The artistic and architectural value of hyperreal archviz may seem intangible and ephemeral in the business of construction and real estate. Emotionally engaging visualization that facilitates critical evaluation of the project may benefit the society, but is it financially justified? It is the economy that drives construction, and the project’s impact is measured by the profit it generates as much as by its social importance. Investors have the last word in which project gets the green light. In this money-driven atmosphere, does the investment into the time and labor-consuming hyperreal visualization really return? 

What advantages does hyperreal archviz offer, except for the obvious reasoning that visually striking visualizations make the project stand out and win competitions and clients? We would like to argue that hyperreal archviz indeed contains integral elements that make the project generate profit and increase in capital and value.

When architects show their design to the clients, they sell not only the project itself but also the present and future experience that comes with it. A well-made visualization is a part of this experience – the one that creates anticipation, dream, and desire. It makes digital visualization a Veblen good.

The concept of Veblen good was introduced by an American economist Thorstein Veblen in his book “The Theory of the Leisure Class” (1899). A Veblen good is a type of luxury product that follows the rule: the higher the price the higher the demand. Because of its high price and exclusivity, a Veblen good is a desirable status symbol.  People who own Veblen goods participate in conspicuous consumption: they display their status and wealth through ownership.

Thorstein Veblen believed that such goods should be well-made, unique, and available to the selected few. In Veblen’s age, expensive goods were distinguished by the outstanding quality of material and craftsmanship. But mass production, popular culture, and digitalization changed status symbols. Now quality and uniqueness are less important than a recognizable logo that demonstrates you’re in the know. It means goods and experiences don’t have to be well-made and original: they may be mass-produced, but associated with a ‘luxurious’ brand. Think logomania in fashion, or any easily recognizable ‘premium’ brand that is not that different from its less pricey competitors. The real scarcity that used to come from rare craftsmanship and hard-to-get material becomes irrelevant, the lure is maintained through induced demand.

We would argue that generic glossy photorealistic rendering is often mass-produced without any regard for quality, artistic touch, or any real skill. Visualization programs become more and more self-sufficient, and soon decent photorealistic renders will be produced by neural networks.  

Visualization: Veblen goods in their extreme then and now: a Rolls Royce vs. Balenciaga slippers.

Unlike generic glossy visualization, hyperreal (and neo-analog) archviz fits the classical definition of a Veblen good as something created with professional labor of outstanding skill. Elaborate representation tailored to a specific project cannot be mass-produced. It does not just signify ‘luxury’ by depicting expensive buildings. It radiates an air of inherent exclusivity, the real understated preciosity which only comes with quality and rarity. These qualities correspond to the uniqueness of the project that the visualization represents.

Visualization: 'Pittsburgh Athletic Assotiation' by iddqd Studio. An expensive and skilfully-made interior and its elaborate representation are both Veblen goods.

But there is also a value system, a cultural capital attached to hyperreal visualization that goes above the mere idea of exclusivity and luxury. Hyperrealism fulfills the demand for authenticity and experience-driven lifestyle of the last decade and inspires slow and insightful contemplation of the universe.

Header illustration: 'Pittsburgh Athletic Assotiation' by iddqd Studio.