I learned of Tatiana Bilbao during a semester at university by some sort of accident. I was researching architectural representation and different ways in which our designed spaces could be shown other than through a photo-realistic image.

I personally find photo-realistic renderings to be exhausting and honestly quite boring. I understand the need for these types of renderings, but I find it so much more inventive and interesting to create anything other than this. To be able to create a rendered image for a project that not only conveys the spatial adjacencies and materials, but ALSO conveys the emotions, sounds, and magic that occurs in these designed space is something worth GoingMADD for. Tatiana Bilbao does exactly this. She walks you through an experience with her collages.

“Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO pursues architecture through multidisciplinary perspectives. We promote a collective environment with a diverse staff of architects, academics and model makers. The working method uses hand drawing and iterative models to keep design and development rooted in spatial and not digital exploration.”

Tatiana explains in an interview with Dezeen that collaging images to create a project that is in progress can foster a collaborative approach. This allows the client to make comments on the imperfections as well as speak their mind fully.

When shown a photo-realistic product that is not in the final stage - it can create this effect where critique may not feel welcome because of this finalized feeling. People can get this image stuck in their heads throughout the entire process even when being shown other iterations.

When we explore through collage and navigate images, textures, and figures we can find that the project becomes more fluid, and even can elevate itself to a place where two minds may meet. Collage offers a stitching together of minds, ideas, and experiences in a way that is playful and attainable.

““He stopped following the process because he fixed an image into his mind,” she explained. “I thought, this could be very dangerous and damaging to the creative process.”

”I totally believe that the process is a dialogue,” she continued, “and obviously in that case it became only a monologue, because my mind evolved and his mind stayed with that image.”

”After that we banned renders from our process, until the very end,” she said.”

— Tatiana Bilbao, in interview with Dezeen.

This process has become something that is important for me in understanding myself as a designer because it showcases how a process can be something beneficial to yourself, and can simultaneously be used as a tool to collaborate with someone else.

I truly believe our strongest ideas come from integrated brainstorming and collaborating, so it is inspiring to see Bilbao use this artistic approach as a way to design buildings.

I get so excited when I look over Bilbao’s design process because it is something that gets discouraged in this industry so often. These collages or imagery is deemed as unfinished or too artistic when in reality they are just encouraging a deeper and more valuable conversation.

Through the language of collaging - it allows your mind to wander and piece together different images, thus, creating an idea in your mind as to what the final product may feel like. Not necessarily look like. This is important. The space between two pieces in a collage is where the mind begins to wander and create something wonderful - something from the imagination. Collaging allows you to daydream and play in your own mind about what this space can begin to offer the world.

Through this collaboration between client and designer, there is not a an idea that can’t be considered or spoken about. Everything is left on the table with this process because the limits are endless when you explore a project in this way. The final design is something that ends up being fascinating to both parties.

I hope you go mad for Tatiana Bilbao and her design process the same way we do! If it doesn’t excite you the same way it does us, then I hope it at least sparks some type of idea or inspiration in your mind to push boundaries in unfamiliar and explorative ways.

Stay MADD!

XO

Check out some of her and her studio’s work below: