather them, and educate them. A temple of culture, a natural museum. Sitting on the coastline, in harmony with the rocky shore, showing a glittering skin like that of a giant snake sitting on the water. A strong palette of warm colors was the chosen to give a mystic atmosphere.”

Software used: 3ds Max, Corona Renderer, Photoshop


“Beyond” by Javier Wainstein

“Surrealism is the new reality. Inspired by the masters of surrealism of Europe, the image shows a simple concept about the boundaries of the space, the beyond and the void.”

Software used: 3ds Max, Corona Renderer, Photoshop


“Closed” by Javier Wainstein

“Nothing more to do. Only darkness.”

Software used: 3ds Max, Corona Renderer, Photoshop


“Differentiate” by Tamer Kumas

“”In a reality where everything starts to melt into the same paradigm, the essence of differentiation shall resurface again.” In my rendering, I took an unorthodox approach in which I tried to fuse the abstractness of what I imagine about differentiation in the process of designing a structure in architecture. The iridescent glass structure above the white Mustang, resembles differentiation while also revealing the essence of creativity of architecture. Its surrounded by all concrete structures, depicting the monotony. The cubic structures above the same type of vehicle’s depict the exact same theme as the surrounding environment.”

Software used: Blender, Photoshop


“WAVE” by Roman Huzar

“The unity of nature and architectural form. The architecture seems to echo the shapes of the swans that live there, turning into waves and distorting the shape. It’s like a big stroke trying to unite the architecture with its surroundings by repeating it.”

Software used: 3ds Max, Corona Renderer, Photoshop

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