Meet the Talented Artists Using Enscape in Archisource Drawing of the Year 2024

Each year, Archisource celebrates the best worldwide talent with its Drawing of the Year Awards. The competition brings together artists creating visual representations of architecture, design, and the built environment. 

As the competition opens for its sixth iteration, the expert judging panel prepares to review entries across six categories—Digital Drafting, Digital media, Hand Drawn, Mixed Media, Visualization, and Drawing of the Year—and additional specialized commendations.

Let's look back at five artists from last year's awards who, using Enscape and other tools, won categories or received commendations and special mentions for their entries.

Hojoon Jang: Liberating Columns (Visualization Award 2024: Commended)

Hojoon Jang, an architecture student from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, is currently completing an internship at Fala Atelier in Porto, Portugal. His entry, Liberating Columns, was a project completed during his fourth year of studies. "I've always been interested in the discipline of architecture," he explained. "Liberating Columns is also dealing purely with the discipline, how the tectonics of architecture can be formatively expressed."

When it came to creating his entry, Jang says that the process was relatively straightforward. "First, I created a detailed 1:20 scale model using Rhino3D; then I gathered PBR material texture files." Next, after categorizing the model into layers by material, he used Enscape to apply the collected texture files. Once the real-time rendering in Enscape was enabled, he corrected any mapping errors. He then went on to reduce the sun's intensity to 15% and adjusted its position to highlight the texture of the materials. "After exporting the render, I made minor color adjustments in Photoshop, and that's it!" he shared. "All of this was completed within a single day."

Expanding a little more on his visualization, Jang explained how his design subverted the idea of the hidden structural systems of skyscrapers. This project focuses on the 'hidden things: structures' of high-rise buildings, which are the products of industrialization," he said. It boldly flips the finishing and exposes the beautifully constructed structure to examine the industrial aesthetic form."

Ng Hei Tung Michael: Absolute Obsolete - Assembling a Vertical Street (Digital Drafting Award 2024: Winner)

During his studies, Ng Hei Tung Michael, an Architecture graduate from the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, became fascinated by exploring the intersections between community engagement, collective memories, and urban fabric. “My work emphasized how social and human-centric factors can influence and inform city design and urban planning, aiming to create more culturally inclusive and sustainable environments,” he shared.

Ng is currently based in Hong Kong and working towards obtaining his professional license as an architect. He entered Absolute Obsolete, a project he calls a love letter to the people of Hong Kong, in the Digital Drafting category of Drawing of the Year. “It reflects on the vulnerability and alienation experienced by young adults, drawing parallels to industries, neighborhoods, and cultural heritage often deemed obsolete by society,” he explained. “The project celebrates the importance of young people as the carriers of our city’s memories.” 

Absolute Obsolete revitalizes an aging neighborhood in Hong Kong, To Kwa Wan. The project targets marginalized young adults, giving autonomy over their living spaces through co-living.  “Central to the design are vertical streets that ascend the high-rise structure, serving as communal spines that foster collaboration, creativity, and a strong sense of belonging.” 

When working on this project, Ng used his typical workflow, which involves organizing the 3D model by ensuring that materials and elements are arranged in separate layers. "This setup enables me to export various components—such as shadows, object and material IDs, depth, and silhouettes—with just a few clicks." With this workflow in place, Ng reduces his post-editing time, and it helps achieve his desired graphic style. Ng also found the Enscape asset library an invaluable resource, as it added detail and vibrancy to his drawings without dramatically increasing file sizes. "Enscape has also been incredibly useful throughout my entire postgraduate studies," he shared. "Especially for showcasing progress during my weekly tutorials." 

Mehul Jethwa: Site Programme (Digital Drafting Award 2024: Commended)

Throughout his academic career and current position at Foster + Partners, Mehul Jethwa has committed to impactful, environmentally conscious architecture. For his Drawing of the Year entry, the Part 2 Architectural graduate from De Montfort University submitted Site Programme, a project addressing climate change and flooding in the United Kingdom. He explains that the project “reimagines the future of coastal resilience by integrating innovative retrofitting strategies with local identity preservation.”

The project was inspired by the impact of climate change on England’s coastal towns, with a particular focus on Dunwich, a historically significant medieval settlement. Jethwa’s concept focuses on modifying existing structures at risk from the coastline’s transformation while honoring its identity through sustainable solutions such as reed-based construction and reusing materials—all aligned with a circular economy. “The project embodies a vision for a unified community adapting to environmental shifts,” he explained. “Integrating cultural preservation with innovative architectural strategies to ensure resilience and functionality for future generations.”

Different parts of the project include oast towers for drying reeds, a resource center at the heart of community life, reed houses blending in with the marshland, and a workshop promoting self-sufficiency and encouraging craftsmanship and repair—reusing materials and reducing waste while preparing for potential sea level rises.

When working on this project, Jethwa says his workflow prioritised efficiency and precision to address its complex challenges, so he turned to Enscape for SketchUp. Enscape’s real-time rendering capabilities shone here, allowing Jethwa to immediately test retrofitting strategies within Dunwich’s environmental and historical context. “The combination of quick feedback and precise control supported rapid decision-making,” he explained, adding that it enabled him “to maintain a focus on the project’s goals of sustainability, identity preservation, and resilience.” 

Kristián Vnučko & Alexander Topilin: Sensory Scene No.1 (Digital Media Award 2024: Highly Commended)

Kristián Vnučko and Alexander Topilin graduated in 2018 from the Faculty of Architecture and Design, SUT in Bratislava, Slovakia. Since then, the pair have gone on to work as freelance architects and designers, Kristián in Prague, Czechia, and Alexander in Trenčín, Slovakia. The pair worked together to create Sensory Scene No. 1, designing a pavilion above the Roman thermal baths of Curinga, Italy, for the Reuse Italy International Architectural Competition in 2023—later entering it for Drawing of the Year 2024.

In the design, the pavilion is protective while also showcasing the architecture of the Roman baths, which initially had a symmetrical layout with a frigidarium (cold room) at its center. “The kinetic elements of the semi-sphere construction change the amount of sunlight hitting the ruins,” they explained. “The wind creates the effect of a gentle breeze, and rain simulates the sound effect of the hot water.” Due to the oculus in their design, natural light is brought to the center, offering visitors a unique view of the ruin. Overall, the design gives visitors a fresh perspective on this Imperial Era site and gives full attention to their advanced engineering and social importance—something the lush surrounding landscape might have otherwise overshadowed.

Regarding their workflow, the pair were realistic about marrying creativity with speed. “Most of our clients are eager to see the vision from us in an almost realistic picture,” they said. ”At the same time, we cannot lose track of time by working just on the visual representation as such.” Working with Enscape helps the pair achieve the best of both worlds. “[Enscape’s] end results linger just on the fine line between realistic and conceptual, which provides us with the perfect visual for our projects.

Jordi Guijarro Contreras: El fin de la ciudad (Digital Media Award 2024: Special Mention)

Jordi Guijarro Contreras is a Spain-based architect who combines speculative fiction with architectural design. His drawings have been featured in international exhibitions, and he previously worked with Grandeza Studio on the "Pilbara Interregnum" project for the 2023 Venice Biennale. For his submission to the 2024 Drawing of the Year Awards, Guijarro Contreras presented El fin de la ciudad, a drawing that was part of his Master's thesis, Antigona Acelerada (Accelerated Antigone). The project is "an architectural reinterpretation of Sophocles' Antigone set in an accelerated future," he explains.

Explaining more about the drawing he created, Guijarro Contreras explains that it illustrates the opening scene, El fin de la ciudad (The End of the City) where Antigone discovers her brother's unburied body after the war. This pivotal moment symbolizes the downfall of Thebes, the ancient city, triggering a divine response from nature that underscores the city's ongoing cycle of decay and rebirth, portraying it as a captivating yet ever-changing relic of the past.

Guijarro Contreras' workflow to create this image consisted of three key phases. "First, I focus on conceptual drawings and modeling, moving iteratively between hand-drawn sketches and 3D modeling to refine ideas," he shares. Next, he moved onto using Enscape for rendering and generating base images to serve as a foundation for the overall composition. "Enscape was chosen for its efficiency and ability to produce high-quality visuals directly from the 3D model, streamlining the creative process." Finally, he shifts to Photoshop for the final touches, layering the rendered images with vector data from the model. "This method allows me to blend precise digital outputs with artistic adjustments," he explains. "Achieving a detailed and cohesive result tailored to the project's conceptual vision."

Enter your own work in 2025

If these designs have inspired you, there's good news: the Archisource Drawing of the Year Awards 2025 is now open for entries and has over £125,000 worth of prizes up for grabs.

The Drawing of the Year Awards are judged by an expert panel of industry experts and creatives with specialized knowledge and experience in architecture, design, and image creation. They're also a fantastic way for professionals and students to be recogniszed for your creative talents. Submit your work by 20th April 2025.